by Harry Keogh

Created on: April 12, 2011   Last Updated: September 25, 2011

In golf, everything starts with posture, and if this is not right then the whole swing can, and will be affected. With this in mind, all golfers of any level should try to maintain the perfect posture in order to achieve the maximum from their game. This article looks at how to achieve good posture, and also some of the traps that the amateur can fall into.

Every part of the set up ritual in golf plays an important part in attaining that perfect ball flight and, the basis of all of this is posture. As with any aspect of golf there are plenty of mistakes that the amateur can come across. One of the most common mistakes for the amateur to make during set up is to either be too close, or too far away from the ball. This can quite easily be corrected with a very simple method, which can be practiced at the range.

Firstly, set the club head behind the ball, then with your right hand, (if you are right handed) place the tip of your longest finger on the top of the grip, then move yourself towards the base of the palm of your hand until it is touching the belt buckle area of your waist. Once in this position, simply form your grip starting with the opposite hand to the one on the top of the grip, now you will be in position to start your swing. After going through this routine several times, you will build up a muscle memory of the distance that you need to be away from the ball, and will be able to find the correct distance you need to be from the ball each and every time. 

After you have found the correct distance to be away from the ball, the next part of your posture would be in relation to the ball position itself, for the club that you are using. The general rule of thumb in golf is that the longer the club, the further forward towards the leading foot the ball should be. So with a driver, the ball should be just inside the leading foot, and the shorter irons should be more towards the middle of the stance. This ball position can take a bit of practice, but there are a number of really simple, but great products on the market that can aid in this plotting of the ball position. The ball position is important, as it determines the angle of attack that the club will take when swung. With the ball towards the front foot as with a driver or wood, the ball is hit on the upswing and the opposite will be true when placing the ball more to the centre of the stance with an iron, allowing it to hit the ball on the down-swing. This will cause these two different

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