this is great however i like to take a practise swing with my feet together first. so should i start over after the practise swing or should i set up and take a practise swing above the ball before placing the club on the ground?
If you take practice swings with your feet together first you will then have to walk behind the ball to find your intermediate target. So keep doing the practice swings as you are. Find the intermediate target then got through the steps I suggested.
Isn’t also important to have a precise target in the distance to “imagine” or “picture “the flight of the ball ?
Also are you or not a partisan of the BEN HOGAN routine in placing the ball always at the same spot opposite the left armpit (The low point of the swing )and varying the width of the stance depending on the club you play with ? (Narrow for short irons ,a bit wider for the long and medium irons ,larger than the shoulder breadth for the driver ,and in this latter case pulling back a bit the right foot ?)
hullo, paul, I am not as fortunate (or attentive enough) to find an intermediate target as easily as you do.
but where my question lies is how to combine “forget about the real target far away” and the need to visualize a perfect ball flight. I have found that visualizing sends really helpfull infos to the brain, with a clear gain in shot quality.
I’ll be glad to read your advice on this or, who knows, watch an entire tip dedicated to the issue.
best.
michel wandel, brussels, belgium.
I have never rarely ever been able to visualize the target. If you can do this great. If not just go through the steps as I suggest and pull the trigger.
Hi Paul
Could you expand on the weight distribution, you touched on it by saying put your weight under your laces.This has been an enormous problem for me, hitting woods off the heel and shanking my short irons, I think due to my weight distribution. If you have a procedure for making this part of the setup rock solid I think it would be a great help not only to me but many others, I have been playing for many years and always thought the weight should be nearer to my toes. I know now this is incorrect.
Thanks Dave
The weight is not your heels or you toes. It is in the middle of the feet (laces). Roll forward then back and you will find the middle of your feet. This is where you need the weight to be before you hit your shots.
The weight distribution can contribute to hitting bad shots. If you are heeling it you are hitting it with your arms. This is sending you over the top. I have seen this a million times.
Paul, in this tip with the target you/we pick out on the down swing do we keep are eys ont the ball or only on the target we picked out in front of are ball? thank you
You are picking out the target only to align the clubface. Once you do this you are swiveling your head to look at your target. Then back to the clubface and ball.
Quick question on the setup. I’ve always wondered if I’m standing too upright or bending at the waist too much. Any advise on getting the right amount of flexion?
Thanks for the quick reply. Just a f/u question. I understand standing tall etc and having your chest point in fron of the ball. I always thought you wanted your head and neck to be in ,one with your back…so I order to see the ball do you keep things straight and just look downward or do you actually bend you neck do your eyes are looking straight the ball? Hope this question makes sense.
Sorry for the typos…using my iPad. Meant to say is the head, neck, and back all suppose to be one line in which case I think you’d have to be looking downward with your eyes to see the ball. Or do you bend you neck so your eyes are looking straight at the ball.
You are bending you neck slightly and looking down with your eyes over your cheeks. If you can clearly see your feet you are looking down too much. If you can see them faintly in your peripheral that’s fine but you should not see them clearly. If you are you are too low with your body tilt, head tilt and eyes.
Paul – Here’s something I have wondered about for some time in dealing with a slice – or even a hook. You mentioned that if a player slices he needs to rotate his arms earlier in the downswing to close the face of the club in order to straighten the face, and to start by hooking the ball.
Question: Can’t the same thing be achieved by taking a stronger grip in the setup? A stronger grip will bring the clubface square without changing the arm rotation. (Conversely, a weak grip should cure a hook.)
It seems to me that changing the rotation of the arms introduces a timing problem. Changing the grip to a stronger grip in the setup to cure a slice does not involve a timing issue, just a setup change.
No you cannot do it this way. I say this because if you have a strong grip and you keep your wrists loose you will hook it off the planet. In order to stop the massive hook you will tighten your wrists in the downswing. The tighter the wrists, the slower the club will swing the more you will manipulate the face through impact. So, don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Do it the way I suggest. It works great with minimal work.
You are thinking that you are timing this hook. You are not. You are hooking it to get your wrists unlocked and the club releasing. You are NOT trying to hit perfect shots at this step. Once you can hook it consistently you then forget this roll over and focus on the body rotation to straighten it out.
I know you are not going to listen to me so go ahead and try it your way then try mine once your does not work. I won’t get too mad at you.
Paul doesn’t this set up with feet slightly off set from back foot to front foot, make this a slight open stance at address, and if so is this how most pros would set up. Thanks Paul
I just did a couple tips on the setup routine. You should be setting up with the feet slightly open but touching to get the line between them to set the face. As you work into your setup you square the stance.
When you set the club against the ball with the butt six inches from the belt buckle I notice you’re standing erect. When I then push my butt back and flex my knees the club moves back from the ball. So if I don’t move forward, I’m going to miss the ball or top the ball. Any ideas where I’m going wrong? On the video it looks like you’re going from erect to flex without the club moving back from the ball.
I am not standing up totally. I hang may arms down with my right hand at the butt of the grip. My upper body is leaning as I do this. This determines the approximate distance from the ball.
Thanks Paul for the lessons, drills, tips, fixes, etc. good stuff! I was wondering when you address the ball and assume your stance what if anything do you do with your head, specifically you eyes? I was instructed to turn the head slightly to the right and look at the ball with the left eye. Does this effect the head swivel to the target line or the swing?
Thanks,
Barb
I want you standing tall with all clubs. This will allow you to coil and uncoil. So you set up. Look up to the sky. Then only with your head, start looking down until you can clearly see your club and the ball not your toes. You can see the toes in the peripheral vision but not clearly.
You would be looking the ball with both eyes. Then your dominant eye as you go back. Your head would tilt very slightly to the right at address because it is sitting on top of your shoulders which are slightly tilted due to the right hand grip being lower on the club. So you don’t have to think of that.
Paul…Thanks for your swift reply. Of course I’m a righty and I’m left-eye dominant. Ugh! So happy to hear moving the head back a bit is not only permissible, but recommended. Pshew! There is light at the end of the tunnel!
Cheers!
Barb
When you first start moving it it will feel like it’s moving about a foot behind the ball to get it to move 3 inches. This is the correct feeling and goes away after a while. Stick with it and you will greatly improve your swing and save your back.
I’m trying to follow your setup routine but I have a bad habit of getting my shoulders closed at set up, not sure why has just always been a bad habit. What would cause this in the setup and what is a good checkpoint after I go through the routine to make sure my shoulders are properly aligned? Thx!
It may just be your body make up. It may not just be your shoulders that are out of alignment. I would check the knees and hips too.
If you are 2 inches out then just move them 2 inches closed just before you are going to take the club back. You could also do 4 inches closed for a couple of buckets. This would be overdoing it and would allow you to get used to it even faster. If you hit a couple of buckets this closed then stop thinking about it. Hit some shots and video your swing to check it. It’s going to feel weird but this is important.
Thanks Paul I will look at those tips. Just to clarify though, usually my hips and knees will be square but my shoulders will be closed. I manually adjust them as you suggest but was hoping I could fix in the setup as I sometimes forget on the course and will hit a bunch of bad shots before I realize the my shoulders are closed and need to be adjusted. Maybe it’s just my body makeup as you suggest and I just need to check on every shot? Or is there something in my setup that would make me close my shoulders without realizing it?
I have seen this in the past. It is really just the person’s makeup. Their shoulders are rotated. So unless you want to get a massage you can just tweak the shoulders for a little while before you hit your shot. Like I said, if you overdo it you will find you can fix it in a couple of practice sessions.
Paul ,Before setting up in front of the ball ,and going through the routine you describe (Excellent reminder ,even for the seasoned golfer ),there’s another routine,starting a few feet behind the ball,looking at the target,making up your mind ,taking one or several practice swings to get the feel and loosen up ,taking the same time always steps to the ball ,then go into your routine outlined here .Are you going to elaborate on this part later ?
When you put your hands on the grip at the end of this set up routine, do you keep your right hand on the club as part of the line up procedure and then add your left hand, or do you follow your other grip videos where you put your left hand ( for a right hand golfer) on the club first, and then add your right hand? Thanks.
I am setting up with the right hand then as I do the grip I lift the club up and switch to put the left on first then the right. The right hand in the beginning is the set the face, toe/heel position, distance to the ball, hand position. Once you do that you then have to form the grip. You do it with the right hand so you are not closed to the target as you set up. This is why no pro sets up with left hand. Some do the grip first while holding the club in the air then lower it setting the things mentioned above. This would be a more experience player though because doing it this way is tough to get your distance to the ball each time.
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33 Responses to “Learning the Setup Routine”
March 1, 2013
DOUGTANZERthis is great however i like to take a practise swing with my feet together first. so should i start over after the practise swing or should i set up and take a practise swing above the ball before placing the club on the ground?
March 4, 2013
Paul WilsonDoug,
If you take practice swings with your feet together first you will then have to walk behind the ball to find your intermediate target. So keep doing the practice swings as you are. Find the intermediate target then got through the steps I suggested.
March 1, 2013
RaymondCHASTELIsn’t also important to have a precise target in the distance to “imagine” or “picture “the flight of the ball ?
Also are you or not a partisan of the BEN HOGAN routine in placing the ball always at the same spot opposite the left armpit (The low point of the swing )and varying the width of the stance depending on the club you play with ? (Narrow for short irons ,a bit wider for the long and medium irons ,larger than the shoulder breadth for the driver ,and in this latter case pulling back a bit the right foot ?)
March 4, 2013
Paul WilsonRaymond,
I am going through the setup steps. I am not talking visualization. You can do this if you wish. I have rarely every able to do it.
I don’t want you to play the ball in the same spot. I want you to vary the ball position based on the clubs you are hitting.
Watch:
Ball Position: https://ignitiongolf.com/ball-position
Width of Stance: https://ignitiongolf.com/width-of-stance
March 1, 2013
michelwandelhullo, paul, I am not as fortunate (or attentive enough) to find an intermediate target as easily as you do.
but where my question lies is how to combine “forget about the real target far away” and the need to visualize a perfect ball flight. I have found that visualizing sends really helpfull infos to the brain, with a clear gain in shot quality.
I’ll be glad to read your advice on this or, who knows, watch an entire tip dedicated to the issue.
best.
michel wandel, brussels, belgium.
March 4, 2013
Paul WilsonMichel,
I have never rarely ever been able to visualize the target. If you can do this great. If not just go through the steps as I suggest and pull the trigger.
March 3, 2013
DavidCoombesHi Paul
Could you expand on the weight distribution, you touched on it by saying put your weight under your laces.This has been an enormous problem for me, hitting woods off the heel and shanking my short irons, I think due to my weight distribution. If you have a procedure for making this part of the setup rock solid I think it would be a great help not only to me but many others, I have been playing for many years and always thought the weight should be nearer to my toes. I know now this is incorrect.
Thanks Dave
March 4, 2013
Paul WilsonDavid,
The weight is not your heels or you toes. It is in the middle of the feet (laces). Roll forward then back and you will find the middle of your feet. This is where you need the weight to be before you hit your shots.
Weight Distribution At Address: https://ignitiongolf.com/weigth-distribution-address/
The weight distribution can contribute to hitting bad shots. If you are heeling it you are hitting it with your arms. This is sending you over the top. I have seen this a million times.
Watch:
Pull: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulled-shot
Pull 2: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulling
Shanking is the tell-tale sign of hitting as well. For this shot the weight is rolling to your toes.
Just focus on solid weight distribution first. Then move on to turning off the arms and powering the swing with your body.
March 3, 2013
RobertMichelettiPaul, in this tip with the target you/we pick out on the down swing do we keep are eys ont the ball or only on the target we picked out in front of are ball? thank you
March 4, 2013
Paul WilsonRobert,
You are picking out the target only to align the clubface. Once you do this you are swiveling your head to look at your target. Then back to the clubface and ball.
March 9, 2013
DucVuPaul,
Quick question on the setup. I’ve always wondered if I’m standing too upright or bending at the waist too much. Any advise on getting the right amount of flexion?
Duc
March 10, 2013
Paul WilsonDuc,
I like a tall setup this is for sure. Here are some tips about this:
Sit On The Edge Of A Bar Stool To Set Up: https://ignitiongolf.com/setup-edge-of-bar-stool/
Set Up Steps: https://ignitiongolf.com/setup-position
March 11, 2013
DucVuPaul,
Thanks for the quick reply. Just a f/u question. I understand standing tall etc and having your chest point in fron of the ball. I always thought you wanted your head and neck to be in ,one with your back…so I order to see the ball do you keep things straight and just look downward or do you actually bend you neck do your eyes are looking straight the ball? Hope this question makes sense.
Duc
March 11, 2013
DucVuSorry for the typos…using my iPad. Meant to say is the head, neck, and back all suppose to be one line in which case I think you’d have to be looking downward with your eyes to see the ball. Or do you bend you neck so your eyes are looking straight at the ball.
March 11, 2013
Paul WilsonDuc,
You are bending you neck slightly and looking down with your eyes over your cheeks. If you can clearly see your feet you are looking down too much. If you can see them faintly in your peripheral that’s fine but you should not see them clearly. If you are you are too low with your body tilt, head tilt and eyes.
December 15, 2013
DaleJenkinsPaul – Here’s something I have wondered about for some time in dealing with a slice – or even a hook. You mentioned that if a player slices he needs to rotate his arms earlier in the downswing to close the face of the club in order to straighten the face, and to start by hooking the ball.
Question: Can’t the same thing be achieved by taking a stronger grip in the setup? A stronger grip will bring the clubface square without changing the arm rotation. (Conversely, a weak grip should cure a hook.)
It seems to me that changing the rotation of the arms introduces a timing problem. Changing the grip to a stronger grip in the setup to cure a slice does not involve a timing issue, just a setup change.
What do you think?
Dale
December 17, 2013
Paul WilsonDale,
No you cannot do it this way. I say this because if you have a strong grip and you keep your wrists loose you will hook it off the planet. In order to stop the massive hook you will tighten your wrists in the downswing. The tighter the wrists, the slower the club will swing the more you will manipulate the face through impact. So, don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Do it the way I suggest. It works great with minimal work.
You are thinking that you are timing this hook. You are not. You are hooking it to get your wrists unlocked and the club releasing. You are NOT trying to hit perfect shots at this step. Once you can hook it consistently you then forget this roll over and focus on the body rotation to straighten it out.
I know you are not going to listen to me so go ahead and try it your way then try mine once your does not work. I won’t get too mad at you.
February 7, 2014
PaulMandichPaul doesn’t this set up with feet slightly off set from back foot to front foot, make this a slight open stance at address, and if so is this how most pros would set up. Thanks Paul
February 8, 2014
Paul WilsonPaul,
I just did a couple tips on the setup routine. You should be setting up with the feet slightly open but touching to get the line between them to set the face. As you work into your setup you square the stance.
Watch:
Set Up With the Back Hand: https://ignitiongolf.com/set-up-back-hand/
Learning the Setup Routine: https://ignitiongolf.com/learning-setup-routine/
September 3, 2014
CarlFuchsPaul,
When you set the club against the ball with the butt six inches from the belt buckle I notice you’re standing erect. When I then push my butt back and flex my knees the club moves back from the ball. So if I don’t move forward, I’m going to miss the ball or top the ball. Any ideas where I’m going wrong? On the video it looks like you’re going from erect to flex without the club moving back from the ball.
September 3, 2014
Paul WilsonCarl,
I am not standing up totally. I hang may arms down with my right hand at the butt of the grip. My upper body is leaning as I do this. This determines the approximate distance from the ball.
Are you referring to this?
Set Up With the Back Hand: https://ignitiongolf.com/set-up-back-hand/
If not, follow this to determine the correct distance and how to do it.
Also,
Learning the Setup Routine: https://ignitiongolf.com/learning-setup-routine/
February 19, 2015
BarbMonaghanThanks Paul for the lessons, drills, tips, fixes, etc. good stuff! I was wondering when you address the ball and assume your stance what if anything do you do with your head, specifically you eyes? I was instructed to turn the head slightly to the right and look at the ball with the left eye. Does this effect the head swivel to the target line or the swing?
Thanks,
Barb
February 20, 2015
Paul WilsonBarb,
I want you standing tall with all clubs. This will allow you to coil and uncoil. So you set up. Look up to the sky. Then only with your head, start looking down until you can clearly see your club and the ball not your toes. You can see the toes in the peripheral vision but not clearly.
Watch:
Sit On The Edge Of A Bar Stool To Set Up: https://ignitiongolf.com/setup-edge-of-bar-stool/
Taller Setup: https://ignitiongolf.com/bartender-setup/
You would be looking the ball with both eyes. Then your dominant eye as you go back. Your head would tilt very slightly to the right at address because it is sitting on top of your shoulders which are slightly tilted due to the right hand grip being lower on the club. So you don’t have to think of that.
Watch:
Which Is Your Dominant Eye?: https://ignitiongolf.com/dominant-eye/
Here is what I focus on:
What To Look At: https://ignitiongolf.com/looking-at-golf-ball
February 20, 2015
BarbMonaghanPaul…Thanks for your swift reply. Of course I’m a righty and I’m left-eye dominant. Ugh! So happy to hear moving the head back a bit is not only permissible, but recommended. Pshew! There is light at the end of the tunnel!
Cheers!
Barb
February 21, 2015
Paul WilsonBarb,
When you first start moving it it will feel like it’s moving about a foot behind the ball to get it to move 3 inches. This is the correct feeling and goes away after a while. Stick with it and you will greatly improve your swing and save your back.
Move Head: https://ignitiongolf.com/move-head-back/
October 27, 2017
SteveWeberHi Paul,
I’m trying to follow your setup routine but I have a bad habit of getting my shoulders closed at set up, not sure why has just always been a bad habit. What would cause this in the setup and what is a good checkpoint after I go through the routine to make sure my shoulders are properly aligned? Thx!
October 27, 2017
Paul WilsonSteve,
It may just be your body make up. It may not just be your shoulders that are out of alignment. I would check the knees and hips too.
If you are 2 inches out then just move them 2 inches closed just before you are going to take the club back. You could also do 4 inches closed for a couple of buckets. This would be overdoing it and would allow you to get used to it even faster. If you hit a couple of buckets this closed then stop thinking about it. Hit some shots and video your swing to check it. It’s going to feel weird but this is important.
You need to watch these tips:
How To Get Perfect Alignment On the Course: https://ignitiongolf.com/perfect-alignment-on-course/
Alignment – Alternative Way To Check It: https://ignitiongolf.com/alignment-finger-forearm/
Also:
Alignment: https://ignitiongolf.com/golf-alignment
How To Put Down an Alignment Stick Properly: https://ignitiongolf.com/alignment-stick-placement/
Change Clubs Change Alignment: https://ignitiongolf.com/change-clubs-change-alignment/
October 27, 2017
SteveWeberThanks Paul I will look at those tips. Just to clarify though, usually my hips and knees will be square but my shoulders will be closed. I manually adjust them as you suggest but was hoping I could fix in the setup as I sometimes forget on the course and will hit a bunch of bad shots before I realize the my shoulders are closed and need to be adjusted. Maybe it’s just my body makeup as you suggest and I just need to check on every shot? Or is there something in my setup that would make me close my shoulders without realizing it?
October 29, 2017
Paul WilsonSteve,
I have seen this in the past. It is really just the person’s makeup. Their shoulders are rotated. So unless you want to get a massage you can just tweak the shoulders for a little while before you hit your shot. Like I said, if you overdo it you will find you can fix it in a couple of practice sessions.
March 11, 2018
RaymondCHASTELPaul ,Before setting up in front of the ball ,and going through the routine you describe (Excellent reminder ,even for the seasoned golfer ),there’s another routine,starting a few feet behind the ball,looking at the target,making up your mind ,taking one or several practice swings to get the feel and loosen up ,taking the same time always steps to the ball ,then go into your routine outlined here .Are you going to elaborate on this part later ?
March 11, 2018
Paul WilsonRaymond,
Not in this tip.
Not sure if this one has it or not:
Intermediate Target: https://ignitiongolf.com/align-clubface-on-target
March 10, 2019
KimberlyHagenbachWhen you put your hands on the grip at the end of this set up routine, do you keep your right hand on the club as part of the line up procedure and then add your left hand, or do you follow your other grip videos where you put your left hand ( for a right hand golfer) on the club first, and then add your right hand? Thanks.
March 11, 2019
Paul WilsonKimberly,
I am setting up with the right hand then as I do the grip I lift the club up and switch to put the left on first then the right. The right hand in the beginning is the set the face, toe/heel position, distance to the ball, hand position. Once you do that you then have to form the grip. You do it with the right hand so you are not closed to the target as you set up. This is why no pro sets up with left hand. Some do the grip first while holding the club in the air then lower it setting the things mentioned above. This would be a more experience player though because doing it this way is tough to get your distance to the ball each time.