CHIPPY’S GOLF BOOK

(A-2) Address Club & Ball • Where you place the ball in your stance is different for every club. Place the ball forward in your stance for long irons and the driver to line up just inside your front right foot. The ball gets positioned progressively back from there more and more for each club until the ball needs to be placed in the very middle of your stance for the short irons & wedges. • Clubhead is resting on the ground, but barely. It’s like resting it on an eggshell. Keep the clubhead up, but make sure it is touching the ground at the same time. • Clubshaft is exactly 90 degrees perpendicular to your back bone. You will be like a perfectly squared ‘L’ tilted slightly forwards maintaining the 90-degree clubshaft angle to your backbone. • Clubface is perfectly square and aimed directly at your target. Hands • One closed hand span should be the approximate space that separates your hands out from your thighs. • Your hands are always forward of the ball for every single swing lined up just over your front left knee. The ball moves progressively back in your stance for higher and higher clubs, but your hands are always positioned forward over your front left knee for every single club you swing. In other words, the higher the club, the more the clubshaft will be tilted forwards towards the target. The lower the club, the less the clubshaft will be tilted forwards towards the target. This is because the ball position changes with each different club, but your hand position doesn’t. Arms • Keep your right elbow tucked in fairly close to the right side of your body. • Right elbow is loose and under part of elbow is pointing straight down towards the ground, not out and away from you. • Your right elbow and right arm are free of tension & bend easily at the elbow. Your right arm is very loose and not stiff locked. • Both of your arms are hanging straight down from your body a touch up from vertical. They are tense free, relaxed & comfortable. • Let your arms be free & loose from your body. • Keep your left arm as straight & solid as possible, but don’t keep it rigid. Keep it as straight as you can just to the point before you’d lock your elbow. • Visualize your left arm, left hand & clubshaft as one long rod, one long straight line from your left shoulder all the way down to the clubhead. There is only one hinge on this rod, your left wrist that helps swing the clubshaft back and through on a hinge. • The tops of your forearms are flexed and caved in towards each other helping you feel more solid & connected. Shoulders • Right shoulder is slightly lower than your left shoulder. In other words, your right shoulder is under your left shoulder. • Reft shoulder is not too far back or too far forward, it is lined up directly over your back right knee. • Both of your shoulders are pushed back and up in the proper posture, but they are not tense. They need to be super loose, comfortable, relaxed and have a smooth lazy feeling. Head • Keep your head level to the ground & well behind the ball. Don’t tilt your head on an angle. • Keep your chin up as high as you can. But, make sure you can still easily see the ball down there in front of you. Back • Push your butt out slightly, pull your stomach in a little & keep your back as straight as a board. • The line up your back from your tailbone to the back of your head is as straight as you can possibly make it. There is no curve in your back whatsoever. • Your lower-back, upper-back & chest all feel upright and very tall. • Your spine angle is leaning slightly forward so that you have approximately one closed hand span width between your hands on the grip and your thighs. • Your spine angle is tilted slightly back to the right away from the target. • Your upper-body and chest are as far behind the ball as they can comfortably get. • Your hips are tilted forward pointing down towards the ground on a 45 degree angle. In other words, if you are wearing a belt, your belt buckle will be lower than your tailbone. Legs • Both legs are slightly bent, flexed & springy so that you feel in control. • Your legs feel balanced and ready for action. Keep your legs relaxed & tension free so that they are not feeling locked in place. You should be able to feel and use the muscles in the front of your thighs when your knees are bent just enough. It will be easy to rock back and forth on your two feet. • Knees are perfectly square pointing in front of you. Make sure they are not caved in towards each other. • Angle your right knee just a touch to the left towards the target. Feet • Weight distribution for long irons and the driver are on your back right foot to encourage a more sweeping blow into the ball. 60% of your weight is on your back right foot / 40% of your weight is on your front left foot. • Weight distribution for middle and short irons are even to encourage a more descending blow into the ball. 50% of your weight is on your back right foot / 50% of your weight is on your front left foot. • 50% of your weight is towards your toes / 50% of your weight is towards your heels is the other weight distribution for all clubs. In other words, always keep your toe & heel weight balanced evenly. • Feet width will be the widest for long irons & the driver and gets progressively narrower and narrower until narrowest for short irons & wedges. The widest stance you will need to make is for the driver and will be feet just outside shoulder width and as narrow for the wedges as only 6 inches in between the inside of your feet. It all depends on how aggressive or delicate the swing is going to be.