Tales From The Bunker

Jack Nicklaus, in his classic instruction book Golf My Way, has a chapter called Setting Up Ninety Percent of Good Shot-Making. We did a blog on June 10th on golf setup and alignment problems I was having. The following video discusses the basics of a proper setup. After watching the video please check out some of the points I would like to emphasize and one I would like to warn you about.

Points to emphasize:

1. The video states your feet should be a least shoulder width apart for the proper stance.  I would guess eighty to ninety percent of average golfers have a narrower stance. To check it out take you club and set it on your shoulders. Place you hands on the club shoulder width apart and then bend over and compare it to your feet. Most people are in for a shock when they do this. A shoulder width stance can feel a bit unnatural but over time you will appreciate the stability it provides.
2. Keep your back straight and maintain your spine angle throughout the swing will help eliminate fat and thin shots.
3. Aim the butt end of the club at your left belt loop. This will naturally create the correct shoulder tilt.
4. Alignment problem are so easy to have creep into your game. See our earlier blog on my struggles with this problem.
5. Maintain a firm grip is terrible advice for the average golfer. The high handicapper struggles with muscle tension particularly in the grip and tries to strangle the club. Loose, tension free muscles including the grip provide more consistent ball striking and club head speed.
6. Swing at only 80% of your maximum speed. Fabulous advice. Spend some time observing people on the first tee and see how hard they swing. It is a miracle they do not hurt themselves.

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