7 Keys To A Better Short Game
Most shortcomings in golf generally occur within the setup position and lead to faulty movement patterns at some point throughout the golf swing. The following 7 setup steps will help you improve your shots inside of 40 yards. You should not be satisfied with getting only some of these setup fundamentals correct. They are all critical and each plays an essential role the series of articles to come relating to the short game.
Stance
Set up with your feet equally balance with your weight ever so slightly favouring your lead foot. Keep your feet close together, with no more than four to five inches between your heels. Your trail foot should be square to the target while your lead foot flares out slightly (see image). Drop your lead foot back an inch or two. Keeping the lead foot flared, will help improve your balance in the follow through.
2. Ball Position
If you are hitting a standard trajectory shot, the ball should be centered, or inside your trail foot. If you’ve set up correctly, your hands should hang down just in front of your zipper and the shaft will lean towards the target 3 to 5 degrees. See the image below.
3. Grip
A finesse wedge grip is similar to a traditional putting grip. In the following image, you will see a traditional long iron grip. Notice that the lines in the hands created by the thumb and the forefinger point up towards the left shoulder.
The Power Swing Grip
In the next image of the finesse set up, you will notice the V formed by the thumb and the forefinger of the trail hand points more upwards towards the sternum.
The Finesse Swing Grip
4. Relax Your Arms
You should have the feeling that your arms are simply dangling. Your shoulders should feel soft and there should be a slight bend in your lead elbow because your shoulders are so relaxed. Your lead wrist should be in a slightly cupped position (extension). If so, you will know that you have the correct ball position, grip, and arm hang. Maintaining this lead wrist cupped position is key to making the proper backswing.
5. Shoulders Fairly Level
Remember, what makes you great from 200+ yards, makes you terrible from 120 and in. Level shoulders are paramount in managing the low point of the swing in the short game. If you have any sort of tilt away from the target, as you would with a driver, you’ll be shifting the low point behind the golf ball and experience both thin and fat shots as a result.
6. Chest Slightly Open
In order to facilitate the proper move, your chest should be slightly open towards the target, much like your stance. Imagine that you have a laser shooting directly out from the middle of your chest. Now point that laser a couple inches in front of the golf ball. That will open your chest slightly towards the target and in doing so, you will shift your low point in front of the ball and give yourself a better chance to get the toe of the club towards the sky in your takeaway.
7. Your Head
Getting stacked is a key part of the short game set up. Your head should sit directly over the centre of your sternum, which in turn should sit in a straight line above your belt buckle. When observed on camera, there should be a straight line from your nose, through your belt buckle and your hands, and down through the middle of your heels. (The ball is ever so slightly forward in the image below, but everything is still stacked)
Advice
The best way to work on your setup is in front of a full length mirror. From the face-on view, check to see that you are stacked and that your arms are hanging softly. From a down-the-line perspective, make sure that your knees are not too bent, but rather tall, with a light amount of flex. Also ensure that your weight is evenly balanced over the balls of your feet and that you have enough hip hinge so that your arms hang naturally from your shoulders.
This takes time, effort, and patience. You should be able to do this pretty quickly, but pay close attention to what you are doing. My recommendation is to observe yourself in the mirror, but on the practice range, go deep into feels. Pay close attention to what it feels like to get yourself into each position and before you know it, the setup will become innate.
