There is a lot of conflicting advice about whether the shoulders should be open, square, or even closed at impact. The real answer, like most things in golf, is “it depends.” The key to shoulder position at impact is matching your pivot with your arm swing.
How important is shoulder position at impact in golf?
The real answer, like most things in golf, is “it depends.” The key to shoulder position at impact is matching your pivot with your arm swing. What I see on a daily basis is players doing things that by themselves might not be wrong, but they don’t fit with the rest of their pattern.
What is the correct position of the golf ball when driving?
So, the correct position of the golf ball when you use the driver is the closest to your front foot and most distant from your body. These 4 types of golf ball positions follow a simple rule that I will simply for the beginners now.
Why are my shoulders angled left of the golf ball?
Golfers have a natural tendency to line up with their shoulders angled left of target, even when their feet are perfectly square. Usually, we unconsciously open the shoulder s for a better look at the target. But we end up creating a headache. When the left shoulder is pulled back, away from the ball, the backswing turn is restricted.
How far should you hit a golf ball from your shoulder?
If you draw a line from the right shoulder to the left shoulder, right through the center of them, that should hit somewhere between let’s say between 4 and 8 feet, roughly, outside of your golf ball.
Where should the shoulders be at impact?
2:407:41Shoulder At Impact Golf MORE CONSISTENCY & PURE STRIKESYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSay keep them square. If you look a lot of the camera angles on tv. Like from face on. Here. I canMoreSay keep them square. If you look a lot of the camera angles on tv. Like from face on. Here. I can guarantee you that the chest. And the shoulders will always be open at impact.
Should shoulders be level at impact?
For a golfer whose left arm is deeper and more across the chest and right arm stays bent longer, the shoulders should be more open at impact. This will help the golfer's swing move in the direction of the target. For this golfer, the arms are moving slower, or closer to the same speed as the right shoulder.
Should shoulders be square at address?
GO: For most shots your body, including your shoulders, arms, hips and knees, should be square to your target line. NO GO: Your shoulders should not be open or closed relative to your target line. This causes an inside or outside takeaway path.
How do you use the right shoulder to create the perfect impact position?
2:109:43How To Use The Right Shoulder To Create The Perfect Impact PositionYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGet the shaft leaning more forward at impact. Than it was at setup. More forward at impact than itMoreGet the shaft leaning more forward at impact. Than it was at setup. More forward at impact than it was at set up usually you'll see the hands inside left thigh at set up. And then at impact.
How do you keep your shoulders level in the golf swing?
Stand up straight and put a club over your shoulders, across the back of your neck (second photo). Then rotate your shoulders so the club stays horizontal on your backswing twist and your follow-through twist.
How much should you turn your shoulders in the golf swing?
In golf, you should turn your shoulders 90 degrees from your address position in order to complete your backswing. If done correctly, the tip of your left shoulder should be pointed at the golf ball at the top of your backswing. This would indicate a 'full shoulder turn'.
How do I align my shoulders for an address?
1:082:59Improve Your Tee Shots With Shoulder Alignment - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo interesting little tip for you I used to do this is when I was playing. Set yourself up so theMoreSo interesting little tip for you I used to do this is when I was playing. Set yourself up so the ball like you're doing just drop your right hand off. Put it next to your right thigh.
Should shoulders be open or closed at address?
The GOLFTEC SwingTRU Motion Study proves the best players in the world at address have an average shoulder position of 7 degrees open and hip position of 1 degree open.
What happens if shoulders are open at address?
A closed shoulder position is when the shoulders are aligned slightly right of the target, left of the target for the left-hand golfer. The closed shoulder position induces right to left ball spin. If the shoulders are open, the ball will spin left to right creating a slice for the right-hand golfer.
Do the shoulders control the golf swing?
2:3214:49The Magic Of The Right Shoulder In The Golf Swing - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt has to tilt. And it has to turn tilt and turn now what we're trying to do during the downswing isMoreIt has to tilt. And it has to turn tilt and turn now what we're trying to do during the downswing is combine that tilting so the tilting would be the right shoulder getting closer to the right hip.
Should right shoulder be lower than left golf swing?
The right shoulder will sit lower than the left due to how we hold the club. Once the right shoulder is sitting lower than the left, the club will be able to move on the correct swing path in both the backswing and downswing.
Does right shoulder drop in downswing?
1:5811:00GOLF: Right Shoulder Down For INCREDIBLE Ball Striking - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipGoing down during the downswing. So that you don't hit the ground way behind the ball. Are twoMoreGoing down during the downswing. So that you don't hit the ground way behind the ball. Are two things number one as your right shoulder goes down during the downswing. Your right shoulder.
What is the shoulder alignment of a great ball striker?
There appears to be two distinct shoulder alignments commonly seen in great ball strikers, one where the shoulders are square or parallel to the intended target line the other where the shoulders are open or looking left. As a general rule if the player prefers to fade the ball a slightly open shoulder pattern is going to be more desirable ...
What is an open shoulder?
The open shoulder position is usually more associated with a fade and an in to out club movement. It is common to see players with open shoulder alignments at impact to have a relatively strong grip. Tour players tend to match their body rotation through impact with their grip.
What is a square shoulder release?
If you prefer a squarer shoulder position you will want a slightly weaker grip and to adopt more of a roll release. This is a release where the club face goes from more of a toe up position in delivery or where the shaft in horizontal to the ground coming into impact and then rotates to mirror ...
Do golf clubs square at impact?
The release of the golf club is often misunderstood and many think to square the club face at impact there must be some rolling of the forearms through impact in order to square the face. The reality is that many great ball strikers actually try and feel the opposite and reduce forearm and wrist rotation to a minimum.
How far should you hit a golf ball?
If you draw a line from the right shoulder to the left shoulder, right through the center of them, that should hit somewhere between let’s say between 4 and 8 feet, roughly, outside of your golf ball.
What is the right arm of a golfer?
The right arm is nice and in to his body. The hips have rotated open. Now here’s a key point to note when you’re looking at the swing, the difference between the shoulders and the torso. If you look at his shirt buttons or his ribcage, you would see that that’s pointing about 20-30° open.
What does it mean when a golfer's right hand is lower than his left hand?
Since his body is slightly tilted away --so you can see his upper body is slightly tilted back away from the target – that’s going to put – and since also his right hand is lower on the club than his left hand – that’s going to give him just a very slight tilt in the shoulders.
What does it mean when your left shoulder is square?
All right, so these shoulders are pretty square there. That means the left shoulder is kind of protracted, or in against the chest. The left shoulder’s going to feel like it’s across your chest as you’re coming down to impact. The right shoulder is also going to feel like it’s kind of cinched in to your chest.
What does it feel like to stretch out your shoulder?
If you’re looking at it from this way, it feels like it’s stretching out away from the body. If you look at the back of your left shoulder, that’s what’s called your scapula, and that is stretching out away, that shoulder’s protracting or moving away from the target.
What do you notice at the top of a golf swing?
Now at the top of the swing, what we’re going to notice here is that the body’s still leaning forward, and at the shoulders have gotten good rotation but they’ve also stayed in their posture. I’ll explain what I mean by this.
What happens when you make contact with a shaft?
As you make contact, the shoulders will cinch together but are slightly open while making contact with forward shaft lean .
What is the shoulder plane in golf?
What is the shoulder plane in your golf swing and why does it matter? Shoulder plane is an important component of the swing. In order to check your shoulder plane, simply get in front of a mirror. Set up in your golf posture with a club across your chest. When you turn into your backswing, is your left shoulder or the butt end ...
What causes a golf club to be steep?
Steep shoulders can also happen in either the backswing or the downswing. When the shoulders get too much angled toward the ground, it can cause the club to also be steep and result in early extension, fat shots, slices and more erratic shots. This is certainly a less common problem for mid to high handicap players, but something to be addressed if this is an issue in your swing. Whenever your shoulder plane (or any part of your swing for that matter) gets too far from what is generally considered acceptable, you have to include other moves to compensate. When there are compensations in the swing, especially for amateurs, it makes it difficult to make consistent contact with the golf ball.
How to check shoulder plane?
In order to check your shoulder plane, simply get in front of a mirror. Set up in your golf posture with a club across your chest. When you turn into your backswing, is your left shoulder or the butt end of the golf club pointed more at the ground or is the club more parallel to the ground? If your shoulders are more parallel to ...
Can shoulder planes help you play better golf?
When there are compensations in the swing, especially for amateurs, it makes it difficult to make consistent contact with the golf ball. Fixing your shoulder plane, relative to your individual golf swing, can certainly help you play better golf.
What is the error in a golf swing that sends the ball to the right of the target?
Failure to do so will result in the blocking swing error , also known as “not releasing”. These errors result in an open clubface which sends the ball to the right of the target, at least initially.
When hitting a golf club, should you aim to strike the ball?
Conversely, whenever using a club belonging to the woods category, you should aim to strike the ball when the clubhead is rising from its lowest point. This is referred to as hitting up on the ball and it stands in contrast to hitting the ball when ...
What is impact in golf?
Impact is the only golf swing sequence where you actually make contact with the ball, the only chance you have to tell the ball where you want it to go.
What is the process of staying down on the ball called?
Such a process is called staying committee to the ball , or staying down on the ball.
How do irons strike?
A solid strike using irons is made when the club hits the ball first and then proceeds to creating a divot in the ground. This can only happen when the club has not yet reached the bottom of the swing arc when it strikes the ball. This proper sequence of action is known as hitting down on the ball. It is in contrast to striking the ball after ...
What position should your hands be when hitting a target?
Your hands should also reach a square position at impact, meaning that both the palm and back of the hands should be pointing towards the target.
How to hit up on the ball?
Hitting up on the ball is achieved mostly through the careful positioning of the ball forward in your stance as you set up at address.
How to hit a driver in golf?
Instead, Breed says put the focus on your shoulders. Tilt your shoulders to a slightly upward angle, so that the lead shoulder is slightly higher than the trail. Even this slight change will help you hit up on the ball and increase your launch angle.
What side of your shoulder do you pull when you are right handed?
If you’re right-handed, your left hand will be on your right shoulder. Now, in your golf posture, push your right shoulder back with your left hand. Breed says you’ll probably feel a little pull on the left side of your torso. That’s a good thing—it means you’re turning more than you usually do.
Why is driver different than other clubs?
The driver is different than other clubs because to hit driver well, the low point of your swing should be further back than with other full-swing clubs.
When you see the ball regularly starting to the left of your target, do you know that your shoulders are open?
When you see the ball regularly starting to the left of your target, you will have a pretty good idea that your shoulders are open at address. Likewise, if the ball is starting to the right of the target, there is a good chance that your shoulders are closed before starting your swing.
What happens if you open your shoulder at address?
If you were to allow your shoulder position to be dramatically closed or open at address, you would be changing the direction of your swing entirely. Even if you do everything else perfectly in your swing, you can easily ruin your ball flight by poorly aligning your shoulders when taking your stance.
How to make a good golf swing?
Building a good golf swing is all about getting the fundamentals right, and proper shoulder alignment is one of those keys that you can't afford to overlook. Get your shoulders squared away and your golf swing will follow. Proper Shoulder Alignment Can Keep Your Swing on Track. As a golfer, the word 'alignment' probably leads you ...
What is shoulder alignment?
Proper Shoulder Alignment Can Keep Your Swing on Track. As a golfer, the word 'alignment' probably leads you to think about your feet. After all, taking your stance is the most important part of getting properly aligned with the target, and your feet are the main component in that equation.
How to play golf left handed?
If you play golf left handed, please be sure to reverse the directions as necessary. Match Your Shoulders to Your Feet. Your basic stance should create a position in which your feet and your shoulders are pointing in the same direction.
What to do if your shoulders are crossed?
If they are crossed, you can be sure that there is a problem with your shoulder set up. Have your friend help you adjust your shoulders into a position that matches them up with your feet. Once you are squared away, ask your friend to step back to a safe distance so you can hit the shot.
What is the first few inches of a golf swing?
The first few inches of your golf swing are very important, as they will determine the path that the club uses to swing up to the top of the backswing. If your shoulders are misaligned at address, that mistake will send the club on the wrong path early in the takeaway.
2. Lead shoulder above trail
You will also note the lead shoulder is above the trail shoulder. This also is true with the hip line. The lead hip is above the trail hip, which matches the shoulder line. The trail leg and knee has moved inward creating a tuck look as well.
3. Tucked trail arm
A key feature at impact and through impact is a tucked bent trail arm. The trail arm is slightly below the lead arm and the trail wrist has angle to it. This forms a “pushing motion” through impact, a position to trap the ball through impact for a proper strike.
4. Push swing drill
A great drill to get the feeling for this impact position is to simply practice pushing into an impact bag. Set up to the bag in this desired impact position. Hold your body and swing the club back two feet and return the club into the impact bag. Then push the bag to get the feeling of your arms and body working through impact.
Golf Ball Positions for Drivers, Woods, Irons, and Wedges
With higher-lofted clubs, you’ll position the ball toward the center of your stance, working your way forward and to your left heel if you’re driving with a right-handed grip.
Golf Ball Positions for the Driver
We’ll start with the big hitter and the club for which the ball should be most forward in the stance — the driver.
Golf Ball Positions for Woods and Hybrids
The golf ball position should gradually move back from the front foot from the driver to the putter.
Golf Ball Positions for Irons
By now, you understand that generally, the ball goes further back in the stance from driver to woods to irons.
Golf Ball Positions for Wedges
For wedges, golf ball positions should be the furthest back, approaching between half and two-thirds of the way back in the stance.
Tips for Stance and How It Relates to Ball Positioning and Your Shot
Your stance and ball positioning go hand in hand for creating magnificent shots.
Can My Stance Cause Me To Top the Golf Ball?
The swing arc is usually why beginner players end up topping the ball. Changing the ball’s position to the centerline is the easiest way to fix the problem.
Why Is Correct Golf Ball Position So Important?
Golf ball positioning is that much important for any golfer even if you are a beginner. Golf ball positioning makes an enormous impact on your shots, and that’s how it has grown this much important for a golfer.
Why do you need to get your golf ball position correctly?
Because, if you have made the right stance and kept your body in proper alignment and still you are getting your shot wrong, probably you need to get your golf ball position correctly. Your ball-striking dramatically depends on how you are placing your golf ball along with your stance and posture.
What to Consider For Golf Ball Positioning?
These factors would decide whether you are going to have a perfect shot delivering the ideal flight for the golf ball.
How does a different golf club work?
Different golf club works differently in golfing; thus to with a different golf club and a constant golf ball position you would get different results. Again, Different style of your stance with a consistent golf ball positioning also result differently. But even after choosing the correct club length and proper stance you still find your ball-striking weak then the last and the most important thing you need to consider is positioning your golf ball correctly.
What is the shortest golf club in your bag?
Sand Wedge is the shortest of all the golf club in your bag. When you are going to give a shot with the shortest clubs, you would need to put the golf ball at the center of the distance between two heels. This is the ideal golf ball placement for Wedges and helps you to hit down the golf ball resulting with more backspin. This type of golf ball position is appropriate for the shortest golf clubs of your bag like lob wedge, sand wedge , gap wedge, pitching wedge; in fact, all types of wedges.
Why do you need to move your rear foot?
Benefits. The main benefit of using this ball positioning is that it promotes consistency to your aiming.
Why is it important to use a ball position?
The main benefit of using this ball positioning is that it promotes consistency to your aiming. It does so since the ball is always located on a consistently relative position from the left foot. This consistency helps to gain a certain level of confidence and allows your brain to focus more on the other areas of the golf swing.