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how far hands from body in golf swing

by Jany Kilback Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The hands-to-body distance varies depending on the club you are hitting. A good rule of thumb is to have the hands a palm's width from the body for short and middle irons (4 to 6 inches) and a palm's length—from the bottom of the wrist to the tip of your middle finger—for long irons and woods.Sep 7, 2019

Full Answer

What is the hands-to-body distance of a golf club?

Moecat. The hands-to-body distance varies depending on the club you are hitting. A good rule of thumb is hands "a palm's width" (photo, left) from the body for short and middle irons (4 to 6 inches) and "a palm's length" (photo, right) - from the bottom of the wrist to the tip of your middle finger - for long irons and woods.

How do you limit the role of hands in the golf swing?

Professional golfers know you have to limit the role of the hands in the golf swing and let the big muscles do the work. The best way to get started on the path of fewer hands in the golf swing is with the takeaway. Need a simple drill? Take a yardstick or an alignment stick, place it on the ground, and take your address position.

Where should your hands be when you hit a golf club?

At address, your hands should hang just forward of your zipper (just off the inside of your target side thigh). The hands-to-body distance varies depending on the club you are hitting. A good rule of thumb is hands "a palm's width" (photo, left) from the body for short and middle irons (4 to 6 inches) and "a palm's length" (photo,...

How important is the location of your hands during the swing?

The location of your hands during the golf swing is a critical piece of the overall puzzle. If you think about it, this makes sense – your hands are your only connection to the golf club, so it stands to reason that their positioning is going to play a big role in where the ball goes.

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Should arms be close to body in golf swing?

1:096:22HOW TO KEEP YOUR ARMS CLOSE TO YOUR BODY BUT STILL ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPosition I got no problem with the left arm staying nice and close to the body mainly. Because IMorePosition I got no problem with the left arm staying nice and close to the body mainly. Because I think it helps everybody get a feeling of comfort.

How far should you grip down on a golf club?

In general, start by choking up one inch on the club and see how it affects your shot shape and distance. Then, try out another inch. The more you grip down on the club, the closer you will need to stand to make up for it but otherwise, no real adjustment is needed.

Where should your hands be when swinging a golf club?

2:096:33How the arms and hands work in a golf swing to create a natural release.YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThat means the right hit wrist goes back the right elbow hinges. And at the end of the swing theMoreThat means the right hit wrist goes back the right elbow hinges. And at the end of the swing the right wrist will also rotate slightly. Obviously your right arm has a lot of power.

How far should your driver be from your body?

The right pinky touches the left thigh while the right thumb sticks out to the butt end of the driver. A fist and a stretched out thumb works well too. For a golfer who is 6′ and up, this distance usually ends up around 7 inches from thigh to the butt of the club. For golfers around 5'4″-5'10”, it is around 6 inches.

Do you use same grip for driver and irons?

Overall, the basic golf grip choices are all going to be the same. However, there are modifications to the standard golf grips that can help to manipulate the ball flight, hit straighter shots, and get more distance. The driver swing is a bit different from an iron swing.

Is it OK to choke up on golf club?

0:401:37When Should you Choke Up on a Golf Club? - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo I recommend actually if you don't need to choke up rather if you could just go down a club.MoreSo I recommend actually if you don't need to choke up rather if you could just go down a club.

How far should hands be away from body at address?

The hands-to-body distance varies depending on the club you are hitting. A good rule of thumb is to have the hands a palm's width from the body for short and middle irons (4 to 6 inches) and a palm's length—from the bottom of the wrist to the tip of your middle finger—for long irons and woods.

How far away do you stand from the golf ball?

The ideal distance you should stand from the golf ball is one where the butt of the club is pointing at your belt buckle and is about 6 inches away from your thighs. This should be the same for all clubs in the bag. It doesn't matter what club you're using, your arm position should be the same.

How active should your hands be in the golf swing?

3:506:36Malaska Golf - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipI almost always see them show up with it too much in the palm of their hands. So the club has to beMoreI almost always see them show up with it too much in the palm of their hands. So the club has to be in your fingers your fingertips.

How do I know if I'm standing too close to the golf ball?

When you are standing too close to the ball, you will swing with a plane that is too upright. This can tend to cause more of a slice or even shanks. Getting the club on a good plane will help you start striking the ball much more nicely. You will hit the ball straighter and further with less effort.Benefits Of Standing Closer To The Golf Ball – How Close To Stand At ...https://southamptongolfclub.com › benefits-of-standing-cl...https://southamptongolfclub.com › benefits-of-standing-cl...

Should I stand further away from the golf ball?

Standing further from the golf ball may help to prevent shanks and slices and will provide more accuracy and consistency in a players' hits. Be careful not to stand too far, but if you are too close, move further back for a better hit.6 Things That Can Happen If You Stand Too Close To Golf Ballhttps://golfwaterton.com › stand-too-close-to-golf-ballhttps://golfwaterton.com › stand-too-close-to-golf-ball

What happens if ball is too far forward in stance?

Ball position; it's one of the oldest fundamentals in golf. If it's too far forward, it may be causing you to hit thin or fat shots and miss shots to the left. If it's too far back, you could be hitting tops, chunks, and missing the ball to the right.This was our most-read golf instruction tip of the yearhttps://golf.com › instruction › 2019-instruction-tip-ball-p...https://golf.com › instruction › 2019-instruction-tip-ball-p...

How does standing from the ball affect your swing?

How far you stand from the golf ball at address will affect your swing. Standing too far away can force you to reach out with the club, with your arms completely straight and your elbows locked -- ruining any chance of a nice, easy swing.

Where to put a golf club on the ground?

Place the butt of the club on the tip of your thumb. That space -- from the top of your thumb to your belt buckle -- represents how far your body should be from the end of the club. From that position you can simply place the club on the ground behind the ball to achieve the proper stance.

How to know how close to stand to the ball?

Guideline. "Golf Digest" offers a simple solution for determining how close to stand to the ball. It all begins with taking a good stance at address. Place your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees slightly flexed and a natural bend at your hips. This places you in a balanced, athletic position.

Who said he rarely sees anyone stand too close to the ball?

Tom Watson, one of golf's all-time greats, told "Golf Digest" that he rarely sees anyone stand too close to the ball. Two other golf legends, Byron Nelson and Johnny Miller, have made similar statements, according to Watson.

How to get fewer hands in golf swing?

Need a simple drill? Take a yardstick or an alignment stick, place it on the ground, and take your address position. Take a club and place the sole on the stick, and work on keeping the hands quiet for those all-important first 18 inches of the takeaway . Practice the takeaway 10 times, then hit 5 practice shots, focusing exclusively on your takeaway. Repeat the process three times.

What is the role of hands in golf?

The role of the hands in the golf swing is important, yet often misunderstood concept. Most of what you’ll find in golf instruction literature will focus on the configuration of your hands on the club, and how certain types of grips affect the ball flight, etc. However, the hands do so much more than just grip the club.

How to know if a golf club is good?

The top of the backswing is a true test to know if everything before that moment has been done correctly. The key area to focus on at the top is the level of comfort and stability of the golf club. For example, take a practice swing and hold the club at the top. Does the clubface stay in place? Does the grip stay secure in your hands without you having to squeeze it to death? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you’re on the right track. Answering no to one or both of those questions is common and speaks volumes to what most recreational golfers struggle with.

What does it mean when your backswing is quiet?

When you’re able to reach the top of the backswing with “quiet” hands, you’ll notice a more consistent swing and lower scores.

Why do pros swing golf clubs so smoothly?

One of the reasons pros swing the golf club so smoothly is because the club swings with no correction or compensation with the hands.

What is the next step in golf?

Once you’ve established a grip style that is comfortable to you and suits your game , the next step is to understand your hand’s role in the golf takeaway. With the exception of a few specialty shots (i.e. buried lies, divots), the hands will passively follow the shoulders and arms as you initiate the backswing.

What is the last point of interest for the hands?

The last point of interest for the hands is in the transition into the downswing and follow-through. If you’ve spent any amount of time at the practice tee, you’ve no doubt witnessed players practicing the start of their downswing, which usually involves them trying to maintain the angle of their wrists.

Where should your hands be when setting up a golf ball?

Anotomically speaking, your hands should be directly underneath your chin when setting up to the golf ball using the RST setup foundation. Too close to your body and you could produce a cramped swing that loses power and promotes shanks. Too far away and you ruin your swing plane and proper rotation. Watch our simple golf distance technique that ...

What side of the golf swing is dominant?

Well, again, the golf swing is lead side dominant, so what you've got to do is let your lead arm, your left arm if you're a right-handed golfer, hand down nice and free. Now you're going to see that neutral, just where I'm completely relaxed, that has my left hand right about at my chin line. That would put the right hand outside of it.

What swing method do tour pro use?

More TOUR PROS Use RST Fundamentals Than Any Other Swing Method!

Which arm is better for hitting full shots?

The right arm when it gets back on the club will pull it back in and that will pull the ball closer to you when you're hitting full shots with both hands on the club. So left arm only this is perfectly okay, but now we put the right arm on there we've got to find the healthy compromise. And that's simple.

Is it normal to shank your left arm?

If you're doing a lot of left arm only drills or lead arm only drills, and you find yourself shanking some, that's okay. That's totally normal. You're just standing a little too close to the ball. The centrifugal force from the club when you're going left arm only is going to pull the left arm out further away from you.

How far should your hands hang on a golf club?

A good rule of thumb is hands "a palm's width" (photo, left) from the body for short and middle irons (4 to 6 inches) and "a palm's length" (photo, right) - from the bottom of the wrist to the tip of your middle finger - for long irons and woods.

What happens if you are positioned right on a golf club?

If you are positioned just right, it will stay in the same location as when you gripped the club. If you are too far from the ball, your hand (when you release it) will fall towards the end of the shaft. If too close, your hand will fall further down the shaft. For lefties, this drill should be done with the left hand.

How to get distance and aim?

If your body is too close or far positioned from the ball, your distance and aim will be greatly effected. First position yourself behind the ball as normal. If you are right handed, grip the club as usual. Let your right hand go from your grip.

What hand do you use to drill a lefty?

If too close, your hand will fall further down the shaft. For lefties, this drill should be done with the left hand. This only takes a couple seconds to do but will improve your distance and accuracy. At address, your hands should hang just forward of your zipper (just off the inside of your target side thigh).

Do you forget how to swing overnight?

You do not forget how to swing overnight but you let some little thing (not the slot in your irons)

What is the importance of your hands during a golf swing?

If you think about it, this makes sense – your hands are your only connection to the golf club, so it stands to reason that their positioning is going to play a big role in where the ball goes.

What is shoulder turn in golf?

Making a great shoulder turn in your backswing is going to position your body to swing down aggressively with plenty of power behind the club.

Why do amateur golfers backspin?

Backspin not only helps you stop the ball quickly when it lands, but it also helps the ball climb into the air and fall softly onto the green.

Where do you put a divot in golf?

As a point of reference, you can stick a tee in the turf near the ball (but outside of the path of your club). If your divot starts just after where the tee is located, you are doing a good job of getting your hands in front and hitting down.

What happens if you don't trust your downswing?

If you don’t trust your downswing and believe that you are going to make good contact, you’ll slow the club down and probably not get in front by the time you reach the ball. Once the swing starts, there is no turning back – just commit to it and swing all the way through to a full finish.

What is the difference between amateur golfers and professional golfers?

Generally speaking, pros are better across the board at the various skills needed to play golf. And that makes sense, of course – they are the best players in the world! But one area where they tend to be significantly better than the average golfer is getting their hands in front and creating a downward hit. In fact, an experienced golf teacher can check the position of a player’s hands at impact and quickly assess that player’s ability.

Can you hit down through the ball?

It’s basically impossible to hit down through the ball if your hands are behind the ball when you make contact. If your hands are behind the ball at impact, the club is probably making its way back up away from the ground – meaning you are hitting up, not down. This is extremely common in the amateur game.

1. Too Far

As Bova illustrates: Set up to the golf ball and once you’re comfortable, let go of the club with your trail hand. If your hand swings closer to your body, that’s an indication that you’re standing too far away from the ball.

2. Too close

The opposite will happen if you’re standing too close to the golf ball. Let go with your trail hand, and it’ll swing out in front of the club.

3. Just Right

And if you’re perfect? You’ll know if you drop your trail hand off the golf club and your hand swings even with the grip, parallel to your body.

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