An Athletic Posture is the foundation of a good golf swing.

 

Golf is like any other sport in that you need to start in a relaxed athletic posture.  The body should look “proud” but not standing at attention.  You need to be in an athletic position so you can move smoothly without losing your balance.

 

It starts with a firm base; your feet should be a little wider than shoulder width. You stand tall with your chin up out of your chest and arch your back as if you’re trying to make your shoulder blades touch.  Then put the butt end of the grip against your belt buckle and hold the club out in front of you with the toe of the club pointing up to the sky. (see pic.#1)

 

 Picture #1                                            Picture #2                                             Picture #3

 

You then push the club against your belt buckle and push your hips back away from the ball.  This should feel as though someone is pulling on your back pockets.  The angle of the club should now point towards the ground.  (see pic. #2)

 

Your body is now in the correct position; just flex your knees a little for comfort.  Too much knee flex is possibly the most common problem for amateurs it limits their ability to turn their shoulders on the backswing and causes inconsistency in contact at impact.  Next, place the club behind the ball.   Extend your arms down from your shoulders but they shouldn’t be locked. (see pic. #3)

 

Your weight distribution is critical. The distribution should be 50/50 on each foot and near the balls of the feet full for a full-swing.  Only in the short game would this change with weight distribution moving towards the heel for shorter shots.