Posture and Set-up

An often overlooked and important aspect of the golf swing is Posture and Set-up. For this tip, lets assume that we are speaking about a player with no major physical ailments and it can be for a right or left-handed player.

I spend a lot of time prior to correcting a players' swing by going over proper posture. Golf is a game that puts a lot of torque and pressure on our body.  If you are in the wrong position you can only hit poor shots and you can damage your muscles and/or joints. Proper posture is also a major contributor to proper balance and that is why I view it as a very important part of the golf swing!

I have used the following 4 check points which I have learned over the years from many nationally recognized instructors.

1) The tips of your shoulders when tilted over from the waist will line up with the tips of your toes

2) Your stance should be at shoulder-width to support your weight shift and turn. Shoulder width means taking the measurement of your shoulder s and having that distance between the insteps of your feet.

3) Your hip joints, when properly bent over, will align directly over the back of your shoes. This will help you load your hip on your back swing for power.

4) The last vertical alignment check is a little more in depth. The top of your spine aligns vertically with the back of your elbows, then tips of your knees and finally to the balls of your feet. This final alignment check indicates if you are "skeletally stacked"!

If you are not properly stacked or set-up, your golf swing can get off-plane and out of position causing many errant shots in any direction. We talk about many other sports where you need to get in a proper "athletic" position. These 4 points help you accomplish that. We can look at all athletes and use analogies to show you how important this is so please do not ignore these basic fundamentals. Your poor shots could be a result of your poor set-up and posture so call one of our highly trained instructors to get your posture and set-up checked out.

Jeffrey M. Rosenberg, PGA
General Manager/Head Golf Professional
Little Bennett Golf Course

Pre-Shot Routine

The pre-shot routine is one of the most overlooked aspects of the golf swing. Yes, I did say golf swing. A golf swing is only as good as your target line awareness therefore I consider your pre-shot routine part of your swing. Having been a PGA member for almost 20 years, I find it interesting that golfers tend to practice with out purpose. Most golfers never leave their mat and just wack away at 100 balls, which mean that more than likely the “ball” has been the target and not the flag stick. Listed are some easy tips to help you establish a solid pre-shot routine on and off the course:

 Visualize what you want the shot to look like.

 Always get directly behind the shot and walk into your stance with your hips and feet open to the target line.

 Do some waggles just like Arnold Palmer, he wasn’t just fidgeting with his pants that was his way of getting loose.

 Take in consideration all the outside variables such as weather conditions and type of stance you have these factors will effect the outcome of the shot.

 When practicing make sure you walk off the mat or behind the shot every other ball. If you don’t get behind it just make sure you are thinking target before your next shot.

 Clear your mind of all negative thoughts. Do not hit a golf shot unless you are committed and ready to execute the shot. This sounds easy, however, its one of the hardest things to do.

 Practice your routine at home and on the range. The more you ingrain your routine the faster and easier it will become.

I hope some of the listed “tips” will help you achieve better shots and better scores immediately. If you need personal help with the above information please see any of our MCG golf professionals for some advice or for a lesson.



Jon LeSage, PGA
Head Professional
Falls Road Golf Course

Swing Tip - Chipping

The most common problem with chipping that I see is that people do not hit the ball on the way down.  Sweeping, brushing or even hitting the ball on the upswing are common faults. 

A good drill to help you correct this is to place 4 balls down on the ground touching each other perpendicular to the edge of the putting green. Put the ball you are going to chip 1 grip length closer to the green and practice chipping balls onto the green from that location.

The key to the drill is to keep the handle of the club ahead of the ball and to strike the ball on the way down. Remember you should not hit the 4 balls on the back or forward swing!!

Start close to the green with an 8 iron and in no time you will understand the basics to a successful chipping motion.

Mike Kenny, PGA
Head Professional
Needwood Golf Course

Putting Tip

Generally the most overlooked aspect of the game is putting. All players constantly want to improve their ball striking but yet they wonder why at the end of the season their handicap has yet to improve. Below are two tips that will help shave some strokes on the putting green.

Tip #1
Most putters usually get in trouble because they are eager to see if they have made the putt and tend to pull their head up to early. A good method for keeping the head still during the putt is to pick a spot back center of the ball and then focus on listening to the ball go into the hole. So after you have contacted the ball your head remains still and the eyes should be focusing on the spot on the green where the ball was.

 Tip #2
Allow the shoulders to make the putting stroke. The putting stroke should mirror a pendulum on a clock. Allow the hands and arms to be an extension of the shoulders and then the shoulders rock back and forth in a smooth motion. The shoulders should move in a smooth and timely motion in order to keep rhythm in the putting stroke.

These two tips should allow you to begin making more putts.


Justin Keith, PGA
Teaching Professional
Falls Road Golf Course

Teaching Tip - Proper Impact Position

A very high percentage of golf students that I consult with for the first time do not know what proper impact position looks like. The unfortunate part about this is that many of these same folks have been playing without this critical information for many years. When I see a student with this type of problem, the very first thing we do is discuss good vs. poor impact position, and why it is so important.

Left Photo:
The player in this photo shows good position of the hands at the moment of impact. The grip of the club is leaning forward toward the target. The left wrist is flat and the right wrist maintains a bend. This bent right wrist will allow the club to strike the ball first and the ground second. It is also very important to turn the body towards the target and shift weight to the outside of the left ankle at the beginning of the downswing -- the correct wrist position would be difficult to maintain if both of these things did not take place, as well.

Right Photo:
The player in this photo shows poor impact position. We can clearly see how the player's left wrist is bent and the right is straight -- the complete opposite of the left photo. The club has bottomed out too early, which means that the head of the club hit the ground before it hit the ball. The reason most players bottom out early is because they are not properly turning and shifting their weight to their left foot. In most cases, they are swinging too hard from the top. In this photo, the player has hit so far behind the ball that his shot would likely not have gone very far.

In order to compensate from a club grounding behind the ball, most players will straighten up and hinge their wrists on the downswing, actions which will create a "sweep" or "scoop" reaction at the point of impact. Because of this, many players will label themselves as "sweepers" of the golf ball, when in fact their problem is poor impact position. Poor impact position allows for a very small margin for error, most especially from tighter lies and fairways.

The percentage of ALL players that have poor impact position is extremely high - I would venture to say that 9 out of 10 players I see at the range are making the same mistake!

Glenn C. Phillips, PGA

Teaching Professional
Falls Road G.C. & Learning Center