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Useful Golf Swing Info

© Bill Howard

I have been writing this column for about a year and a half. In all that time, I have never addressed the specifics of the golf swing. Since many of you will be embarking on a brand new golf season in the near future, I thought I might give you a few things to think about as you tinker with your swing.

At the risk of losing the bulk of my meager reading audience, I'm going to start by talking about your setup. I know, I know, you hate even hearing the word setup. Nobody is interested. Why do you suppose people who know a little bit about the golf swing are always insist talking about setup first? It could be a golf pro rule. Maybe so, but I lost my copy of the golf pro manual decades ago. I never read it anyway.

I'll answer the question in the previous paragraph by asking another. Do you know what is the rarest thing on earth? It's not hen's teeth, or diamonds, or platinum, or neutrinos. No, earth's rarest commodity is a good golf swing emanating from a bad setup. It does not happen.

You are probably thinking that your setup is fine. It just might be, but I doubt it. If you have the courage, set up in front of a mirror and check for the following three essentials.

Are your feet shoulder width apart? Before you say yes, let me elaborate a bit. For any golf shot above, say, a six-iron, the insides of your heels should be the same width as the outside of your shoulders. Golfers have a tendency to think about the outsides of their feet. They also have a sort of paranoia about having too wide a stance. The result of these two things? Nine out of ten golfers play from too narrow a stance. You will be unable to shift weight,or balance, from a narrow stance. If you cannot shift your balance, your golf swing turns into garbage, especially under pressure.

Are your arms relaxed? They should be. Both of them. The large majority of golfers have a significant degree of tension in one, or both, arms. Forget all the stiff arm stuff. Tucking an elbow is a bad idea too. Look in the mirror. Do you look like a relaxed athlete or a failed contortionist?

Is the golf ball forward of the center of your stance? The closer to your target side foot the better. The center of your stance is a minimum acceptable standard. If you have the golf ball lodged way in the back of your stance, you are doomed.