Setting Up the Correct Distance From the Ball

Setting Up the Correct Distance From the Ball

Have you ever wondered why your instructor changes your set up first in your golf lesson?  The answer is simple.  How you set up to the ball determines how you will swing the club.  Most swing flaws I see can be traced back to a poor set up.  One common set up flaw is standing at an incorrect distance from the ball.  In this article, we will explore how your distance from the ball affects your swing and how to set up more correctly.

One set up flaw I often see is standing too close to the ball as seen in figure 1.  When you stand too close to the ball you typically will swing the club too steep or vertical.  When you swing the club too steep, one of two things will typically happen in your down swing.  First, if your back swing is too steep, your downswing will come down steep causing you to hit the ground before you hit the ball resulting in a “fat” shot with a deep divot.  The second result you may see in swinging too steep on your down swing is a tendency to “stand up” at impact in order to avoid the “fat” shot causing you to top the ball.

Another set up flaw I see is standing too far away from the ball as seen in figure 2.  Standing too far from the ball causes you to swing “flatter” or more around your body vs. up and down.  When you swing too much around your body, your club path will be shallow.  Swinging too shallow often causes one of two results to happen.  First, swinging too shallow will not allow you to get the club to the bottom of the ball, so you will top the shot.  The second effect of a shallow club path is the inability to rotate completely.  When you swing too shallow your weight will fall forward causing you to have an abbreviated finish.

Now that you know the effects of standing too close or too far away from the ball, let’s look at a process to take a more correct set up.  Step 1:  Stand straight up with your knees slightly bent, your arms stretched out and your club head at knee height as shown in figure 3.  Step 2: bend over at your hips until the clubhead hits the ground as shown in figure 4.  Step 3:  Keeping you hands the same distance from your body, move your entire body closer or further until your club face aligns with the ball.

Setting up correctly is the foundation to making a good swing.  A good set up allows your body to swing the club to get optimum results.  Consequently, a poor set up will not allow your body to swing the club in an efficient manner.  Standing a correct distance from the ball is one of the most important elements of a good set up.  If your swing suddenly changes, check your distance from the ball first.