The set up

Before you attempt to strike a golf ball it is important to have the correct set up.

Begin the set up by standing tall and erect, with the feet at least shoulder width apart.
( If your stance is too narrow, the lower part of your body will sway.)
Your right foot should be slightly angled to the right at about five degrees from the straight position.
However the left foot should be angled towards the target area at approximately thirty degrees.

From this position introduce a very slight bend in the legs and simultaneously allow the upper body to lean slightly forward.
( Just stand tall, with a very slight flex at the knees - you must not bend over too much.)

The next important step is to set the sideways angle of the upper body so that it is slightly tilted to the right, thus ensuring that the right shoulder is lower than the left shoulder. (This allows 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 to your right will also assist in setting the head so that the left eye is well behind the ball position.

However once these upper body angles have been set, both the forward angle of the body and the slightly tilted angle to the right, they must be maintained throughout the complete golf swing movement.

Next, allow the shoulders to slump before pulling the elbows close together before forming the muscles of the the chest, the shoulders and the upper back into a firm condition, thus forming a very compact upper body unit.

To complete the upper body condition pull the elbows tight against the body and make the muscles of the forearms into a firm condition.
(See below - "Formation of Upper Body Unit")

To set the arms in the correct position, allow the elbows to move away from the body as far as possible but still keeping the upper arms touching the chest cavity.

When you have completed the action of forming the upper body unit into a compact unit, the next important step to take is to form the lower part of the body so that it creates a solid foundation. (See Lesson 2)

I cannot stress how firm the muscles of the legs, the thighs and the buttocks must be held throughout the complete golf swing movement.

Now that we have established a solid foundation on which to rotate a very compact upper body unit, let us deal with the other parts of the set up.

The hands should be set slightly to the left of the centre of your body. So whilst keeping the hands in correct position, place the club head behind the ball whilst ensuring that your head remains well behind the ball.

(To hit the ball straight, set the feet, hips, shoulders and the head Parallel to the target line and with the face of the club square to the target line.

If you are addressing the ball correctly it will feel as if you have adopted a slightly open stance, you have not, but that it how it should feel.)

If you dropped a plumb line from the left eye directly to the ground, you will notice that the hands and the club head are to the left of the position where the plumb bob is hovering over.

Therefore during the down swing movement and the follow through movement, you must keep the head firmly held in this position so that the left eye remains well behind the ball position.

After you have set the upper body at the correct angles, the elbows must drawn as close together as is physically possible and the muscles of the chest and the upper back must be formed into a firm condition thus ensuring that the upper body rotates as a one piece unit.
(Once the upper body has been set in this compact condition, it is absolutely vital that the upper body unit remains in this condition throughout the complete golf swing movement.)

Holding the upper body unit in this compact condition as the golf swing movement is performed is difficult to achieve at first, especially as the club head is about to strike the ball, but with concentration the upper body unit can be held in this condition throughout the complete golf swing movement.

It is absolutely vital that the head does not move away from the position it is set at the address position at any point in the golf swing movement -- you have to learn how to rotate the upper body unit around the central core of the spine without allowing the head to sway away from the original address position.

The golf grip is one of the most important aspects of the golf swing therefore it is important to get this right if you wish to play very good golf.

The method that I prefer is the overlap grip.
( The hands are only used to hold the golf club, therefore the actual grip must remain as a light pressure throughout the complete golf swing.
It is the combined action of the movement of the hips, the rotation of the upper body unit, the shoulder muscles and the action of straightening the right arm that delivers the power. )

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