To see lasting improvement in golf (or any other field for that matter) relevant understanding must become the ultimate goal. Do you understand the importance of developing your best set-up? No matter what your swing “ailments” might be, the first stop in your “blame game” investigation MUST begin with your set-up. Some research suggests that up to 70% of what ultimately happens to the ball flight can and will be traced back to the quality of your set-up. Do you realize what you just read? To some degree, the outcome of your shot is PRE-DETERMINED before your actual swing! The set-up can change every aspect of your physical swing.

We only use four energy/speed producing sources: Lead arm swing, wrist hinge/unhinge, trail elbow fold/unfold and body pivot. Sounds like a lot of movement with the swing itself being responsible for all of them, but let’s take a closer look at the set-up or address positions and see if they may have some influence on this “energy.”

If your grip is poor, do you believe that your wrists will hinge/unhinge correctly during the swing? If you are squeezing the handle with too much grip pressure, do you believe that your arms will have the freedom to produce enough clubhead speed for ultimate distance and would you expect your trail elbow will fold/unfold correctly? If your stance is too wide (or narrow) and your toes are pointing out or in too much, do you believe that your body pivot will be efficient and generate enough power for distance? If your posture (upper body tilt and knee flex) are too great or not enough, do you believe that body pivot and clubhead speed can be maximized?

Dismissing the goal of an “error-free” set-up virtually eliminates your chance to discover your personal swing potential. Quite honestly, you may never possess the repeatable swing of a PGA TOUR player, but if set-up dictates up to 70% of the swing, you can get closer to that champion than you think!