My Preferences (If Forced!)

[iacas]

Everyone's a bit different. Some players have a strong grip. Some have a weak grip. Some aim left. Some aim right. Some hit the ball low. Some hit the ball high.

But… within each of these areas, we all have some subtle preferences. You might prefer to hit the ball neither "too high" nor "too low" but if you have to err toward one side or the other, which is better? What about grip strength? Tempo? Strategies? Putting reads?

This thread will list as many of my "preferences" as possible. They do not apply to everyone, but on the whole, if without seeing you swing you asked me whether, if forced to choose one or the other and not the "ideal" middle ground (i.e. whatever is best for the student), I had to lean slightly one way or the other, these are the way I'd lean.

Again, this is if forced. For example, I'd rather someone hit the ball at whatever the "proper" trajectory is for them, but if forced to pick to pick a side, I might say I prefer that a player hit the ball a little too high over a little too low.

In almost no particular order at all…

(I'm trusting everyone to remember, so I don't have to keep saying it - that this is all in the vein of "if forced to pick one or the other." Again, naturally, I'd pick what's ideal, but that's not the question being asked. I promise, this is the last I'll mention it… if y'all can promise to remember it. )

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Setup (Full Swing)

Grip Strength

I prefer a slightly stronger grip over a slightly weaker grip. A stronger grip makes achieving Key #3 easier, which improves contact, and can help people with Key #4 as well. People with weaker grips often have to roll the face a bit more during the late downswing, and that means they are more likely to swing left and flip a little.

Grip Pressure

There's a good thread on this here: . That kind of gives away the answer, doesn't it? You see, we're swinging something north of 90 MPH… It's important to be able to hold on to it. I prefer firmer grip pressure over weak, but I do not want that pressure or tension to go above the wrists. The fingers can grip firmly without the wrists, elbows, or shoulders being tense.

Stance Alignment

A lot of golfers slice. Some aim left and swing along their toe line. Others aim right and swing "toward the target" (to their left). This depends quite a bit on the individual golfer, but gun to my head, I'm going with a slightly open stance. An open stance effectively moves the ball back in the stance a little bit and encourages the golfer to swing "OUTward" as the target is ever so slightly "to the right." These result in slightly cleaner shots with less fade/slice bias.

Ball Position

I prefer the ball to be, if anything, slightly forward of what you might consider a neutral position. Forward encourages you to "go after" the ball - to get your weight forward (even if it's with your head going forward a little bit), to maintain some lag, and to hit the ball a tiny bit thin if anything. When the ball gets back, it often results in a cycle of the player throwing the clubhead at the ball so they can get it in the air, fatting it, moving the ball back a little to hit it solidly, realizing the ball will be too low, throwing the clubhead at it, and hitting it fat again…

Club Face Alignment

Aside from "preferring" that people align the clubface near their intended start line (left of target for a fade, right of target for a draw), I don't have a preference here. Sorry.

Shaft Lean at Address

Go ahead and lean the shaft forward. If the ideal amount is x°, I'll take (x+5)° of forward shaft lean over (x-5)°. It simply goes to making Key #3 easier to achieve.

Stance Width

In choosing between a stance that's slightly too wide or slightly too narrow, I'll take narrower most of the time. A wider stance promotes stability, which can also be said as "a wider stance encourages you to move laterally much more so than a narrower stance." With your feet closer together, you can't slide laterally as much with your head or hips, so contact and the location of low point is more consistent.

Grip (Fingers/Palms)

Fingers, please. Rarely do I see someone with a grip too far in the fingers.

Posture

I often use the word "slumpy" with students, and my feelings on golf posture are pretty well articulated in this thread: . I'd rather see a back that's ever so slightly too rounded than a back that's too "straight," though this is a very, very small preference (as I'd obviously prefer the right amount of "slumpiness" at setup). In my experience, a back that's too "straight" is often too rigid, and the hips don't work properly.

Knee Bend

Less. Lots more golfers look like they're playing catcher for their favorite MLB team than are too straight-kneed.

Tee Height

Higher. Why? See the answer one up from this one.

Full Swing

Location of Weight

I generally prefer that the weight, if it's going to be anywhere in the golf swing, is forward. Key #2 in 5 Simple Keys® is "Weight Forward" (at impact), so if you're incapable of achieving this dynamically, putting it a little farther forward and leaving it a little farther forward throughout the swing will help a player at least hit the ball solidly.

We had some junior players in a camp a few years ago and this is where we started. We let them, the first day, just hit balls with their weight WELL forward throughout the entire swing. 20 minutes later we had six kids all smashing (admittedly VERY low), blistering draws/hooks. They were not hitting the ball fat or thin.

Swing Tempo

Swing tempo is highly personal. Nick Price would likely play lousy (to his standards) golf if forced to swing with Sam Snead's tempo (and vice versa). That said, I slightly prefer a faster tempo. A faster backswing often leads to a faster downswing. Smooth is great if it's fast; it's terrible if trying to be "smooth" makes you swing more slowly.

Swing Plane

Steeper or shallower? That's a tough one. I suppose it depends on your definition. I will point out that on the PGA Tour, we're seeing more of a "one-plane" type swing (arm angle matching shoulder angle at the top). It's skewing toward the Matt Kuchar style versus, say, a Jack Nicklaus style. So I suppose I might lean toward "shallower" if the midpoint is, say, between Rory McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus. But this is a pretty grey area with grey definitions, so…

Swing Direction

By this, I mean left or right (for a righty). Or, in terms I prefer, INward or OUTward. IN tends to help you move low point forward. OUT tends to help you hit the ball high (pushes, whether they're straight, fade, or draw). That said, I really have no preference. Sorry. I'm taking the cop-out here… I'll do what the student needs to do. Most amateurs swing too far IN already, but if they just try to swing OUT they'll probably hit behind every ball or thin everything until they change some other things. Some good amateurs swing too far OUT and need to learn to swing left a bit. So no, no real preference.

Gun to my head with the average golfer (slicer) in mind, I'll go with OUT for the simple reason that they swing too far INward already.

Divot Size

Big divots implies that you're hitting down on the ball. Thin divots implies that you might occasionally pick one a bit thin. So… probably no surprise, I'm going with thin divots. Thinning the ball a bit is fine. The ball goes straight, almost as far, and again - straight. People who take big divots often spin the ball too much and have poor distance control. They also hit the ball fat sometimes, and their thins are often the disastrous "low runner" type. As Moe Norman said… bacon strips, not pork chops.

Wrist at Top of Backswing

Let's assume that "flat" is the middle ground, and "cupped" and "arched" are the extremes. Most amateurs who have a cupped wrist at the top don't do much to flatten it throughout the downswing. They flip to square the clubface and resultantly swing IN. So I'm going with arched, though again, you wouldn't move a PGA Tour player with a cupped lead wrist at the top of the backswing to a Dustin Johnson/Graeme McDowell position.

Rate of Closure

This refers to the rate at which the clubface "rolls over" through the impact zone. You might guess that I prefer it to be slightly on the low side than the high side, with the understanding that I'm considering it based on positional rates, not time rates (i.e. someone who swings 120 MPH and has the same "positional" rate of closure as a 90 MPH swinger will have a much higher "time" rate of closure). Less timing, more consistent face angles at impact.

In TGM terms, though ideally without getting into the nitty gritty on the true definitions and anatomical applications, this would be like saying I'd slightly prefer angled hinging over horizontal hinging.

Foot Flare

More, please. It's good for Key #2, good for your knees, and the ladies love a sexy bowlegged looking man. :)

Early Extension

Go for it. A little never hurt anyone. Don't go full on goat-humping crazy, but plenty of PGA Tour players early extend a little bit.

Driver: Hit Up or Down

Up, for the same reasons above, and then some. Distance is a big advantage, even if you give up a little accuracy.

Shots/On the Course

Club Choice (Long/Short)

When between clubs, take the longer club and make a shorter swing or grip down a little. I almost never hit a full shot inside of about 170 yards; I'm almost always gripping down or taking a little off something.

Landing Area (Long/Short)

It might sound odd, but given the choice, you're better off coming up short than long. Pin high all day is the best, of course, and better players tend to be the only ones who miss long, but most greens slope back to front, so if you're going to miss by "x" feet, having an uphill putt or chip is preferable to a downhill one.

That said, if the greens are not severely sloped or fast, long typically offers little in the way of hazards (bunkers, water, etc.)

Ball Trajectory

A bit too high or a bit too low? Let's go with high. The ball will carry farther, run out less, and thus make distance control more precise. Though, let me point this out: PGA Tour players hit their long clubs quite high, but their wedges and short irons quite low. The average amateur is the opposite. So I could also say "higher" for longer irons and "lower" for shorter irons is my preference. Yeah, I'm going with that.

Flying it to the hole vs. Rolling it to the hole (Short Game)

Get the ball on the ground, but by all means don't take that to an extreme. It's less likely you'll misjudge a rolling shot than one in the air, all else equal.

Trajectory vs. Spin

Like Jack Nicklaus, I prefer to stop the ball with trajectory over spin. It's simply more reliable and consistent, and works in a wider variety of conditions.

Aggressive vs. Conservative

Do you have to ask? Follow "The Rule" from Lowest Score Wins and get your ball down close to the hole.

Caddie vs. No Caddie

If it's a good caddie who will not serve as a distraction, then take a caddie. But for the other 90% of the time, you're probably better off without the added expense and hassle. I've had a good caddie exactly one time… many of the others spend their day failing to adjust to your game, whining about their working conditions, sneaking a pot break at the turn, etc.

Putting

Putting Speed

I prefer to die the ball in and around the hole over ramming it in, from any distance. Why? My misses finish closer to the hole, and the hole is "bigger" the slower my ball is rolling as it approaches. See here for more: . Just don't leave putts from 15 feet and in short very often, please. Those are makeable putts only if they reach the hole, with very little chance of three-putting.

Green Reading

Read more break than you think is there. I've yet to see more than one out of 100 amateurs or so who hasn't taken an AimPoint class read enough break in putts.

Backswing and Follow-Through Length

Longer and shorter. Duh.

Impact Location: Toe or Heel

Toe hits, because the face is closing slightly, will often travel closer to the expected distance than a heel hit.

Equipment

Amount of Bounce

More bounce is good. Most wedges have too little bounce. Note that "more bounce" is a VERY simple way of looking at it. The grind, the sole, the camber, the width, etc. all matter. My Edel 60° wedge has 22° of bounce… yet I can lay it open and due to sole width, camber, and grind… the leading edge is very close to the ground.

Grip Size

I couldn't care less. If you have big hands, bigger. If you have small hands, smaller. If you have arthritis, perhaps bigger. I do not like reminder ribs, though, particularly in wedges.

Driver Loft and Launch

Higher. Virtually nobody we see launches the ball too high. Almost everyone launches the ball too low. We've added 30 yards to students by getting them to launch the ball higher, with the same clubface contact and swing speed.

Putter Weight

Greens are faster these days, so more people have putters that are too light than the opposite. My preference then is to have a putter that's heavier than the one you're likely to have.

Hat vs. Visor

Only chumps (and @mvmac ) wear visors. C'mon. Nobody wants to see your hair flopping around. Buy a breathable cap and get out there.

Hair Color

Brunettes, please. A natural blonde rarely dies her hair brunette, but brunettes regularly fib to the world and go blonde. Oh, and legs over chest, if you're wondering, too.

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If you can think of something else to add to the list(s) above, please let me know and I'll consider adding it.

Thanks.

[mvmac]

Awesome information. The clarity of this thread will help out a lot of golfers.

[SavvySwede]

Full Swing

Early or late wrist cock in backswing?

Equipment

Static weight? Swing weight?

[iacas]

Full Swing

Early or late wrist cock in backswing?

I don't think I've seen enough to push me to one side or another. Some students do it too early (for their motion). Some too late (for their motion).

Equipment

Static weight? Swing weight?

Not sure I understand. Drivers are lighter than sand wedges, are they not? Why would anyone want the same static weight? The radiuses are different too.

[SavvySwede]

Not sure I understand. Drivers are lighter than sand wedges, are they not? Why would anyone want the same static weight? The radiuses are different too.

A driver that is too light is harder to control but a heavier driver may lose speed. Also effects tempo.

[iacas]

A driver that is too light is harder to control but a heavier driver may lose speed. Also effects tempo.

I have no preference, then, for clubs being too heavy or too light. It's different for everyone, and I don't lean at all one way or the other.

Personally, I prefer a heavier, stiffer driver shaft and head weight, but others play better with lighter equipment and benefit from the added speed.

It's something you can pretty easily just "get right" via a proper fitting, so I have no real preference.

[saevel25]

A driver that is too light is harder to control but a heavier driver may lose speed. Also effects tempo.

There is a lot more than that. Their might be a small correlation between weight and accuracy, but it basically is all on the golfer and the fitting for the clubs. I would bet a golfer in their 50's or 60's might hit the ball straighter with a lighter club because it doesn't force them to make a swing adjustment for an overly heavy golf club.

[Ernest Jones]

Only had time to skim the first half quickly, but I can tell already that I'm going to like this post! So far it looks like we have the same preferences, but that probably has a lot to do with the fact that most of what I know I learned from you. Ha ha.

[Zesty]

Is this like an iacas AMA?

So, if you are in the fringe do you favor a bump and run or your pitch from the pitching video?

Also, the pitch from the video seems to have a very quiet lower body on the backswing. At what wedge distance would you start adding in a more traditional hip turn on the backswing?

Do you prefer a player to ground or hover the Driver before the takeaway?

[iacas]

So, if you are in the fringe do you favor a bump and run or your pitch from the pitching video?

I kind of answered it up above. FWIW in my OWN game I almost never chip with an 8I though if that's what you're asking.

Also, the pitch from the video seems to have a very quiet lower body on the backswing. At what wedge distance would you start adding in a more traditional hip turn on the backswing?

The hips turn more when I employ a short "Full Swing Motion" type shot rather than a "pitch" motion.

Do you prefer a player to ground or hover the Driver before the takeaway?

I don't care. I hover, but just barely. If you set it on the ground, I prefer it on the toe… because when you raise it up you also move it out a little.

[Zesty]

I had read that you use your pitch shot almost every chance you can. When I do the pitch shot I usually try and fly it most of the way to the hole. That's why when you wrote above to get the ball on the ground it seemed the opposite of what I have been trying to do.

My question above was at what distance do you tend to move from the pitch to the short full swing motion. It is about 35-40 yds for me and I was curious as to your thoughts.

[Jameson]

Thanks for this summary of great points. After read it twice, I have some questions:

-What is exactly an open stance ? It will help me with my slice?

-You said that ‘Smooth is great if it's fast; it's terrible if trying to be "smooth" makes you swing more slowly’. This makes me wonder if I should speed up my tempo. People tell me that I have a nice tempo, but I feel it´s too slow . Maybe that´s one of the reasons I don´t get much distance…

--And the last one: in relation with the swing direction, you said ‘I'll go with OUT for the simple reason that they swing too far INward already’… This confuse me, because I struggling with the COTT problem, and I asocciate it with the OUTward directio n… Maybe I get the wrong idea…

Thanks,

[iacas]

-What is exactly an open stance? It will help me with my slice?

An "open" stance is one that, for a righty, is left of parallel to the target line.

Target (x) --> x

Stance line -> \  | <-- Target line

It will probably not fix your slice. I simply prefer, gun to my head, that people err on the side of being a little too open rather than a little too closed.

-You said that ‘Smooth is great if it's fast; it's terrible if trying to be "smooth" makes you swing more slowly’. This makes me wonder if I should speed up my tempo. People tell me that I have a nice tempo, but I feel it´s too slow. Maybe that´s one of the reasons I don´t get much distance…

Tough to say. I recommend you create and maintain a My Swing thread.

-And the last one: in relation with the swing direction, you said ‘I'll go with OUT for the simple reason that they swing too far INward already’… This confuse me, because I struggling with the COTT problem, and I asocciate it with the OUTward direction… Maybe I get the wrong idea…

OUTward is swinging OUT to the right (for a righty). It's OUTward because it's away from your body. INward is swinging left, and that's IN toward your body.

The link to golf terminology in my signature has more.

If COTT is "coming over the top" then that's creating an INward swing direction. It's where the clubhead is going near impact, not where it goes at the top of the backswing.

[Club Rat]

Looks like a "Preview to a second publication !!!"

Great article @iacas "trigger happy" having that gun to your head.........

A. - (Hat vs. Visor), I once saw Tommy Armour III watching an event last year wearing a regular golf hat!

Had to do a double take to figure out it was him. What are friends for @mvmac

Since it touches so many aspects of the game, why not include

B. - commitment (full swing) or (shots/On the course)

C. - better attire/women, (Equipment)

Club Rat

[inthehole]

Great info - thx Erik !

One question about putters ... do you have a preference between slightly heavier vs. slightly lighter ?    I've switched to an oversize heavy putter this summer & have never putted better - my lag putting is dramatically better.

[iacas]

One question about putters ... do you have a preference between slightly heavier vs. slightly lighter ?    I've switched to an oversize heavy putter this summer & have never putted better - my lag putting is dramatically better.

I added it to the list above.

Heavier. :)

[mchepp]

Equipment: Flat or Upright?

Shoes: Spikes or Spikeless (allowing you to overturn the rules of most courses)

X-Stiff or Senior Flex (which direction would you recommend for a golfer given he is between either)

If I think of more I will add.

[iacas]

Equipment: Flat or Upright?

Depends on your miss. If left, flatter.

I didn't talk about too many "preferences" for fitting because, as I said above, these are things that you can just "get right" with a minimal amount of effort.

Shoes: Spikes or Spikeless (allowing you to overturn the rules of most courses)

Spikeless. Easier on your joints, etc.

X-Stiff or Senior Flex (which direction would you recommend for a golfer given he is between either)

See above. Depends too much on the golfer, his swing, tempo, courses, etc.

I'm not really gonna answer too many equipment fitting type things because, again, they're pretty easy to just "get right." You don't have to lean one way or the other.