When you talk about the X-Factor I have to talk about setup, or the X-Factor setup. It is a power setup and it involves looking at several angles. From the front view the angle I look at is your spine set at address, which should be tilted away from the target. I need at least a two-degree tilt away from the target.

X-Factor: The Correct Spine Tilt

So many amateurs actually set up the other way, with their spine tilted forward, you must not do that. Now looking down the target line, when bend from the hip girdles, where the hip pockets go out behind us, and that should be about four to six inches behind your heels. We then add a little knee flex.

If you drop a straight line down from your knees it should hit the widest part of your foot. Then you also drop the top of your spine, or your head, down slightly so that your eyes look directly at the golf ball.

Mistakes That Kill Your X-Factor

Terrible mistakes are bending your head down too much, which will inhibit your turn, but also head up too much, which I see quite often now, where a person tries to get in a head up position, and then they are looking through the bottom of their eyes. Very uncomfortable position to get into, a non-relaxed, high tension type of set up, which we absolutely do not want to have.

Once you get your angles correct, spine tilted slightly away from the target, you are now set up to make a powerful golf swing. It is so important, so critically important, that you get those angles started right. Get into a powerful position, and you get your body balanced to make a power coil and a power downswing and hit the ball for greater distance.