Address Position - Master - (Changed - 10/04/2008)

If you wish to have a consistent golf swing you must take your time to adopt the correct the address position.

Try to adopt a repeating routine by using a mental clipboard to carry out a sequence of set up movements, for example:- make sure the hands are correctly positioned on the golf club, make sure the left shoulder is higher than the right, position the head so that the left eye is slightly behind the ball and so on -- devise a routine and stick by it.

One of the first actions before setting the shoulders and the arms and the upper body angles as seen in the photograph below is to correctly grip the golf club.

THE ADDRESS POSITION.

The stance must be fairly erect with the feet approximately shoulder width apart, with only a slight bend in the legs.

At the address position it is vital that you set the position of upper body so that it is slightly tilted to the right side, in addition you must ensure that the left shoulder is slightly higher than the right shoulder thus allowing the right hand to comfortably grip the club whilst still maintaining a slight bend in the right arm.

This slight tilt of the upper body will also assist in setting the head so that the left eye it is slightly behind the ball position, but importantly, once this sideways upper body angle has been set, it must be maintained throughout the complete golf swing movement.

Similarly the upper body must also adopt a forward facing upper body angle and again, once this forward facing upper body angle has been set it must also be maintained throughout the complete golf swing movement.

Therefore although the hips will be fully pivoted but only partially facing the target area at the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball, the upper body must return to the original address position at the precise moment the club head makes contact with the ball, with special attention being made to the position of hands, the head and the upper body angles.

At the address position the feet, the hips, the shoulders and the head must be Parallel to the Target Line, with the feet placed no wider than shoulder width apart and the face of the club must be square to the target line.

Alignment of the Shoulders

You must pay particular attention to the alignment of the shoulders, because if the shoulders are out of alignment, the swing path of the clubhead will be incorrect.
(Most Mid to High handicapped golfers address the ball with the feet and the hips aligned to the target point, but unfortunately with the shoulders aligned slightly to the left of the target point, ( slightly open) thus creating a swing path that causes the club head to cut across the "parallel to the target line" and therefore imparting a clockwise spin on the golf ball, resulting in a sliced shot.

Low handicapped golfers who prefer to fade the ball, address the ball with the feet, the hips and the shoulders aligned slightly of the left of the target point, thus purposely creating a swing path that causes the club head to impart a clockwise spin on the golf ball and by slightly adjusting the alignment of the club face to compensate, the result is a controlled fade.)

If the shoulders are aligned to the left of the target line at the address position, the swing path of the club head will initially move outside the parallel to the target line during the back swing movement and create an "out to in" swing path configuration which means that as the clubhead returns to the ball, the club head will be cutting across the Parallel to the Target Line, thus imparting a clockwise spin on the ball and creating a sliced shot.
(If you set yourself up correctly to cut the ball in this manner, you will create a "fade" effect of the ball.)

Similarly, if the shoulders are aligned to the right of the target line at the address position, the swing path of the club head will immediately move inside the parallel to the target line during the back swing movement and create an "in to out" swing path configuration which means that as the clubhead returns to the ball, the club head will be cutting across the Parallel to the Target Line, thus imparting an anti clockwise spin on the ball and thus creating a hooking shot.
(If you set yourself up correctly to cut the ball in this manner, you will create a "drawing" effect of the ball.)

Therefore if the shoulders are aligned parallel to the target line, as soon as the club head moves away from the address position, the swing path of the club head begins to move slightly inside the parallel to the target line and continues to move inside this line until it finishes to the right side of the body.

During the down swing movement this swing path is reversed and the club head returns to the original address position before again moving inside the parallel to the target line and creates an "in to in" swing path configuration which means that the swing path of the golf club is moving directly down the Parallel to the Target Line at the point of contact with the ball, thus ensuring that the club head will only impart back spin on the ball and thus the ball will travel in a straight line.

Formation of the Upper Body Unit

Therefore after you have set the upper body at the correct angles, you must then draw the elbows as close together as it is physically possible, thus holding the upper body unit firmly together as a very compact unit.

These actions force the arms to be fully extended, but importantly, it also forces the arms to remain totally passive to the movement of the shoulders.

When you have completed the set up routine, it is vital that the elbows are held in this condition for the duration of the golf swing, especially as the passive arms interact, thus performing the Key Movement and also swinging the club head to the bottom of the swing arc..

However when you make your first attempt to carry out a full swing whilst holding the shoulders and the arms in this manner you will find it very peculiar at first, but you must persevere with this action, because this is the only way to ensure that the shoulders can remain in total control over the movement of the passive arms.

As the arms hang down from the shoulders, the hands are almost directly below the shoulders and therefore as you grip the golf club, the gap between the hands and the thighs should be about the width of your fist, but as a very good guide to the correct position of the arms, the uppermost part of the arms should be touching the chest cavity.

Alignment of the Forearms

It is vital that the forearms are set in the correct position at the address position, because this is the position that the forearms will automatically return as you perform the down swing movement.

To set the correct position is a simple task.

The important thing is that when you grip the golf club, you must ensure that both palms are square to the target line - or to explain it another way, the right palm is squarely facing the target point and the back of the left hand is also squarely facing the target point -- This ensures that the both forearms are in a neutral position -i.e., square to target line.

For example, at the address position, if you were holding the golf club with a strong grip, both forearms would be partially rotated in a clockwise motion prior to beginning the back swing movement.

Similarly, at the address position, if you were holding the golf club with a weak grip, both forearms would be partially rotated in an anti-clockwise motion prior to beginning the back swing movement.

Therefore because the forearms automatically return to the neutral position at the point of contact, by setting the forearms in a neutral position at the address position you will dramatically increase your chances of hitting the ball in the direction that you are aiming.

Strong Grip

Although you can get by with a strong grip, when you come under pressure to hit a straight shot, it will inevitably cause you to hook the ball.

Weak Grip

Similarly if you have a weak grip, although most of the time you can get away with a weak grip, when you come under pressure to hit a straight shot, it will inevitably cause you to slice the ball.

Therefore you have to find a compromise between the two extreme positions.

Set up of the lower body.

The muscles of the legs, the thighs and the buttocks must held in a firm condition and the right leg must remain in a permanently rigid, but slightly bent condition during the back swing movement and in addition, the heel of the left foot must remain firmly on the ground throughout the back swing movement.

Stand with the buttocks sticking out to the rear, whilst the back retains its natural curvature, but the legs must remain slightly bent.

These actions will ensure that the lower part of the body puts up the maximum resistance to the rotational movement of the shoulders as the back swing movement is performed.

Alignment of the Feet

It order to set up the feet so that they are Parallel to the Target Line, place a golf club on the ground so that the golf club is running parallel to the target line and then simply use the golf club on the ground as a guide to the feet placement.

Alignment of the club face.

1) Place the club on the ground behind the ball and adjust the clubface so that it is square to the target line.

2) Leaving the club in the same place, align the shoulders, hips, the feet and the head in accordance with my instructions.

3) Forget totally about direction that the ball will go and concentrate solely on hitting the ball in accordance with my instructions.

Position of the ball.

When playing the driver, the ball must always be positioned adjacent to the left heel so that the ball is positioned at the bottom of the swing arc.

With all of the other clubs, the ball gradual moves back in the stance in very small steps.

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Please Note.

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