Judging the distance...

I’m asked on a daily basis‘How far should I be standing from the ball at address?’

Today, I’m going to talk to you about this, along with the most common faults I see.

Depending on the length of the club that you are holding, the amount that you tilt from the waist at address will vary, with a greater tilt for shorter clubs and less for longer ones.

In today’s pictures I am playing a 7-iron, so I’m standing at approximately mid tilt.

You should now take hold of a club and allow your arms to hang in their natural position under your shoulders. This is the distance that you should stand from the ball (pic 1).

If you were to measure this distance, the butt end of the club would sit around a closed fist distance from your left thigh.

If you stand too far from the ball, then you will have to stretch to reach the ball and this will cause excessive tilting from the waste (pic 2).

Before the swing has even started this players’arms and body are disconnected and it will be very difficult for him to consistently deliver the club head back to the golf ball.

If you stand too close to the ball, then your movement will be restricted and you will not have enough space to make a free flowing swing (pic 3).

Standing too close will also cause the arms to pick up very steeply and cause inconsistencies with your ball striking.

If you try remember that it’s posture first followed by arm hang, then you won’t go far wrong.