LETTER FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
HOW TO FIND YOUR PERFECT STANCE
Greetings once again Eaglebrooke ! In the past weeks we have taken a dive into some basic biomechanics as they pertain to golf . There are no absolutes in golf , but when we start to match up your natural movement pattern with some basic set-up ideas we can start to implement and make “ changes ” that produce better golf shots , and who doesn ’ t want to hit the ball better ?
This month we ’ ll look at setting up a stance that allows for natural movement and that will help your contact as well as tapping into some effortless power . The first step in finding your perfect stance is first understand that everyone is different and moves in different ways . So , one person ’ s stance may not work for another and so forth .
So , the first step in finding out the perfect stance , we must find the axis of rotation of the body . This is done by setting the feet shoulder width , getting into golf posture , and holding a club or alignment stick over the knees and without moving anything other than the hips making a pivot to the left . Once the pivot has been made , we can then determine what axis the body wants to pivot from . There are only three axis that the body pivots from , either the front home , in the middle of the body , or from the rear hip . Screen for the axis of rotation takes a trained eye , but once the axis is known we can matchup the stance .
So , a golfer whose axis is on the front hip , when they setup the front foot should have slightly more pressure underneath the lead foot thus “ anchoring ” from the lead foot , with the lead foot open roughly 40 degrees . When you anchor the lead foot that will make the front hip rotate slower , and the rear hip would be faster . This allows the pivot to take place under the lead hip .
The second option is for a player whose axis is set in the middle of the body . This player will anchor in the middle of the body by opening both hip sockets to produce two neutral pivots . When setting up the stance the toes would both be opened up and the weight would feel right over the shoelaces , making the pivot occur in the middle of the body .
The last stance is for a player whose axis is off of the rear hip . This player will an anchor under the trail foot , thus making the pivot occur on the trail hip . When setting up the stance the lead foot will be square , but the trail foot will flare out .
So once the axis of a player is determined , and the stance is matched to the axis , the body will be able to move more freely and pivot more effectively . Have a great month , stay cool out there , and hit ‘ em well !
Ben Johnson
PGA , Teaching Professional
SEPTEMBER eaglebrooke newsletter 5