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I Fix a Lot of Setups


I know we've been talking lately about how setup is "automatic" (or it's not ;-)), but I must say… I fix a lot of setup positions.

I don't save out the images from all of my lessons. In fact, only a small percentage of the time do I feel I've done something I want to CC to myself for various reasons. But of those lessons, well, take a look:

565340348587e_ScreenShot2015-11-23at11.2

I'll often tell students:

Quote

Okay, I'm going to ask you a question. Before I do, i have to tell you nobody's gotten it wrong, ever. I've asked thousands, so the pressure is on as you don't want to be the first… ready? Here's the question: how much raw athletic skill - how much just natural athletic ability - does it take to set up properly?

They'll answer "none" or "hardly any" or something like that, and I'll say "Great, you're right! You just have to remember to do it, and know how to do it."

I fix a LOT of setup issues.

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saevel25

Posted

I would just look at the amount of times the "Posture" thread gets referenced early in the My Swing threads. :-D

I would say like anything a set up can regress back to something you've done wrong a lot more than you've done right. In terms of how easy it is to correct and start to get right more often it's extremely easy. 

Make it part of your practice routine. If you are going to do drills, or hit any balls than make sure you get into a good set up. You almost get free practice if you are just mindful about it. 

JonMA1

Posted

6 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I would just look at the amount of times the "Posture" thread gets referenced early in the My Swing threads. :-D

I would say like anything a set up can regress back to something you've done wrong a lot more than you've done right. In terms of how easy it is to correct and start to get right more often it's extremely easy. 

Make it part of your practice routine. If you are going to do drills, or hit any balls than make sure you get into a good set up. You almost get free practice if you are just mindful about it. 

Good advice.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a swing. Most of them happen in a split second when I have no time to react or even assess what happened. The setup/pre-shot routine seem like the only things I have all the time in the world to get it right. Yet, I revert back at times or get lazy and wonder why this game is so hard. 

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nevets88

Posted

This is a little off topic, but it is pertaining to setup issues. Imho, this is one of the things video is best at, because you don't have to know anything in depth about the swing, you can see your grip is too strong, or your shaft is leaning too far back, too much SAT or not enough, too much on the heels or balls or feet, etc... The thing is you can look past these because you're focused on other things, even though it's right in front of your eyes. 

Also, setup is something you can practice at home, without a ball. If you're changing your grip, even putting your hands on the grip in front of the tv over and over again will help get you used to it. 

 

JKolya

Posted

Not an instructor, but I too give a good amount of set-up advice to beginners and high handicappers at our course. The things I most address when a player asks for help: 1) grip, 2) feet (flared, width), and 3) posture. @iacas - what are the top things you correct? 

  • Administrator
iacas

Posted

8 minutes ago, JKolya said:

Not an instructor, but I too give a good amount of set-up advice to beginners and high handicappers at our course. The things I most address when a player asks for help: 1) grip, 2) feet (flared, width), and 3) posture. @iacas - what are the top things you correct? 

Good question. Off the top of my head…

  1. URC/LRC positions. Getting the hips forward a teeny bit without the head being forward.
  2. Balance/stance width/feet turned out. Balance is often heel-to-toe.
  3. Grip stuff - position in the hands, shaft leaning forward slightly for many, etc.
  4. Angles from DL - arms hanging out too far, etc. Ties into #2 though.

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