subject: Golf Stance Width - Which Width Is Right For Me [print this page] One of the most confusing things about Golf is What Is The Perfect Golf Stance ?
In this article we will examine The Golf Stance, which is one of the four basics of golf, the others being the grip, posture and alignment. Without knowledge of these 4 basics, you will find the game very difficult and improvement very slow.
We will deal with the other three later, but for now lets concentrate on how to get The Perfect Golf Stance.
Why it is so confusing is that there is no such thing as a Perfect Golf Swing for everyone.
As we are different, whether it be height, build or weight, this affects the way which we build our stance. In determining The Perfect Golf Stance for you, we must look at these factors and also what type of golf swing that you have. The taller golfer should have a wider stance as your centre of gravity will be higher so your stance will need to be wider to maintain your balance. It therefore follows that as a shorter golfer will have a lower centre of gravity they will more than likely benefit from a narrower stance.
The majority of golf teachers are in agreement that the correct golf stance should be about the width of your shoulders measured to the inside of your feet. They also agree that for the longer clubs such as the driver and fairway woods the stance can be widened and in the same way narrowed slightly for the shorter clubs like your wedges.
I mentioned earlier that it was not only height that affected how you build your stance but also the type of golf swing that you have. If you have a powerful swing, you may feel more comfortable widening your stance slightly. It is important to find The Perfect Golf Stance for you and this can be done with trial and error on the range. If your swing is too wide it will prevent you from completing your back swing and will cause faults such as slicing, pushing and blocking the ball. If you have your stance too narrow, other faults will occur such as hooks and pulls as you will have a lack of balance due to swaying as the stance is not solid enough. To sum up, taller people or those with a strong swing should benefit from a wider stance where the shorter golfer or those with a weaker swing might find a narrower stance will help.
We hope that you find this article useful, but don't neglect the other 3 basics. The grip, the stance and posture. As you hit balls see what stance suits you in terms of you having good balance whilst not affecting your ability to turn fully.
