4 common setup mistakes that can wreck your ball-striking

Hitting a golf ball long and straight is — news flash! — difficult. Heck, even the best golfers in the world struggle with it from time to time. With so many moving parts at play during the swing, it’s no wonder it can be so tough.

That’s why it’s essential that you control as many variables as possible. Once the swing starts, it’s hard to make adjustments on the fly. That’s why nailing your setup is so important.

Despite how important the setup is, though, many recreational players never give it a second thought. They simply step up to the ball and hit it, an approach that can lead to tons of lost strokes.

With the setup being such an easy way to improve your score, it’s curious that more golfers don’t make it more of an emphasis in their practice. Often, it’s because they don’t even know they are making a mistake to begin with.

To learn more about common setup mistakes, we enlisted the help of GOLFTEC Director of Teaching Quality Josh Troyer. Using GOLFTEC’s OptiMotion technology, he shared 4 crucial setup mistakes he often sees golfers make.

1. Shoulders and hips too far open

Recreational golfers have a habit of leaving their shoulders and hips way too far open at address. While pros often have their shoulders open on average eight degrees, and their hips open just four degrees, recreational players get as much as 20 or 30 degrees open.

“Being too far open really affects your swing direction,” Troyer says. “It gets way too far out-to-in.”

Losing the ball to the right might tempt you to aim more to the left, but this overcompensation will sometimes exacerbate the problem. Try laying down an alignment stick at your feet aimed at the target when you practice and swing right down that line. Chances are it will help you get a more neutral swing path.

2. Weak grip

An overly weak grip is another setup flaw recreational players struggle with. They will get their trail hand too far on top of the grip during the setup, which leads to an open clubface at impact.

“That’s essentially just going to present the face in a more open position at impact,” Troyer says. “That’s something we see a lot of golfers struggle with.”

If you struggle with an open clubface, try strengthening your grip and getting your trail hand more underneath at address. This will promote a clubface that is closing more at impact.

3. Pigeon-toed at address

If you want to hit the ball a long way, you’ve got to be able to maximize your rotation — and that starts with getting your feet in the correct position. If your toes are pointed to straight (or even inward), you will limit your ability to rotate.

“A little foot flare goes a long way,” Troyer says.

4. No forward shaft lean

When you hit an iron or wedge, you want your hands in front of the ball at impact. But you should also have the shaft leaning a little forward at address, too.

“A lot of amateurs don’t realize the shaft should lean forward at address,” Troyer says. “If the handle is straight up and down, your low point ends up behind the ball.”

Don’t be afraid to get some forward shaft lean at address. It’ll help move your low point forward and generate more ball-first contact.

If you want to get some expert insights into your swing — and learn more about avoiding these mistakes — book a swing evaluation with GOLFTEC below.