The Natural Golf Swing (11 page)

Having done so, we now consider our alignment to the target. The adjustment we made with the left foot to take the body to a finishing position has not only opened the foot relative to the target. It’s also opened the knee and hip. Our shoulders are also open relative to the target because our right hand is lower on the club than our left.

Place your right hand under your left and you’ll notice that your shoulders open. They have to. Yet we’ve been told to keep our shoulders square to the target. The usual advice is to stick our right elbow into our sides, thereby squaring up our shoulders. How many times have you seen a well-meaning golfer jam a club across his friend’s right forearm and then try to shove it underneath his left elbow? This is supposed to be square. It might be geometrically square, but it isn’t square for the purpose of the swing. It’s an outrageous contortion that creates imbalance.

Alignment in relation to the target.

Square to the target is therefore somewhat to the left of the target. A line drawn through the heels would point either directly at the target, or a few degrees either way. A line drawn through the toes would point somewhat to the left of the target. This is the only naturally
square position, even if it isn’t mathematically precise. The important consideration is that each individual finds what is square for him, and plays from there. And square to the target for most golfers is open. Let’s not fight it. Let’s be in balance from the start.

To repeat: we make three adjustments in the starting form. We set the left foot open to the target for direction and balance; this opens our knees, hips, and shoulders relative to the target. (The shoulders are open also because when we grip the club the right hand is underneath the left.) At the same time, there is a natural adjustment in the wrists to accommodate the lie of the club; our wrists bend according to the lie. Meanwhile, we bend easily from the waist in order to set the club.

When setting up over the ball, we follow this procedure: first, we walk into the starting form by setting the clubface behind the ball with the ball placed toward the toe end of the clubhead.

Simultaneously, we set the right foot at right angles to the target. The shaft runs straight up and down, as designed, and rests in the midpoint of our stance. We then establish the position of the left foot while assuming a natural flex in our legs and a natural bend from the waist. We then form the grip. This is the starting form, except for ball location and posture.

Ball location relative to the left foot and alignment.

This is a critical aspect of the starting position that we often ignore or misunderstand. It’s not complicated. We want to find a location for the ball relative to our stance so that the ball will get in the way of the clubhead on its way to the finish position. Since the swing is an uninterrupted motion along a definite path, all we need to do is find the location for the ball that will ensure it is sent off accurately, and with proper distance and trajectory. Golf is not a hand-eye game, so it stands to reason that we should find a location for the ball that will not vary from shot to shot.

Ball location flows logically from the way we set up in the starting position. The arms and hands hang naturally as we grip the club. There’s no reason to move them forward, that is, toward the left foot. Neither is there any reason to move them back, toward the right foot. They quite naturally hang just ahead of the middle of the stance. We place the ball, then, just ahead of the middle of the stance for a standard five-iron shot. The ball, then, will be just back of the inside of the left heel.

Now, the width of the stance will vary with the length of the club. The longer the club, the wider the stance. It is in the interests of consistency that we keep the left foot in a constant position relative to the ball location. We move the right foot only as we set up, closer or further from the left foot depending on the club we have in our hands. The right foot is furthest away from the left foot when we are using a driver. But the position of the left foot relative to the ball is constant. We thereby ensure a constant ball position.

The other reason for maintaining a constant position for the left foot relative to the ball is that we want to finish flat on that foot. It’s where we’re headed. The destination does not change, so neither should the position of the left foot or the ball location.

While the position of the left foot does not change relative to the ball, the distance we stand from the ball does. As I said, I feel different every day. When I go to the range, I want to find a place for the ball that allows me to feel comfortable while I set up and swing. If I’m feeling particularly flexible, I might put the ball out a half-inch or so. If I’m tight that day, I might move it a little closer. It all depends on how I feel. I’m a stickler on balance, and so I’m not going to do anything that makes me feel uneasy. Neither should you. Experiment with the distance the ball is from your stance until you find the place from which you can swing freely and hit the ball straight. That’s your ball location for the day.

The most efficient means of setting the starting position relative to the ball is this: set the clubhead to the ball location, then set the body around the club. You therefore work your body off your target. Should we do otherwise, we are likely to set up a visual distortion. It’s
much more efficient to move the body around the clubface rather than the other way around. It’s so much easier (and so much less subject to error) to aim your clubface accurately than to aim your body. The clubface then acts as a reference point. We may become confused if we orient the body to the target; it’s got too many parts.

Square the clubface to the target.

Square the right foot to the target.

Set the left foot open to the target.

Set the left hand on the club.

Set the right hand on the club.

Ensure the left foot is open and outside the left shoulder. Notice that the shoulders are open to the target.

The golfer who arranges his body first and the clubface second endangers good form. He will automatically try to correct physically for the visual distortion he’s fallen victim to. That’s why golfers are often convinced that they’re aligned properly when in reality they may be well off line. But they’ve gotten used to a certain way of setting up. I found this out when I was sixteen years old; it took me up to a week to correct myself.