The Golf Stance

The stance is the foundation of the golf swing and is therefore highly important. This section describes the classic stance otherwise known as the 'box stance'.

As the diagram shows you should stand parallel to an imaginary line drawn from the ball to the target. The legs should be spread such that the feet and shoulders are on the same vertical plane. The ball should be an equal distance from both feet. Posture dictates how far back from the ball you should stand. This is described in another section.

 

These basic principles will greatly help to ensure that the clubface is square with the ball on impact causing it to travel in a straight line. Failure to position the feet along the parallel between the ball and target are the main reasons for pushing and pulling the ball. Failure to keep the ball centred has the same effect. If the ball shanks or slices then the clubface is open or closed at impact thus imparting spin. These suggest incorrect posture.

 

However there are some variations which you can employ depending on the circumstances. When using shorter clubs such as irons and wedges, the feet should be moved slightly closer. When taking long shots the ball can be moved slightly left of centre (towards the target) but no further than the foot. The optimum positions are wholly individual and therefore practice on the range taking short, medium and long range shots is essential to discovering them.