Every great drive begins long before you swing, with how you stand to the golf ball. A powerful, repeatable stance is not a happy accident, it’s a built-in foundation that provides balance, promotes power, and gives you the confidence to make an aggressive swing. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to build a professional-level stance so you can stand over every tee shot feeling stable, athletic, and ready to send it.
Think of your golf stance as the chassis of a race car. You can have the biggest engine in the world, but without a stable and well-aligned frame, you'll never be able to use that power effectively. Your setup at address dictates many things about your swing before you even start the takeaway. It sets your swing path, influences your angle of attack, and determines your ability to rotate freely. A sloppy, inconsistent setup leads to sloppy, inconsistent shots. But a solid, repeatable stance is the first step toward creating power, accuracy, and predictability in your golf game.
Many amateurs put all their focus on the motion of the swing itself, but nearly every tour pro will tell you that most swing faults can be traced back to an error at address. By mastering your stance, you are giving your swing its best possible chance to succeed. It turns a hopeful swing into an intentional one.
The best stances start before you even step next to the ball. Standing a few feet directly behind you golf ball gives you the best perspective of your target line, just like a quarterback reading the defense before the snap. Don't skip this part of the routine.
With your clubface aimed, you can now build your stance around it. Think of this as a consistent checklist you run through for every single shot. Doing so builds automaticity and removes guesswork.
Good golf posture feels strange to many players because we don't stand this way in everyday life. You should feel athletic and ready, like a shortstop waiting for a ground ball. The goal is a straight spine that is tilted over from the hips.
Many new golfers say, "This feels so weird... my bottom is sticking out so much!" But when they see it on camera, they look like a real golfer. Trust the feeling, it creates a structured position that allows your body to rotate powerfully.
Your stance width is your connection to the ground and the source of your stability. An improper width can rob you of balance and power by restricting your body's ability to turn.
Where the ball is positioned in your stance has a massive influence on contact. For a tee shot with a driver, the goal is different than any other shot in golf: you want to hit the ball on the *upswing*.
Your balance at address pre-sets your body for the movement to come. While an iron shot often starts with 50/50 weight distribution, the setup for a driver is slightly different to encourage that upward strike.
The grip is a complex topic all on its own, but for your setup, the most important thing is that it's neutral. A grip that's too "strong" (rotated away from the target) or too "weak" (rotated toward the target) will force you to make manipulations during your swing to get the clubface square at impact.
A good checkpoint for a neutral grip on your lead hand (left hand for righties) is seeing two knuckles when you look down. The 'V' created by your thumb and index finger should point roughly toward your trail shoulder. Your trail hand should then cover your lead thumb so its palm faces the target. Most importantly, it should feel secure but not tense. Tension in the hands and arms is a major swing killer.
Even with the best intentions, it's easy to fall into bad habits. Watch out for these common setup flaws:
Building a consistent setup is about creating a pre-shot routine that includes all these checkpoints. A great stance doesn't guarantee a great shot, but a bad stance almost guarantees a bad one. By mastering your address position, you give yourself foundation for confident, athletic swings and take the first big step toward more predictable power off the tee.
Even with a perfect setup, tricky holes can still leave you with uncertainty. That’s why we designed an AI companion to act as your personal course strategist. With Caddie AI, you can stand on any tee box, describe the hole you're facing, and get an intelligent, simple game plan in seconds. If you're stuck on a weird lie or in a tough position, you can even take a photo of your ball's location, and you will get instant, on-demand advice on the best way to play the shot. Our mission is to take the guesswork out of the game, so you can stand over every ball with clarity and confidence.
Thinking about hosting a golf tournament fundraiser is the first swing, executing it successfully is what gets the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from laying the initial groundwork months in advance to watching your happy golfers tee off. We’ll cover everything from securing sponsors and setting your budget to planning the on-course fun that makes an event unforgettable.
A golf handicap does more than just give you bragging rights (or a reason to demand strokes from your friends) - it’s the game’s great equalizer and the single best way to track your improvement. This guide breaks down what a handicap is, how the supportive math behind a handicap index a is, and exactly how you can get one for yourself. We’ll look at everything from Course Rating to Adjusted Gross Score, helping you feel confident both on the course and in the clubhouse.
The compression of a Pinnacle Rush golf ball is one of its most defining features, engineered specifically to help a huge swath of golfers get more distance and enjoyment from their game. We'll break down exactly what its low compression means, who it's for, and how you can use that knowledge to shoot lower scores.
Figuring out which spikes go into your new (or old) pair of Puma golf shoes can feel like a puzzle, but it’s much simpler than you think. The key isn't the brand of the shoe, but the type of receptacle system they use. This guide will walk you through exactly how to identify your Puma's spike system, choose the perfect replacements for your game, and change them out like a pro.
The Golf Genius app is one of the best tools for managing and participating in competitive golf events, but figuring it out for the first time can feel like reading a new set of greens. This guide cuts through the confusion and shows you exactly how to use the app as a player. We’ll cover everything from logging into your tournament and entering scores to checking the live leaderboard so you can enjoy the competition without any tech headaches.
Walking onto the first tee with sweaty palms, worried you’ll be a good partner to paly wtih...or even asked back again ...We’ve all been there - trust me! The real trick of feeling confortable... is about how you handle you’re ready to plsy. THIS guide explains the simple rules of the rode to show you hnow t play golf while staying calm relaxed and focused... an having much morse fun while you,',re aat it? You'll also play with confidence a dn make fiendsa while you're at i
Just ask a question or share a photo and Caddie gives personalized guidance for every shot - anytime, anywhere.
