We all love to talk about swing path, hand path, face direction, weight shift, release point, balance, etc. The list goes on and on. Discussing these things is pointless if you do not have a good setup or address position from which to swing. Lacking a proper address position, you can not correctly control the items mentioned above. If your balance is off at address, you’ll be fighting to stay upright during the swing. When you are too far from the ball, you’ll need to reach out to make contact, too close to the ball, then there is no room for your arms to swing through. The point is, first and most importantly, you must have a proper address position to hit the ball properly.
Great golfers and instructors know this. Tommy Armour was an impressive player and even more well known as a teacher. David Leadbetter is well known for coaching Nick Faldo, and Jack Nicklaus is arguably the greatest player of all time. They have in common a firm belief that the address position is critical to playing good golf. Look at these quotes from each:
Tommy Armour: “Before they ever begin swinging, I can improve nine out of every ten typical amateur golfers.”
David Leadbetter: “What invariably distinguishes a good player from a poor one is their respective address positions or setups.”
Jack Nicklaus: “If you set up correctly, there’s a good chance you’ll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing. If you set up to the ball poorly, you’ll hit a lousy shot even if you make the greatest swing in the world.”
How about that last quote? Does anyone doubt Jack’s knowledge of the game? The most incredible swing in the world will produce a lousy shot if it comes from a poor address position, paraphrasing Jack! So, before getting bogged down in weight shift, hand path, swing plane, wrist cock, release, yadda, yadda, yadda, make sure you’re first in a fundamentally proper address position.
What exactly is that proper position? As with everything in golf, no one answer fits every golfer. A male golfer 6 feet 4 inches tall will have a significantly different setup than a female golfer 5 feet 4 inches tall. So the best suggestion I can make is to visit your PGA or PGTAA certified instructor and ask them specifically to verify your setup. Be warned, changing your address position is not a quick fix.
Humans are creatures of habit, and the way you’ve addressed the ball for the last 2, 5, or 10, or however many years, is deeply ingrained. Once you’re in a proper setup position, do not try to rip a 300-yard drive on your first swing. No! Start by hitting 50 or 60-yard shots with your 8-iron, then work your way up. Use a tee when you do. The objective is to learn a new pattern and displace the old one. It takes time and repetition to accomplish that goal. If you stick with it, you’ll find all the other aspects of the swing will quickly fall in line.
From a good setup position, you can let your swing work for you. From a poor setup, you constantly have to fight to make your swing happen, and that is a fight rarely won.
Go to your local PGA or PGTAA instructor (preferably me!) and get in the proper setup position for you. The address position is the foundation of a good golf swing. Make sure you have a solid foundation.
Your comments and questions are always welcome!
Have fun out there,
Doug