How can you address poor posture and achieve a solid setup position?

Perfect your posture in order to be athletic. At address, flex your knees slightly and tilt at the waist, keeping your spine angle straight. Let your arms anatomically dangle below your chin. Make yourself feel comfortable. Make sure your weight is evenly balanced on both feet and slightly back, towards your heels, at address. Use soft grip pressure. Relax your muscles. Now you are ready to swing effortlessly, thus impacting the ball athletically! For more help, visit your local PGA Professional!

Poor posture can stem from a few reasons, but most of the time on the lesson tee the root cause is the student trying to keep their head down or still which results in poor posture. If you went to the gym and curled weights or held something heavy, you would have your head up and your legs more underneath your spine and your elbows against your rib cage. Now do this and grip the club. Their is only a slight bend from the hips and a slight bend at the knees. Good posture allows a person to make a coordinated swing in which case everything moves in the same direction the club head is swinging. It will also save a person’s back. Always strive for a curling weights setup with your chin and chest tall at address and the balance into the balls of the feet.

Improving your golf posture and setup position can significantly impact your game. Here are some tips to address poor posture and achieve a solid setup:

1. Stand Tall: Maintain an upright posture with your spine reliever straight and your shoulders relaxed. Avoid slouching or hunching over the ball.

2. Proper Spacing: Position your feet shoulder-width apart for mid irons or slightly wider for longer clubs to create a stable base.

3. Bend from Hips and Knees: Hinge from your hips and slightly bend your knees, maintaining a balanced and athletic stance.

4. Ball Position: Place the golf ball in line with your lead ear to promote proper ball contact. When on a tee, make sure the ball is lined up in line with your lead foot.

5. Grip: Hold the club with a relaxed grip, ensuring your hands work together as a unit.

6. Square Shoulders: Align your shoulders parallel to the target line, helping you aim correctly.

7. Eye Level: Keep your eyes level with the ball or just slightly above it, so you can see the ball clearly without straining your neck.

8. Spine Angle: Tilt your spine slightly away from the target to set up for a proper swing.

9. Weight Distribution: Balance your weight evenly between both feet, ready to transfer it during the swing.

10. Practice: Regularly work on your setup position with a mirror or seek feedback from a PGA golf instructor at www.SwingEssentials.com to fine-tune your posture.

Remember, a solid setup can set the foundation for a better swing and improved performance on the golf course. Consistency and practice are key to making these adjustments a natural part of your game.

Grounded, ready, engaged, solidly planted, ready for speed. Ready so that no one could push you over. These are expressions of “posture readiness” needed for making a powerful golf swing, feeling properly and solidly balanced from start to finish. Ie Tommy Fleetwood, Brian Harmon.

Bending from the waist is necessary, but not to be over done. Bad backs and injured knees make perfect posture impossible. Being ready, steady and balanced is most important. Your weight in the middle of your shoes. Are you engaged in your set up? (like football linebackers getting set), remember you are going from standing still to a high speed of swing. There is no perfect posture but there is one that fits each individual, a “preference”. The fun of practice is to discover which is best for you. Try reaching, try keeping arms close to you, Try a wide stance a narrow stance and variations of waist bend. It’s all about a solid strike and consistency, “posture readiness“ will help.

With students of all skill levels, and assuming there are no physical limitations or injuries to account for, we try to establish an
“athletic” “ flexed and at the ready” position at address.
This involves a slight bend in the knees, with flexed and ready pressure in the legs. The player should bend forward at the waist, with the whole torso forward so the arms and hands hang close to straight down.
In general, we are close to a solid setup at this point.

Next, I (or a parent) should walk around the student pushing gently, but firmly trying to force the student off balance, asking them to resist and feel themselves being centered, solid, and stable.
Stability and flexed balance is the overall goal of a proper setup position. Focusing on maintaining this basic position will dictate the dynamic balance and motion of a solid athletic golf swing. Basically, you have set your body up to react and respond to the effects of a fluid swinging motion, as opposed to trying to think and manufacture positions during the course of the swing.
You learn to “feel” a proper golf swing, not think it!!

Practice a solid setup, enjoy the adventure of becoming a better player, play well, and have fun out there!

As we watch golf on TV or attend a tournament everyone seems to look the same, or as Nick Faldo said they look like ROBOTS. What can help us is to watch other sports, such as Tennis, Football ( Middle LB or running backs and down hill skiers. But all we need is a Mirror, stand tall, place Palm of Hands on your Hips then slide then down above your Knee Caps stick your arms and hands away from body. Try it and see if it helps I do.