By Matt Keel
One of the most common questions I hear during a golf lesson is “how far away from my feet do I play the ball?” The answer to that question is not as simple as just providing a distance, but is based on setting up in a position that supports the motion your body needs to make to swing the club. The correct distance between your feet and the golf ball is dependent on two factors: 1) your weight distribution on your feet from heel to toe, and 2) the distance your hands hang away from your body.
Your weight distribution from heel to toe is essential to set up to the ball in an athletic position. Think about preparing to return a serve in tennis. Would your weight be distributed more on your heels or the balls of your feet? Having too much weight on your heels would hinder your ability to react to the serve, while maintaining more weight on the balls of your feet will allow you to react quickly and return the serve. In the golf swing, maintaining more weight on the balls of your feet instead of your heels enables you to rotate during your back swing and rotate through to a balanced finish.
Once you have distributed your weight correctly from heel to toe, you are now in a position for the correct hand placement. The correct position is to simply allow your hands to hang directly under your chin. Positioning your hands too close to your body will cause you to swing the club too upright, while positioning your hands too far from your body will cause you to swing the club too flat around your body.
The most common scenarios I see regarding proper weight distribution and hand position are illustrated in the photos below.
You can systematically set your hand position correctly every time. In order to set your hand position the correct distance from your body, you must first rock your weight to the balls of your feet. Once your weight is distributed correctly on the balls of your feet, let your hands hang directly under your chin. A correct set up will always ensure that you start from the same position for every swing.
Matt Keel is the Lead Golf Instructor at Wildfire Golf Club located at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge. For more information about golf lessons, you can visit www.wildfiregolf.com or email Matt at Mattkeel@pga.com.
