Three set-up fundamentals

1

Good posture at address is vital. Bend first through your pelvis until the club naturally settles on the ground, before then ‘softening’ your knees a touch. How far you stand from the ball should be determined by this. With a driver, for example, the butt of the grip should sit about a hand-and-a-half’s width from your thigh (main photo). Any further and you’re too far away (below); any closer and you’re too near. It’s largely dictated by posture.

2Your shoulders should primarily tilt naturally rather than consciously because the right hand sits below the left on the grip, so your right shoulder should also naturally sit lower than the left. However, I do find that if you then just drop your right shoulder a little bit more at address, it can help to square the shoulders up, too. It’s easy for the shoulders to also be thrown a little open to the target line if they’re too level at address (below). 3

Finally, aim is very important. Good players can instantly tell when they’re aiming off line. How? I call it the ‘picture frame’. When they look up, they’re expecting to see the target within a certain frame – an area they’re looking for, and in to. If the flag or intended fairway target is not in that frame, they know they’re misaligned. Once you’re set up and think you’re aligned, look up to see if your target is sitting within your ‘picture frame’.