A great golf swing begins long before you start to move the club. In fact, what you do in the few seconds before you swing has a massive impact on your power, accuracy, and consistency. We're talking about the setup, your foundation for every shot. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to build a reliable and athletic golf setup that prepares you for success on every single shot.
Your hands are your only connection to the golf club, so how you hold it has an enormous influence on what the clubface does at impact. A neutral, correct grip allows you to deliver a square clubface without making lots of in-swing compensations. Let’s get this part right, and everything else becomes easier.
Start by placing the clubhead on the ground behind your ball, making sure the leading edge is perfectly square to your target. From here, let's build the grip, assuming you're a right-handed golfer (lefties, just reverse the hands).
As your left hand approaches the club, allow it to come in from the side in a natural position. You don't want to twist it too far over or slide it too far underneath the grip. Focus on placing the grip across the fingers of your left hand, primarily from the base of your pinky to the middle of your index finger. This finger-oriented grip encourages proper wrist action.
Your right hand works in partnership with your left. Let it approach the club from the side, just like the left hand did. The goal is for the palm of your right hand to match the angle of the clubface - facing your target.
Honestly, there is no "best" option among these three. Pick the one that feels most comfortable and secure to you. What matters most is that your hands are working together as a single unit, controlling a square clubface.
With a solid grip established, it's time to build the body position that will support a powerful, rotational swing. This part often feels the strangest to new golfers, but when you see a photo of yourself in the correct posture, you’ll realize you actually look like an athletic, serious golfer.
Your stance needs to provide balance while also allowing your body to turn freely. Think of yourself as standing inside a cylinder, you need to be able to rotate back and through without swaying outside its walls.
This is where new golfers feel most self-conscious, but correct posture is what unlocks your body's a ability to generate power efficiently. You simply cannot make a good swing if you are standing too tall or are too hunched over.
The key move is hinging from your hips, not your waist. Imagine keeping your back relatively straight and pushing your butt backward, as if you were about to sit in a tall chair.
Yes, it's a weird feeling. No other sport asks you to stand quite like this. But trust the process. This athletic tilt creates the space your arms need to swing and puts your body in position to rotate, not just lift.
Where the ball is positioned in your stance directly affects the bottom of your swing arc - so it's a huge factor in whether you strike the ball cleanly. A bad ball position forces you to make last-second adjustments that destroy consistency. Here’s a simple system to follow.
Think of it as a spectrum. The shortest club is in the middle, and as each club gets longer, the ball creeps progressively forward in your stance.
You can make a perfect swing, but if you’re not aimed correctly, the ball isn’t going to the target. It’s amazing how many misses are caused by poor alignment before the swing even starts.
A classic and effective way to think about alignment is to imagine two parallel railroad tracks.
A common mistake is aiming your feet or body directly at the target instead of parallel to the target line. This closes your stance and will often force you to swing "over the top," creating a pull or a slice.
Top players all follow a consistent pre-shot routine. It's not superstition, it's a method for incorporating all these setup fundamentals in the same order, every time, building the muscle memory for consistency. Here's a simple, effective routine you can adopt:
By following this sequence, you methodically check off all the boxes for a solid setup without feeling overwhelmed. It becomes an automatic process that puts you in a position to hit a good shot.
The setup isn’t the most glamorous part of the golf swing, but it is the bedrock of consistency. By taking the time to build a correct foundation - from your grip and stance to your posture and alignment - you give your swing a chance to work properly, freeing you up to think less and play more.
We know how much goes into a confident setup, especially when you're facing a tough lie on the course. That’s why we built our app, Caddie AI, to be your on-demand golf expert. If you’re ever unsure about club choice or how to play a tricky shot, you can get instant, smart advice right in your pocket, taking the guesswork out of the equation so you can commit to your swing with confidence.
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