How Wide is Your Golf Stance?

/ The Grateful Golfer

Last fall, I was fortunate to take part in a golf clinic given by PGA Tour Canada for serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces. During my time on the range, several Pros commented on how narrow my stance was and how I was losing power and distance because I had very little body movement.

Take a look at my stance before the lesson.

Now take a look at my stance at the beginning of the year. I slowed this video down by 2x.

Do you see any difference? It may not look like much of a change, but the lower video has my stance widened by about 6 inches! That is very dramatic and I am still getting used to the difference. Interestingly, I am hitting the ball a bit further, however my accuracy is not quite at its normal level. It is still very early in the season and I only have 8 games under my belt since I started golfing on the first of May.

My new stance looks and feels better. My balance is more consistent through the entire swing. However, always the analyst, I slowed everything down to take a look at my whole swing mechanics. For the most part I was fairly happy and I cannot really complain since it is so early in the season. But….I guess there is always a but…. there are two things I did notice that I need to fix.

First, my left arm bends too much as I draw the club back. Just above waist height, my arm starts to bend. This is not good! There are two reasons for this (in my mind) flexibility and the second error I noticed. My transition at the top of the swing is too quick. I need to slow down the movement of bringing the club back to bringing it forward. If I can manage to conquer these two things in the next month or so, my GAF (golf attitude factor) will only improve.

What do you think of my analysis of my swing? I really what to know what you think!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

13 thoughts on “How Wide is Your Golf Stance?”

  1. Pingback: Can’t See the Forest for the Trees | The Grateful Golfer

  2. Try to get your left hand as far away from your right ear as you make your backswing. This will help you keep your left arm straight. Try to get more stretch on your left side at the top by not letting your left knee go to far past the ball. You must get the lats to stretch. Otherwise a very good compact swing, that just needs a little more stretch.

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  3. Jim,

    I like the wider stance, giving you a more solid base. Looks good. I’ve been told not to get “too wide”, as it can reduce flexibility and reduce one’s ability to turn. Yours looks like a healthy amount of width, though, keep up the good work.

    Cheers
    Josh

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  4. Jim, I love this post! Cool to see you swinging the club, you make a good move at the ball and you appear to be a pretty athletic fellow. Looks like you’re in great shape to start the year, too.

    That’s a HUGE difference in your stance width, and I approve 🙂

    My thought is that not only do you create a more solid “base” for your motion, you create more power simply by setting your body up better.

    Think “rhythm” over “mechanics” for your transition. Yes, it’s a touch quick at the top – be patient and hum a tune. Do you hit some big pull-hooks every once in a while with the driver?

    Keep up the great work, in and off the course. Don’t ignore your short game.

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    • Rick

      Thanks. My stance feels much more comfortable. Humming a tune ….hmmmm….. I will try that. I do pull the ball a bit, but normally I hit the ball pretty straight. Since I widened my stance, I rarely fade the ball. I work on my short game most of the time at the course. It is the key to lower scores. Thanks for the analysis.

      Cheers
      Jim

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  5. Hi Jim- great looking swing. I really like your new and improved wider setup- it looks very picture perfect to my untrained eyes- very solid, stable and athletic stance. You have a quick swing but it feels to me like that’s just your natural rhythm to golf.

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  6. Jim, I love your wider stance. You are set up for a more powerful shot and a better launch angle, as your shoulders have more of a rearward tilt to them and you look properly in balance. Definitely an improvement. What I noticed from both your swing videos is that you are a little flat footed at impact and are not quite getting into your left side. In the second video, look at your golf bag in the background as a reference point. On the start of your downswing, I’d like to see you bump that left hip out towards the target so I can see less of the golf bag; then rotate your hips. Now you are spinning out a bit and making more of a turn without the weight transition. If you can bump that hip, then turn, you’ll solve what feels like the transition problem you described, and drop that club more into the slot for a straighter shot. Good luck and hit ’em straight!

    Brian

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  7. Hi Jim,
    I understand now why widening my stance at address did not work for me. My stance is the same as your new adjusted stance, so I was too wide. I also have to concentrate on a straight left arm, and also slow down the transition. Another thing I am aware of is trying to keep my right elbow close to my body at the point of impact.

    Pete

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