**Please welcome our first guest author**
Eric Wilson Ph.D. is a PGA Master Professional and the Vice President of The College of Golf at Keiser University in Port St. Lucie, FL.**
Let's sum up the conversation about perfecting your golf stance and make it simple, direct and without complication. One of the first things taught in pro golf school is the importance of the golf stance and how everything is developed from that point.
Basically there are 5 types of shots in the game.Additionally, there are 3 ways to address the ball. As with most things in life and in golf, variations can and do occur. Circumstances will dictate morphing these generally accepted rules to answer a specific challenge of the moment.Without a clear understanding of the basics, however, your game will likely never get beyond an amateur level. Remember though, “Golf Pros are the Same As Amateurs”….’nobody is consistent”. Trying your hardest to be consistent plays a large part in your success, and of course understanding the basics can help you with consistency.
Addressing the Ball
Generally speaking you will align your toes parallel to the intended flight path you hope the ball to take. From this position you'll adjust your stance based upon the specific action the shot may require in order to be most effective.
Initial drives and long wood shots lend themselves to a closed stance. By this, you'll start with your feet parallel and then move your right foot (for right handed golf swings) back a few inches away from that flight line. Also, you'll want to turn the toes of your right foot out slightly to enhance the effect of closing your hips and overall stance.
The reason for the closed stance is that by turning just slightly to the right your natural swing arc through the ball will now foster the ball to slightly hook. Considering that most golfers tend to naturally slice the ball, applying a slight hooking action tends to counteract that action.
The longer the shot, the more you'll want to close your feet positions. Closer approach shots, chips, sand shots, etc. require that you open up your stance. The less distance to the hole the more open you should stand while addressing the ball.
Open Your Shot
To open your shot, you'll first address the flight path of the ball by standing parallel, again. Then opening your stance means you will inch your right foot forward of the parallel line while sliding your left foot back a bit. Visualize your body as you face the flight path on a vertical pole and when opening your stance you simply rotate from the center of your stance.
One of the mistakes commonly made when moving into an open stance is thinking it only means you need to pull the left foot backwards and shift the toes out, or to the left. Instead of an even rotating which keeps your club head the same distance from the ball, by only moving your left foot back you now pull your club head back and have to adjust for that when you perform your swing. Even the best golfers can have challenges with this type of in-swing mechanical adjustments.
Once you have a clearer understanding of the importance of addressing the ball you'll be better prepared to deal with the 5 types of shots your golf game should include. Those 5 are:
· The Drive
· Fairway Wood Shot
· Long Iron Shots
· Pitching
· Chip Shots
The Drive
When driving you should place your left heel just slightly ahead of the ball by an inch or two. Your stance will be slightly closed, so your right foot will turn out to the right and be behind the flight path of the ball by an inch or two. Finally and naturally your hands should be just behind the perpendicular line between the ball and its intended flight path. Here, behind means to the right.
Fairway Wood Shot
When hitting off the fairway with your woods, you're stance will be more square to the flight path. Additionally, you'll now move your hands just ahead of the ball at the start of your swing.
Long Iron Shots
While extremely difficult, long iron shooting can be made easier if you keep the ball even between your feet while maintaining a square stance. Your hands will need to be several inches ahead of the face of the club as you start your swing. It is good to also place more weight on your left foot as you begin this swing.
Pitching and Chip Shots
Pitching and chipping are very similar. While you will open your stance on your pitch shots, when you chip, you'll want to be a bit more square. With both of these shots at least 60% or more of your weight will be on the left foot and your hands are going to be several inches ahead of the ball at swing start.
In just this quick, informative article you can see why a pro golf school would place so much emphasis on teaching these foundational basics to its students. Maybe you'll find that ingraining this knowledge can help your game of golf as well.
Still have questions about your golf stance? Share them with us in the comments below.
About the Author
Eric Wilson Ph.D. is a PGA Master Professional and the Vice President of The College of Golf at Keiser University in Port St. Lucie, FL. You can find The College of Golf on Twitter (@CollegeofGolf)or on Facebook.