The Stance

 

            When we talk about stance in golf we are talking about more than the position of your feet, although they are a very important part of it.  We are talking about your entire body or, as they say in golf, the way you stand up to the ball.  But, to me, what lies between is less important to emphasize than the two anchor points for the swing to come—the head and the feet.  Let’s start with the feet.

            You will remember that I said that, to the newcomer, the golf grip is unnatural and feels uncomfortable.  The opposite is generally true about positioning of the feet.  What feels natural to you will usually be right.  When your feet are spread too far apart or pulled too close together, you interfere with the normal flow of the swing, restricting it or the turn of your body with it.  For the golfer of average build, the feet should be spread to about the same width as his shoulders when he is using the driver.  Almost automatically, you will narrow the distance between your feet as you work down through the shorter clubs to the point that, with a little wedge shot, they will be no more than six inches or so apart.

            Balance is the key to the angles of your feet.  Whatever feels the least awkward will usually work for you.  But, more often than not, the golfer will feel best balanced with the left foot toed slightly in the direction of the shot and the right foot pretty much perpendicular to the line of flight, although some feel better with it pointed a bit to the right.

            Now, we consider the position of the feet in relation to an imaginary line corresponding to the direction of the shot being played.  Look at the illustration of what we call the open, the closed and the square stances.  Notice the differences—the left foot drawn back from that imaginary line in the open stance, the right foot drawn back in the closed and both feet evenly on the line in the square stance.

            For the most part, the golfer uses an open stance.  Only on the tee shots with his driver does he square his stance or perhaps even close it a bit.  As he moves down through the fairway woods and from long irons to short irons and the wedges, that left foot is pulled back more and more from the line.  Just as with the width, this occurs almost naturally.  The next illustration shows how the position of the left foot changes with the various clubs.  Stand up to the ball with the clubs designated in the drawing and see if these positions don’t feel comfortable and natural.

            A final word about the feet, which brings in the rest of the body as well.  They should be flat on the ground from the toe to the heel, your weight evenly distributed.  To achieve this, you must flex your knees a bit.  I like to describe it as the first move you would make to sit down or the normal position of a water skier.  This will determine how far you are from the ball.  If you are too distant, you will have to lean forward.  Too close and you will have to stand too upright.  With just the slight bend forward at the waist, your arms hang down naturally, too.  As I have watched them through the years, far too many average golfers reach for the ball, shift their weight onto their toes and swing off balance.

            I mentioned distance from the ball.  Its position in the stance is important, too.  I have a rather simple rule of thumb about this.  Because of the change in the width of the stance, the ball can be played generally in front of the left heel on virtually all normal shots.

            Which brings us to the head.  How many times have you heard somebody say to a golfer who has just hit a bad shot, “You didn’t keep your eye on the ball!”  That’s close, but not quite it.  What he probably didn’t do was keep his head still.  This is probably the most important single factor in playing golf with any degree of success and one of the hardest things to accomplish.

            Teachers of golf have offered many graphic illustrations to show this.  But let me just say that a golfer in trouble with his shots had better concentrate on keeping his head still.  Here’s what happens when it moves: If you lift your head during the swing, you are bound to top the shot or at best send out a low grass-cutter.  If you lower your head, you will hit somewhere behind the ball.  Move your head to the left and you’ll hook it.  Shift it to the right and anything can happen—a slice, a pushed shot in that direction or even a hook.

            I don’t think there is an artificial device in the world that will really cure a head-mover.  It is something you must think about all the time, when you are practicing and when you are playing.  It is one of the most important parts of the concentration a golfer must have to play well.