How to achieve the perfect full swing address position every time

I like to my students have a good sequence that can be repeated and have check points along the way.

1. Start by standing tall with back straight.

2. Spread feet apart about shoulder width to make the letter “A”.

3. While standing straight extend your arms out and put your hands together with club in hands

4. Drop the hands down with club so that the hands are in line with the waist and the grip end is pointing at the waistline to make the letter “Y”.

5. Stick your posterior out while maintaining a straight back and straight knees.

6. Bend at waist with good posture and straight knees until the club is resting on the surface while the grip end is pointing at your waistline. The hands then should be located over the toes.

7. Bend the knees slightly. Too much knee flex can inhibit proper hip rotation during the swing.

I will have my students practice this over and over until it becomes more second nature. It is always good to use a reflection, like a mirror, to check good angles and posture.

Yes, having a sound and efficient pre shot routine that is simple and easy to repeat is so important, especially to also find the proper full swing address position. Any golfer (on the course) should always approach any shot (not just full swings) from directly behind the ball (with my three step process): Pick your spot! See the shot and Pre Shot Routine.

The first two steps happen from behind the ball (staring down the target line). Pick a spot (maybe even far in the distance) where you want to aim your shot (a tree, a rock or whatever it may be). Always remember your spot and then See The (Your Best) Shot, Visualizing It In Your Mind’s Eye. Then, start your pre shot routine by walking slowly into the ball, lining up your feet (and body line) with the spot you have picked. Then, (from there) know how many times feels comfortable to look at the ball and the target and exactly what you do in between! This is the best process for most amateurs (looking to score most consistently) and it’s to precisely repeat it for each shot!

Are you ready when you step up to the ball?

Imagine when You are on that stage (first tee) the curtain goes up are you depending on Luck or do you have the feeling of certainty? Address is not a position, you should be moving all the time, there should be no absolute still time. Address is about getting comfortable having a platform a foundation from which to launch your ball, ever moving to create flow of movement.

I like to have players grade their rehearsal swing on a scale if 1 to. 10 if the rehearsal is low on grade like a 5 or 6 then you are in a failing grade and without a clear thought.

Like Jordan Spieth and De Chambeau who have multiple rehearsal swings until they reach a grade in their mind of 9 or 10 then they act on what they felt was the correct rehearsal, often but not always another 9 for the shot. Your goal is to get an 8 rehearsal and a 8 In the shot, it means you have a clear picture in your mind and executed the shot like you rehearsed. no one wants to fail when the curtain goes up. Knowing not hoping is the goal.

Let’s look at it this way; you have fourteen different tools in your tool bag (golf bag) and they are all different lengths with various lofts. Seems difficult right? Not if you can rely on a constant variable.

This constant variable is an easily repeatable pre-shot routine. Simply stand up straight, and put your hands on your thighs. From there, simply bend at the waist with straight arms and slightly bent knees until the tips of your middle fingers touch your knee ligaments above the knee cap.

Now, let your hands hang and clap your hands. This is the position from which to grip your golf club. You’ll automatically see that you are standing further away with longer clubs, and conversely, closer to the golf ball with shorter clubs like wedges. Lastly, make sure that golf ball is lined up off your left ear. Notice that this is constant with any shot where the golf ball is on the ground and NOT on a tee. Ensure you have a wider stances with fairway woods, narrower stances with wedges, and notice the golf ball does not move from a perpendicular line even with your ear.

How easy is that? Please visit SwingEssentials.com for a quick and easy virtual golf lesson.

These tips are for sure going to make setting up to the golf ball much simpler for you.

Start with your feet together

-Depending on the club we take two steps. One forward(lead foot) one backward(trail foot)
-The longer the club the smaller the step forward. Example in the video below I am using my five iron so it’s a smaller forward step and a larger backward.
-From there slide your trail hand down your leg till you reach your knee and grip the club. It will give you a repeatable grip position and putting your trail shoulder lower than your lead shoulder.
– Aim the club face first and step in with your feet next. Club and feet should run parallel to each other. Never crossing

@ckgolfinstruction Looking for tips for a repeatable setup? #makegolfsimple #golftok #golftips #golfswing #golfing ♬ The Journey – Sol Rising

I have found the setup no more difficult than gripping the club, checking my grip pressure and then bringing my arms in close enough to my body that my elbows are in front of me connected to my rib cage without any tension. This is the way I establish my radius to the ball the same way every time. My ball position is then adjusted to the club and shot that I am trying to play. This cue will help you setup consistently every time.

Remember that the distance to the ball changes with every club based on it’s length, but the distance from the club never changes based on the relationship of your arms to your body.

Need a drill. Practice hitting shots with a small towel or glove under your lead arm to establish this feel.

Tension is the killer of a great golf swing so let’s try to start relaxed! Without a club, Stand tall, lean forward with slight knee flex and let your arms hang from your shoulders. Depending on the length of the club you might change your spine tilt but the rest remains the same. Stay close to the ball, as Byron Nelson said, you’ll never get too close to the ball. No matter the club, your hands should be about a fist size from your legs when at address.

Lastly go through your routine and lastly take a nice cleansing breath before you pull the trigger and I don’t think you can be anymore relaxed. Remember, stay close to the ball causing great balance and arms hang down and not out. Now go get after it!!!

The best way to make sure your address position is perfect is to base the setup around the ball. I make sure my students use the golf club as a measuring tool. Our eyes give us incorrect information each and every day. I try to instill a pre shot routine where the student sets the club down behind the ball and builds their stance around that. People that set their feet first struggle to get a consistent distance from the ball.

Once they set the club behind the ball then I ask them to let their arms hang freely out of the shoulders. The last part is I ask them to aim the shoulders to give them the correct shot shape. The shoulders are so much more important than the feet so this is the LAST thing that is set in the setup. Go from most important to least important.

Always make sure you align the club face first and then use that to align your body. At impact the club face matters most, making sure the face is in a good position at address can make all the difference in the world.

One of the most important things for a good set up is to remember as the club gets shorter, we have to bend over a little more or tilt.

Drivers are a little different since we are further away, or even if the ball is above your feet on a sidehill lie you have to stand more straight in your spine angle.

Also set your shoulders parallel to slopes the best you can for better ball striking on uneven lies

Perfect full swing address position: Stand tall or envision yourself as a model walking down the cat walk…Good posture is the key to perfect address position…If Tyra Banks could play golf, I think she would have the all time set-up position by far!

Stand perfectly erect, with knees straight and extend the arms so the club is parallel to the ground; then lower the club to the ground by bending at the WAIST. Bend the knees moderately so you feel “athletic” balance. Remember this is not the impact position- do not put the hands markedly ahead, weight is roughly 50-50 and not driven to the left side, and the hips and shoulders are square not open.

I like to have students bend at the hips only with their arms hanging down until their finger tips touch their knee caps. Then a slight knee flex to find the balance under their shoe laces. Make sure the arms are hanging down loosely and then grip the club so that the hands are just towards the inside of the front leg. Not the middle of the body. This adds some spine tilt to the right with the right hand under the left.

Grip the club with your right hand only, move into your set-up, left hand on last. Now your perfect every time !