Swing Basics: Stance Width

Video Transcript

Benchmarking the basics, now the width of your stance is tremendously important to have a repetitive golf swing. Your feet give you balance, support and stability and it is one of the connections that you have to the ground. Ground reaction forces and how you use the ground greatly effect your ability to strike the ball a long distance and be repetitive. So, what is the right stance width for you? You can find it ideally like this. I want to be able to take a normal stride when walking. Here would be my normal stride, I am going to stop and turn my feet. That is a normal stride for me and what you will find is that all my joints are aligned: shoulder, knee and ankle joint. That gives us the most athletic, stable function. If I get too wide then I am in a brace position with my pelvic girdle and it makes it difficult to turn. I actually have to go way back to my right off of my center to make a turn. When my feet are about shoulder width apart it makes it easier for me to do a rotation which is an integral part of the golf swing. How you get that rotation depends upon the theory of the golf swing that you believe in, but that rotation happens as a result of swinging this golf club. How your feet are positioned greatly enhances the ability to make this thing work for your benefit. So work on the ability for your feet. For your wedge shots you might be a bit narrower and for your driver you might be an inch wider but no more than that. You do not want to get way spread out for a different golf club. Stay true to your basic stride because that is your natural ability and it will give you the best balance possible for your individual body in playing this game.

Laird Small
Pebble Beach Golf Academy
1700 17-Mile Drive
Pebble Beach, CA 93953
Tel: 831-622-8650

Laird Small is Director of The Pebble Beach Golf Academy and is listed as one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers and Golf Digest's #23 instructor in the world.

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