Wide vs. Narrow Stance

[EHSGolf1]

I have been told that my feet are wider than my shoulders. So I was wondering what happens when feet get too wide. What would change if I narrowed my stance to shoulder width? Just would like to know the pros and cons of a wide vs narrow vs shoulder width. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[is2linda]

Wider stance gives you more stable shots especially for longer irons and drivers.

Narrow stance gives you faster hip movement, thus giving you distance.

For example exaggerate your stance, put your stance as far as you can. That restricts your body movement, thus you can only use arm strength. Now imagine putting your feet together, you have more coil and turning speed.

Each club has an ideal stance.

[thebignasty]

what he said is true. I think its different for every person but for me my irons im usually around shoulder width with my stance. Wedges being a little closer especially on chips. My driver and woods i try and go a little further than shoulder to be more accurate.

[Zeph]

That contradicts with what Tiger wrote in his book. He said that when he wanted a bit of extra distance with his driver, he took a slightly wider stance than normal, which is shoulder width.

I keep a wide stance for the longer clubs, slightly more narrow with the short irons and even closer for a chip or pitch.

[EHSGolf1]

I have always thought my stance was shoulder width wide but I guess I was wrong. Will there be a difference in ball striking if I have my stance shoulder width instead of a wide stance?

[is2linda]

That contradicts with what Tiger wrote in his book. He said that when he wanted a bit of extra distance with his driver, he took a slightly wider stance than normal, which is shoulder width.

Like i said, each club has an ideal stance. Driver would be wider stance because its a longer club. Wider stance would give more stability, thus better contact.

[Chilli Dipper]

I like keeping a narrow stance with my iron shots. I think it keeps me from swaying too much during the swing, therefore allowing more consistent contact.

[EHSGolf1]

If I don't pay attention, I will start swaying and then everything goes bad. Thats one thing I really have to pay attention to.

[Elsfan]

That contradicts with what Tiger wrote in his book. He said that when he wanted a bit of extra distance with his driver, he took a slightly wider stance than normal, which is shoulder width.

The only reason Tiger said that is because with a wider stance he could go after it harder because a wider stance promotes a stronger base. If he went after it as hard with a more narrow stance he would lose accuracy and balance.

[glk23]

Been having a problem hitting the ball fat the last couple of weeks and finally figured out I was swaying due to too wide of a stance.

[Hackforfun]

When I am striking the ball inconsistently with my irons I check my stance width. Usually it has gotten too wide trying to belt the ball into next week. As the clubs get longer the stance widens but even with the driver it's only maybe 2 foot widths past shoulder-width for me...if that makes any sense.

[mc0388]

NOt mentioned. One reason to widen your stance is if you want to add height to a shot (to go over a tree or some other obsticle) drop your back foot back a few inches (if your a righty to the right). That will promote a higher trajectory.

Everything else mentioned is good advise

[jsherm45]

Widen the stance to reduce the amount of hip turn. If you are pull hooking it, widening the stance can be a quick fix.

[MiniMoe]

I change the width of my stance depending on what club I'm hitting and how far I want it to go. Say I am hitting a 5 iron 200 yrds, my stance will be normal, or slightly wider. If I'm hitting a punch shot with the same club that I want to go 160-170, I will choke down on the club and narrow my stance. I control both trajectory and distance with a number of things... stance, swing length (full swing, or 3/4 swing), how much I choke down on the club, and ball placement. They all work together to control the shot I want to hit.

Wider is always more stable.

[shortstop20]

Widen the stance to reduce the amount of hip turn. If you are pull hooking it, widening the stance can be a quick fix.

If the hips are moving too fast or are out in front that should cause a push/block, not a pull.

[jsherm45]

If the hips are moving too fast or are out in front that should cause a push/block, not a pull.

It's not that the hips and shoulders are out of sync, it's that everything is in sync, but turning too quick - thus delivering a closed clubface.

Try widening your stance to the point where you can fit two range buckets between them. It's almost impossible to pull a ball that way without coming over the top. EDIT: The OP is talking about widening his stance to promote a more U Shaped swing (rather than a V-shape) in order to hit less fat shots. Instead of widening the stance, I'd recommend practicing ball-first contact with a descending blow in your standard stance. I don't think changing the stance is the best way to get "less fat shots".

[MiniMoe]

a wider stance will shallow out the swing plane.

[Dewdman42]

I read something last night that said that if upon swing completion(where you are finished and facing the target, your right knee is ahead of your left knee, then your stance is too narrow. On the other hand if you finish with your right knee behind your left knee then you're wide. (shrug).

I'm finding that a wider stance makes it much more difficult to make the weight transfers required without a lot of lateral shifting. Might be more stable for certain situations, but I think standing too wide can cause problems too. Find the happy medium where you feel stable AND are able to promote all the healthy aspects of a golf swing without having to sway too much.