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.
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.
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 know what distance to stand from the ball?
Now that you know that the proper distance to stand from the golf ball is relative to a golfer’s swing, how do you know what distance is right for you? An easy place to start is the contact point on your clubface. If you find yourself hitting shots on the toe, move closer to the ball. If you are hitting shots of the heel, move farther away. I use Dr. Scholl’s foot powder spray to see where the face is being contacted because it works better than tape, which tends to skew spin on the shot.
Why do you change your distance from the ball?
Another reason to change your distance from the ball is to help you change the shape of your swing. I use distance from the ball as a drill to change swing shapes like this: If someone is TOO flat and swinging TOO far in front on the downswing, I move them in closer.
How to tell if your arm is hanging from the ball?
To check your distance, stand at address in your normal posture and take your regular grip. Now remove your right hand from the club. If it is hanging directly in tandem with your left, your arms are under your shoulders. If your arm is hanging closer to your body, you’re one who stands a little farther away from the ball, and if your arm moves farther away from your body then you’re one who stands a little closer to the ball.
Can recreational golfers improve their scoring?
I’m totally convinced the majority of recreational golfers can make the quickest and biggest improvement in our scoring if we will just dedicate the time to learn good chipping technique and to practicing that technique with a purpose.
Do you putt with a lighter club or putter?
In employing this technique, however, realize that the club you are “putting” with weighs much less than your putter, so you want to grip the club much lighter to make the club feel heavier. It takes just a little practice to see what different clubs will do with this putt/chip technique.
Can golfers chip the ball well?
I’ve always admired golfers who can really chip the ball well. Through my years in golf, I have seen players of all handicaps who are excellent chippers, and all tour professionals are masters of chipping it close. But for such a simple little stroke and challenge, chipping seems to be a part of the game that eludes many of us.
How far should you set up from the ball?
There’s no specific measurement as to how far one should set up from the ball, but obviously, a longer club (driver) creates more distance than a shorter club (wedge). Still, it need not be a guessing game from one club to the next.
How to set up a golf club?
Here’s a simple, step-by-step setup guide that works for every golf club. 1. Stand up straight with the knees just slightly bent. 2. Grip the club normally and hold it in front of your body, at a right angle to your spine, with the elbows relaxed and close to your sides. 3. Make sure the butt of the club points at or just above your belt buckle.
What happens if you hit a ball too far away?
Improper setup can cause a multitude of swing problems; for example, poor balance. Reaching for a ball that’s too far away puts excess weight on the toes, creating pushed, topped and even shanked shots. Stand too close and you’ll be back on your heels, spraying shots off the end of the club and making generally lousy contact.
What to do if your club face is not centered?
If this is the case, maintain your knee flex, posture and arm position and slide your feet forward or back until the club head comes into place behind the ball. Don’t adjust the club’s position with the arms.
Can a golf swing be flat?
The swing may become overly flat (horizontal) or upright (vertical). Depending on your miscalculation; hooks, slices and other miscues will ensue. Likewise, bad ball positioning can wreak havoc on the spine angle, hindering hip and shoulder turn -- draining power and undermining accuracy.
How close should I stand to the golf ball?
Simply hold the club in front of you, getting the club face square. Separate the feet, bend at the hips, and see where the golf club lands. If it is behind the ball, you are the right distance.
What to do if your club hits the ground?
If your club hits the ground and is beyond the ball or short of the golf ball, simply start over. This way you know you for sure you are the proper distance in your golf setup.
How to hit up on a golf ball?
The short step toward the target with your lead foot and longer step with the trail foot should get your ball position just inside the lead foot. This ball position will help you hit up on the golf ball.
How to get tempo in golf?
But instead of resting the club on the ground, hover it behind the ball. Bearing the club weight before swinging gives us more natural, rhythmic tempo.
Is hitting your driver a good thing?
Hitting your driver can be one of the most enjoyable parts of golf. But there are some key parts of the setup that most amateur golfers never realize make a difference.
What determines your distance from the golf ball?
Your body and arm position should be perfect, and that is what determines your distance from the golf ball — see Figure 4.
Where should a golf club hang?
If you let go of the club with your right hand, and let it hang freely near the club, it should not move either towards or away from your body, it should want to hang directly behind where it was on the grip — see Figures 1 and 2.
What happens when you put a golf ball on your left wrist?
Note that, when you place the address the golf ball, there will be some natural cupping ( wrist extension) in your left wrist, and your right wrist will be flat — see Figure 1.
How to place a golf club behind the ball?
So, as you take your stance, as described above, with correct posture, the perfect stance width and ball position, perfect weight distribution and balance, and perfect spine angle, and then take your grip, tilt your spine and place the club behind the ball, your arms should hang, relaxed and free of tension, underneath your shoulders. When you do this the sweet spot of the club face should be precisely behind the golf ball.
Why is my right elbow lower than my left elbow?
Your right elbow will be slightly lower than your left, because of your spine tilt, but they should be perfectly parallel to the target line — see Figures 1 and 4. Your upper arms should be more to the sides of your chest than in front of it, with the insides of your triceps and pectorals .
What to do if you are too close to a golf ball?
If you find that you are too close to, or too far from, the golf ball (you are not addressing the ball with the sweet spot of the club face), then stand up, adjust the position of your feet, and take your address position again from the beginning.
How to get your hands away from your body?
Standing more upright may push your hands away from your body very slightly as your chest pushes against your upper arms, but even with the driver your whole grip should be behind a line drawn vertically down from your chin at address — see Figure 5.
How far should a golf club touch your left leg?
The club should touch your left leg about two inches above the kneecap. (A little higher if you tend to grip down more than an inch.) If it's considerably higher than two inches, you're probably standing too close to the ball. Lower than two inches and you're too far away.
What to do if you miss a shot on the left side of the golf club?
If you've been missing shots left or right, making contact on the club's heel or toe , or hitting the ball fat or thin, merely adjusting your address position could be all the fix you need.
How to address a golf ball?
Any club will work, driver through lob wedge. Carefully place the butt of the grip on your left leg while retaining your address posture. Make sure not to change the position of the clubhead or lock your knees. The club should touch your left leg about two inches above the kneecap.
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.
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)
