Article #69
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Dear Jitterbug:
My golf buddies say I stand too far away from the ball at address. Truthfully, no matter where I stand seems all out of whack to me. Do you have some guidelines with regard to how far away I should stand?.
Mario Lamar
Jitterbug Gang Fan
Jitterbug:
Yes, I do. Basically speaking, measuring up to the ball should achieve two things: tilting over an amount you can maintain throughout the swing (free of excess raising and lowering), and positioning your arms in a relaxed, gravity-controlled hang from your shoulders.
Spine Tilt:
As for tilt over the shot, it starts at the hip sockets. My advice is that after setting up over a ball you push your belt buckle back away from the butt of your club. To push the belt buckle back is to flex the hips. Provided you can maintain the belt-buckle-back position (hip flex) throughout the swing, you can argue that you're properly tilted over the shot.
Arm Hang:
Ideally, you want your arms to hang naturally. Thus, directly down from the shoulder sockets is a good place for your arms to hang.
If when addressing the ball your belt buckle is pushed back, your arms are hanging naturally with the club soled squarely on the ground, you should be pretty near a good position from which to hit golf shots.
Mr. Vaughn:
I'm going to share a secret to setting up in a manner that's comfortable. Most great players-I suggest you watch them on television-set up to the ball quite crowded, and then back away from there. In other words, they start close to the ball and then casually inch away until they feel properly plugged in to hit the shot.
The opposite method is used by the legions of bad players who can never get comfortable. Too many amateurs, it seems, start far away and attempt to inch in with their arms extended out in front of them. For most, this leads to not enough spine tilt, and leads them with too much weight on their heels.
If you're like most folks, this could be the one tip you need to find the right measure down to the ball.
Lord Berry:
Whatever it takes, you should orthodox a method of setting up to hit your golf shots. Admittedly, pre-swing fundamentals are less interesting, certainly less dynamic, than the catchy headlines displayed on the cover of most golf publications. Don't forget, however, that it is only with correct set up fundamentals that the more exciting aspects of swing fundamentals carry meaning.