A Drive Stance That Produces Good Results

[9wood]

If I am to get off decent drives with my driver then I need to set up properly and have a good stance. Below are photos of a stance that works for me and normally keeps me from hitting bad tee shots, just as long as I have a good swing path that doesn't come over the top which will always produce a sliced tee shot. 

 

[saevel25]

Flat lower back, rounded relaxed upper back

 

 

[Buckeyebowman]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

Flat lower back, rounded relaxed upper back

 

 

I've read articles by Nicklaus where he felt the same way. He liked his shoulders relaxed, even "slumped" a little bit, but his lower back was straight and firm.

And 9wood, an out to in swing doesn't "always" produce a slice. It will do so if the clubface is open to the swing path. If the clubface is square to the path you will hit a pull, and if the face is closed to the path you will hit a pull hook. The dreaded "double cross" that pros fear when they try to hit an intentional fade. It seems they just can't resist releasing their hands!

We should have such problems!

Edited April 21, 2016 by Buckeyebowman

[natureboy]

4 hours ago, 9wood said:

If I am to get off decent drives with my driver then I need to set up properly and have a good stance. Below are photos of a stance that works for me and normally keeps me from hitting bad tee shots, just as long as I have a good swing path that doesn't come over the top which will always produce a sliced tee shot. 

 

 

Rory's knees are more flexed than the lines drawn show. The pants are very baggy and hand down behind his knee. His thighs are not that thick.

Less bent than Keegan, though.

[billchao]

13 minutes ago, natureboy said:

Rory's knees are more flexed than the lines drawn show. The pants are very baggy and hand down behind his knee. His thighs are not that thick.

Less bent than Keegan, though.

Agreed on both points. When drawing joint angles, the lines need to start and stop...at the joints.

[Ernest Jones]

6 hours ago, natureboy said:

Rory's knees are more flexed than the lines drawn show. The pants are very baggy and hand down behind his knee. His thighs are not that thick.

Less bent than Keegan, though.

IIRC Keegan not only sets-up with more knee bend then most, but he also maintains that trail knee bend, not allowing it to release and straighten. Not a fan of that.  

Of course, I haven't seen Keegan on TV in ages. I almost wonder how much longer he'll hold on to a PGA tour card. 

[9wood]

9 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

And 9wood, an out to in swing doesn't "always" produce a slice.

The point I made was that it does always produce a slice for me

[boogielicious]

18 minutes ago, 9wood said:

The point I made was that it does always produce a slice for me

If I come over the top, it will more likely cause a hook, which is my miss. There is more to it that set up though. Set up and posture are the first component, the starting point. You can have a great set up and crappy swing if your other components (backswing, downswing) are off. The opposite is true as well. Keegan has an odd set up, but a great swing in general.

[iacas]

@9wood, I'm glad you've found something that seems to work for you. FWIW…

And… as others noted, Rory has more knee flex than illustrated. And yes, Keegan has "too much" for common tastes. It's also important to note that good players tend to have very similar setups - angles of knees and so on - with their drivers down to their wedges. Their arms may move in or out slightly or hang from a different angle, but their bodies look and are positioned almost the same, with small changes to stance width and/or hip bump positions being the more visible differences.

[paininthenuts]

It would appear I have the correct posture, however, I am still really rubbish

[9wood]

4 hours ago, iacas said:

@9wood, I'm glad you've found something that seems to work for you. FWIW…

 

Thanks

My drive and hybrid shots have recently become my strongest link whereas my pitching and chipping which previously were my strongest link have begun to falter a bit. Nevertheless, it's still early in the season.

 

Edited April 21, 2016 by 9wood

[natureboy]

15 hours ago, Ernest Jones said:

IIRC Keegan not only sets-up with more knee bend then most, but he also maintains that trail knee bend, not allowing it to release and straighten. Not a fan of that.  

Of course, I haven't seen Keegan on TV in ages. I almost wonder how much longer he'll hold on to a PGA tour card. 

I expect the putter thing has gotten in his head and he's putting extra pressure on his long game to 'make up the difference', which usually doesn't have a great effect.