Golf Instruction - Pre-Swing: Grip & Stance

Copyright 1996. All Rights Reserved.

Setting Up

A proper set-up, which includes both the grip formed by the hands on the club and the posture of the body when preparing to swing, provides two very important elements. One, consistency. Being able to repeatably duplicate your set-up each time you prepare to swing will allow your body parts to move on the same angles and paths each time. And since there are so many variables to the swing, the closer the tolerance that each of the parts can adhere to, the more accurate the overall result will be.

Two, the proper alignment. It is crucial that the parts of your body are positioned properly before the actual swing starts in order for their movements to be in the proper direction and angles, and also in order to allow those parts to wind up where they are supposed to. Without consistency in alignment, it is impossible to 'groove' a swing. So lets start with the grip, and then move onto the stance.

The Grip

As in other parts of the golf swing, there are some variations in the grip, but fortunately, not that many. The grip is one of the few parts of the golf swing that a majority of players and instructors can agree on. Of the differences that do exist, these may be a matter of personal preference, or actual observable results caused by altering the grip style. It is suggested that the student first study the basic grips from several different books, and then alter it as follows:
  1. Instead of the hands being parallel to each other, turn the tops of the hands (the thumb side) slightly towards each other.
  2. Hold the club extra softly, but without letting it wobble. Your reference books should be specifying that only the middle three fingers on the left hand and the two fingers next to the pinkie on the right hand do the actual holding. The other fingers just 'rest' on the club. Note: It is crucial that the right hand thumb and 1st finger do not exert any pressure during the swing.
  3. The over-lapping Vardon grip is recommended rather than the intertwining grip.
  4. The club should be positioned slightly outside the heel pad of your left hand, rather then directly centered on it. The heel pad starts from the base of your pinkie and extends down to just above the wrist. Holding your hand palm up, position the club on the center of the pad, and then move the club a bit to the right. After you get used to the feel, you'll be able to position it directly where it should be.
  5. Insure that the butt end of the club extends sufficiently beyond the bottom of the left pinkie so that the very end part that extends outwards creating a slightly larger diameter is outside of your grip. This could be one-half to one inch.

It will take a while, but after a time, the grip will feel instinctive and natural.

The Stance

Like the grip, the stance is fairly standard. After a while it too will become instinctive and natural.
  1. THE FEET - Your feet should be about twelve inches apart at the heels (measuring from the inside), with the toes of both turned out approximately twenty-five degrees. This does differ slightly from the standard right foot position which has the right foot positioned straight ahead. Changing it to angle out works in conjunction with allowing a free-er hip turn, which is covered later on. You want to feel that the weight on your left foot is centered between the heel and toes on the ball of your foot. For the right foot, center it on the ball, slightly along the inside of your foot.
  2. THE KNEES - Your knees should be flexed rather than locked. Looking down, the fronts of your kneecaps should appear two to three inches in from your toes, near the middle of your foot.
  3. THE FORWARD LEAN ANGLE - Without a club, to make it easier at first, bend forward at the hips (not the waist), allowing your arms to relax and hang straight down. You will be bent the proper amount when there is two to three inches between your hands and the fronts of your legs. This position provides a solid base from which to swing and stay in balance, and you should have the feeling of solidness.
  4. THE BACK - Your back should not be allowed to 'hunch'. Rather, it must be keep straight, but not tense, as you might do when trying to sit with good posture (except here, straight on a forward leaning angle).
  5. THE HEAD/NECK - Your head and neck should follow along the angle of your back, and not droop forward. You still will be able to see the ball by looking down with your eyes.
  6. THE SPINE TILT - In order to position your hands to accommodate the club, and in order to position the shoulders to rotate on the proper angle, the spine must be tilted slightly to the right. In order to do this, push your left hip directly to the left, no more than an inch or so, and allow your upper body to slightly tilt to the right so that your right shoulder is a bit lower than your left shoulder. Except for your arms, which we cover next, the entire rest of your body is now in the exact position from which you'll begin the swing.
  7. THE ARMS - Now, while holding the club with your grip, re-establish the stance as instructed above. Adjust the amount of back and knee bend until the clubhead touches the ground, all the while allowing your arms to hang straight down. Also pay attention to the space between your hands and the front of your legs. As before, there should be a space of two to three inches. Your left arm should be fairly straight, but not locked, and your right a bit more relaxed. If viewed from the side, your right arm should be slightly lower than your left.
You should have a mighty fine looking stance by now. In the next section, we'll move on to identify those parts of your stance than move in separate 'assemblies' as a unit.
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