Best Way to Address Your Golf Position

For good players, the most likely faults at address are having the ball too far forward to the left in the stance and standing too far away from the bail, particularly if you are feeling over-confident.

The correct routine should always be to stand at approximately the right distance from the ball, to set the club down with the right hand, to adopt the posture and then add the left hand. Then be prepared to shuffle in or out towards or away from the ball to find the correct distance.

Find posture first and then adjust the distance. To check the ball position, lay one club along your feet, clubhead round your left foot. Put another at right angles from the ball to your feet. If you can’t get comfortable at address, set up to the ball in your normal position. Have someone else then position another ball slightly further to the left and another slightly further to the right. Address these in turn and see it either feels more comfortable. Try the same exercise with balls at different distances until you feel comfortable again.

For advanced golfers searching for comfort at address, address the ball and rehearse your backswing. Now address the ball again, hop the clubhead over the ball and make a follow through. Address needs to feel good, both tor going backwards and for following through.

• Women golfers need to adjust their distance from the ball so that the left arm lies easily across the bust and not round it. If you get your left arm in the wrong position, you find you have to do a detour in the backswing!
• If you are of average height – between 1.5m (5ft) and 1.6m (5ft 6in) – here is a good guideline for finding your correct distance from the ball. For a driver (or, in fact, for most clubs) set your feet level with the grip of the club and the ball at the neck of the clubhead. If you have problems with the correct distance, make a definite measurement with your driver and your 5 iron so that you can return to it. Measure it with a metre ruler, if necessary, so that you have something to refer to.

• You can’t always see the ball position in relation to your feet. If the ball is too far to the left in the stance, it is particularly likely to occur with a driver or longer club. If you play the ball too far forward, the right shoulder tends to be pulled forward instead of hanging down and the swing becomes difficult. With the ball too far forward, you are likely to pull the ball left or hit the ground behind the ball.