One of the most common mistakes made by many golfers during their setup routine is they use their feet to align themselves to the target. Although you may see many pros do this during their setup, I do not recommend this - especially if you are new to the game.
Let me explain why. At the point of contact, there are only two variables of the swing that determine the flight path of the ball:
1) Club face alignment
2) Shoulder alignment
The feet play little or no direct role in the flight path of the ball as you may imagine. It would make sense then to align both the shoulders and club face during your setup routine before your feet.
The most common problem I see with my students during their setup is that they first align their club face to the target, followed by their feet.
At first glance this seems logical since everything in the setup looks absolutely square. However, what usually follows is a shot that starts off as \"pull\" to the left, then fades or slices to the right.
When this occurs it creates a lot of confusion for the student since everything in the stance \"looked visually correct\".
This problem was caused because their setup routine did not take into account any check on the alignment of their shoulders which were wide \"open\" at the beginning of the swing, resulting in the outside-in club head swing path.
Impact of Misaligned Shoulders
One of the primary ball flight laws that every golfer should understand is that the shoulder alignment determines the swing path of the club head.
This means that if the shoulders are \"open\" in the stance, the club head swing path will be \"outside-in\". If they are \"closed\", the swing path will be \"inside-out\".
The position of the feet does not determine the club head swing path. They may influence the swing path, but that depends on how much control the golfer has over the swing.
It is therefore imperative that the alignment of the shoulders be a key factor in your swing setup routine.
If my feet are square to the target, why are my shoulders not square?\r The simple answer to this is that it depends on the ball position and your hand position in the stance.
The further forward you position the ball in the stance, the greater the tendency to \"open\" the shoulders. The further back the ball is positioned, the more the tendency to \"close\" the shoulders. The same effect is created by pushing the hands forward/ back in the stance.
You can see this for yourself. Stand in front of a mirror in your stance with a club in your hands. Watch the effect on your shoulders as you vary the position backwards and forwards of the ball and/or your hands in the stance.
So besides a check on the correct shoulder alignment, a check also needs to be made on the correct ball position in the stance.
Senior Golfers adopting a \"Closed\" Stance Position
Another problem that I see all the time with many of my senior students is the adoption of a \"closed\" foot position in the stance.
This is because at some time in their golf instruction they have been advised to adopt this position to make it easier for them to make a better body turn on their backswing. This is usually because they are very stiff in their lower hips - a problem often experienced as a result of hip replacement surgery.
In many cases the problem that arises for them out of this stance setup is that they tend to position the ball too far forward in the stance. Again, this encourages the shoulders to \"open\".
The net effect of this setup creates multiple problems:
First, their hip movement through impact is restricted with the closed stance which saps a huge amount of power out of the swing.
Secondly, the open shoulders in the stance tends to take over on the downswing ahead of the hips which can create a pull to the left.
Lastly, the hands will tend to release ahead of impact with the ball because of its forward position in the stance which can create a violent snap hook.
Again these faults stem from incorrect ball position and no shoulder alignment check in the setup routine.
Visual Distortion in the Setup
Most of all the problems that I have described are caused from a \"visual distortion\" of your body position relative to the target and the ball, created by an unbalanced focus of your eyes in the setup.
To counter any visual distortion effect , what I recommend to all my students is to create \"visual reference points\" in the stance against which you can check your body positions.
Simple Routine
Here is a condensed routine that makes use of a visual reference point that will eliminate all the problems I have just been describing. You can download a free fail safe \"Alignment and Stance\" routine from my book website in the link given below:
1) Stand up to the ball with both feet together and with the ball position on an imaginary line that splits the feet.
Right away you have created a visual reference point between the ball and your feet that is square to your shoulders. Now align the club face to the target with the club head and the hands positioned over this imaginary line.
2) Align your shoulders slightly left of the target parallel with a line drawn from your club face to the target - make slight foot adjustments if need be to set the shoulders, again while keeping both feet together.
3) Position you feet in the stance. At this point you know your shoulders and club face alignment is set and you have a clear reference with the ball against which you can correctly set your feet. You also know your feet will be square with your shoulder alignment.
4) Finally, position your hands slightly ahead of the club head for the correct hand position, followed by a final check on your shoulders.
Always follow this simple alignment sequence and you will never go wrong:
Club Face, Shoulders then the Feet
If you are to ask any of the great players what the most important aspect of the swing is, in more cases than not you will hear it\'s all in the setup.
Taking time to do your setup routines correctly requires no \"physical\" talent. Anyone can learn them. Do so and you will avoid many swing problems.
Good luck!
Les Ross is author of \"Breaking the Distance Barrier\" http://www.breakingthedistancebarrier.com and owner of \"Highlander School of Golf\" http://www.highlanderschoolofgolf.com
Highlander School of Golf specializes in providing personal \"live\" online technical information that is flexible for the student and cost effective. You may try out the online seminar experience by registering for our free seminar \"How to analyze your own swing\" at: http://www.highlanderschoolofgolf.com/ballflightrulesseminar.htm
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