I think I may have been setting up to the golf ball wrong my entire life.

[ZGriswold83]

I very seldom see instruction from a golfer's perspective, it's always a 3rd person view.  Is one of these set ups better than another? 

 

I've set up 2 alignment sticks to show feet line as well as target line.

 

1. I feel like the club face is too open here. This is currently how I set up for most of my full swing shots.

 

2.  The shaft is leaned much more forward, I feel like I make a much better move away from the ball, in turn making my downswing feel easy and controlled...however, I don't know if this is correct.

 

 

[scooterhd2]

depends on the shot being played and depends on the release. but most people would benefit from more lean at impact, so i like setting up with some.  

 

1 is open. 2 has too much shaft lean IMO, but thats the right idea if you are trying to hit a straight shot with distance. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by scooterhd2

[CSagan]

If I'm hitting a full short iron it looks like the one on bottom more. All subjective tho.

[PracticeSwinger]

6 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I very seldom see instruction from a golfer's perspective, it's always a 3rd person view.  Is one of these set ups better than another? 

 

I've set up 2 alignment sticks to show feet line as well as target line.

 

1. I feel like the club face is too open here. This is currently how I set up for most of my full swing shots.

 

2.  The shaft is leaned much more forward, I feel like I make a much better move away from the ball, in turn making my downswing feel easy and controlled...however, I don't know if this is correct.

 

 

Not an expert so take it for what it's worth... first off; angle on the first pic make it seems like everything is going left (optical illusion it seems from the angle of the pic)... other than that, I've found that address position with a lot of shaft lean (or contrary, driver setup with clubhead way ahead) messes up with your shoulder line in relation to the target; pretty sure the 'forced' shaft lean opens up your shoulders - just something to keep in mind

[airjammer]

13 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I very seldom see instruction from a golfer's perspective, it's always a 3rd person view.  Is one of these set ups better than another? 

 

I've set up 2 alignment sticks to show feet line as well as target line.

 

1. I feel like the club face is too open here. This is currently how I set up for most of my full swing shots.

 

2.  The shaft is leaned much more forward, I feel like I make a much better move away from the ball, in turn making my downswing feel easy and controlled...however, I don't know if this is correct.

 

 

Unless you opened your shoulders or bowed your left wrist, you probably strengthen your grip to accomplish the 2nd picture. 

[ZGriswold83]

6 minutes ago, airjammer said:

Unless you opened your shoulders or bowed your left wrist, you probably strengthen your grip to accomplish the 2nd picture. 

 Yes you are correct.

[Krt22]

You can square the face more without excessively leaning the shaft like that. 

[tthomasgolfer605]

53 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I very seldom see instruction from a golfer's perspective, it's always a 3rd person view.  Is one of these set ups better than another? 

 

I've set up 2 alignment sticks to show feet line as well as target line.

 

1. I feel like the club face is too open here. This is currently how I set up for most of my full swing shots.

 

2.  The shaft is leaned much more forward, I feel like I make a much better move away from the ball, in turn making my downswing feel easy and controlled...however, I don't know if this is correct.

 

 

 

The first pic is ideal actually. Whether or not you're aimed correctly, you can't tell from these photos. The second photo is just asking for trouble in the long run.

[airjammer]

2 minutes ago, tthomasgolfer605 said:

 

The first pic is ideal actually. Whether or not you're aimed correctly, you can't tell from these photos. The second photo is just asking for trouble in the long run.

Yes I agree as well..the 2nd photo has way too much forward lean but it may help him for a period of time is his grip is too weak. 
 

A forward press trigger motion might work out well🤔

[Barfolomew]

Set up is one thing

 

Contact position is another

 

and there doesn't necessarily have to be a relationship between them if you mess with everything during the back and down swing

 

so if a funky set up works to get you to a good contact position so be it..... but shouldn't be needed 🐔

[b.mattay]

Both are okay, first one is much more neutral though and likely better for most shots in the long run. Second one is what I do to hit a strong draw/hook with a longer club or a really low partial wedge (also will be a mini-draw).

[ZGriswold83]

1 hour ago, airjammer said:

Yes I agree as well..the 2nd photo has way too much forward lean but it may help him for a period of time is his grip is too weak. 
 

A forward press trigger motion might work out well🤔

I actually used to have a forward shaft press trigger, for some reason I have gotten away from it.  Maybe I might start trying it again.

[straightshot7]

I think the first image is better.

Both of these images show Tiger at address. Pretty neutral.

I don't think you'll find any pros with a lot of forward shaft lean at address, only at impact.

But whatever works for you I suppose. 

[Ri_Redneck]

1 hour ago, tthomasgolfer605 said:

 

The first pic is ideal actually. Whether or not you're aimed correctly, you can't tell from these photos. The second photo is just asking for trouble in the long run.

That's funny. It looks a lot like my setup. Maybe a tad more forward though. I play a three-knuckle strong left hand. But then, it all depends on your anatomy and timing. Pic 1 will work fine for those people it suits.

 

I spent years using a neutral grip and attempting to time a release that didn't suit my body type. And fought a slice like the vast majority of the golfing world. Once I discovered WHY that was happening and changed my grip and setup. Things got better. Downside is it took me about 3 years to break all those habits I had ingrained trying to make an incorrect setup (for me) work!

 

YMMV.

 

BT

[ZGriswold83]

2 hours ago, Krt22 said:

You can square the face more without excessively leaning the shaft like that. 

Been playing around with this one and finding a good common ground between 1 and 2...I like where this is going, Thanks!

[naval2006]

It’s a bit odd to diagnose from that POV. Best and fastest advice is to have someone check it for you. Better yet if it’s a coach. 

[Sean124]

On 11/8/2022 at 1:03 PM, ZGriswold83 said:

I actually used to have a forward shaft press trigger, for some reason I have gotten away from it.  Maybe I might start trying it again.

I’ve found that a forward press exacerbates my lifelong tendency to have a flat inside backswing that gets my arms stuck behind me. 
 

 

[Andygolderson]

For me i think your first one looks too open. not sure it's just the picture, but looks like your line is left and your face is right. I was also wondering if the face is really open, or just because you rest the club in 1 hand to make the picture ?

 

2 looks good to me, but maybe the club is toe down ?

 

I've been trying both recently. I think it depends on whether or not you compress the ball well naturally, and how forgiving your clubs are. For example, i compress the ball well and have been previously playing everything out of the front. I hit the ball well, but my trajectory is too high, so i have been trying to play more central or from the back half.

 

Shaft lean gives me better distance and a more solid feeling contact, however, if i play up front, i feel like you can control the ball a little better. 

Playing forward and forcing a shaft lean seems to introduce chunks.

 

You could try your body setup from 2 + your hand and grip position from 1 + your clubface around the 3rd line

[golfarb1]

1.Place an alignment rod on the ground SQUARE to your target 

2. Place a second alignment rod on the ground parallel to the first alignment rod and outside the ball.

3. Setup with

a. Both toes almost touching the first rod with NO FOOT FLARE 

b. Your shoulders parallel to your toes 

4. Take your grip 

5. For wedges and short irons place  your hands  just on the inside of your lead thigh . This will preset some , but not an excessive amount of shaft lean. As the clubs become longer your hands will move slightly more towards the middle of your stance resulting in very little shaft lean with a driver 

The clubface should be square to your target

6. For an open stance , pull your lead foot 1 to 2 inches away from the alignment rod

For a closed stance pull your trail foot  1 to 2 inches away from the alignment rod

7. Flare your feet according to your preferences . Any flaring of your feet should be done LAST  , since flaring your feet can inadvertently affect how open, square or closed your feet will be .

USE TWO MIRRORS-ONE for THE FRONT VIEW

ONE for the DTL VIEW for VISUAL FEEDBACK 

 

[Golfah]

Funny this topic comes up as I have been dealing with it lately.

 

An instructor insisted I change from picture #1 to picture #2.  

 

I can tell you it really screwed me up for awhile, because #1 setup allowed me to keep the hands inside the clubhead during the takeaway (almost preset), whereas #2 I easily sucked in inside, causing all sorts of downstream problems.  I had to work real hard  with the #2 setup to recover the feeling of FORCING the hands more inside.

 

All in all, it was a wild goose chase and chasing compensations to something I don't feel was an issue in the first place.

[writing running]

On 11/10/2022 at 9:51 AM, golfarb1 said:

1.Place an alignment rod on the ground SQUARE to your target 

2. Place a second alignment rod on the ground parallel to the first alignment rod and outside the ball.

3. Setup with

a. Both toes almost touching the first rod with NO FOOT FLARE 

b. Your shoulders parallel to your toes 

4. Take your grip 

5. For wedges and short irons place  your hands  just on the inside of your lead thigh . This will preset some , but not an excessive amount of shaft lean. As the clubs become longer your hands will move slightly more towards the middle of your stance resulting in very little shaft lean with a driver 

The clubface should be square to your target

6. For an open stance , pull your lead foot 1 to 2 inches away from the alignment rod

For a closed stance pull your trail foot  1 to 2 inches away from the alignment rod

7. Flare your feet according to your preferences . Any flaring of your feet should be done LAST  , since flaring your feet can inadvertently affect how open, square or closed your feet will be .

USE TWO MIRRORS-ONE for THE FRONT VIEW

ONE for the DTL VIEW for VISUAL FEEDBACK 

 

To clarify: Where do you place the ball in this setup configuration. Is the ball fixed in the center or forward of stance or does it move forward with longer clubs? And, depending on that answer, do you widen your feet with longer clubs or maintain a fixed width. Thanks!! 

[MonteScheinblum]

In general the bottom one can be very problematic.  Very few, if any high level golfers setup like that. 
 

Golfers get caught up in trying something extreme, getting short term results and spending the rest of their golf career compensating for something that worked once.  Every nasty looking swing you see……that’s how it got there.

 

You can’t cheat a golf swing. 
 

People have tried setting up with their hips open. Start from the top of the backswing. Setup really closed and stay on left side to come front inside.  Lots of good early returns and a lifetime of frustration. 
 

Theres a reason there are more high level golfers than ever now.  

[golfarb1]

2 hours ago, writing running said:

To clarify: Where do you place the ball in this setup configuration. Is the ball fixed in the center or forward of stance or does it move forward with longer clubs? And, depending on that answer, do you widen your feet with longer clubs or maintain a fixed width. Thanks!! 

The ball’ s  position is basically  fixed, except for specialty shots. However ,

as the clubs lengthen , the golfer progressively widens his stance via moving his trail foot away from the lead foot . This translates to a ball position that is more forward relative to the wider stance . 

[iceman1118]

I struggle a bit with this as well. It seems to me that the best way to set up to the ball and grip the club is to use the already built in shaft lean that is designed into the club. I attached 2 pictures to show what I think is supposed to happen. First picture is a 9 iron and second picture is a driver. With the 9 iron and leading edge square to the target line, there is a slight forward shaft lean. Driver, the shaft is near vertical, hard to tell from the picture, but actually leaning slightly back with the top line of the club square to the target line.

 

I believe that is how you set the club to the target line and also how you are supposed to grip the club with the shaft lean built in. Like others have said, with irons and wedges this brings your hands inside your lead thigh and with driver it brings your hands around the zipper of your pants.

 

I think gripping the club with the shaft vertical shuts the face. Hopefully the people smarter than me can confirm or deny this, but I have been told this is how its done.

[Ifelloffladder]

Logically it would make sense but if you come too steep into the ball it could cause problems. But without seeing your swing it would be hard to assess where the ball position you think hitting from is much easier than the "traditional" spot. As Monte points out a temporary fix isn't going to last.

[RichieHunt]

Depends on what the rest of your swing looks like.  For instance, if you have an issue with sucking your hands too far inside in the backswing the bottom picture may be better for you.  Or if you have a very strong grip you may be better off with the bottom pic.  I generally prefer the top one because it's not so extreme.  And you do need somewhat of an open face to hit a draw.  You can have the face too open at address and you just simply need to make more square if that's the case.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[95124hacker]

I kinda do a mini Matthew Wolff trigger these days but less herky jerky than his. It helps me feel the impact position/angles before I start my backswing. Golf is a weird sport!

Edited December 5, 2022 by 95124hacker

[RoyalTroon]

Setting up to the shot and not the ball works best.

[aggiegolfer21]

Which setup do you hit better shots with?  That's the correct one.

[hanginnwangin]

On 11/8/2022 at 9:41 AM, ZGriswold83 said:

I very seldom see instruction from a golfer's perspective, it's always a 3rd person view.  Is one of these set ups better than another? 

 

I've set up 2 alignment sticks to show feet line as well as target line.

 

1. I feel like the club face is too open here. This is currently how I set up for most of my full swing shots.

 

2.  The shaft is leaned much more forward, I feel like I make a much better move away from the ball, in turn making my downswing feel easy and controlled...however, I don't know if this is correct.

 

 

I just started implementing this change as well and have seen good results. Like someone else pointed out, it does open the shoulders so you do have to focus on closing the shoulders in relation to the target line. I'm realizing that in most cases, this is causing a one way miss for me which is a push right. Obviously, there are the outliers where I'll yank one left but I no one has a one way miss every single time, I don't care what they say. I have only tested it on my simulator so I need to translate it to the course, but I have also been wondering if this is the "correct" thing to be implementing. 

 

Apparently it's not according to Monty, which is enough for me to scale it back a bit and find something in between. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by hanginnwangin