What is the stance in golf and how can you improve it

Stance is the position the player takes in front of the ball before making the stroke. A good positioning gives us stability and is characterized by keeping the back straight, the knees slightly flexed and the feet separated with the ball between them.

This characteristic position that golfers acquire before examining their swing is known as “stance” in golf.

The first contact with the stance in golf

Although it is normal that we have a friend or family member with the best level of play that the advice offers us, the ideal for a beginner to learn how to get a good stance, is to attend golf classes taught by a professional at a golf course in Majorca; in this way it will help you correct your posture and advise you to achieve the correct one.

The stance in golf is not a “natural” position, that is, we do not usually adopt this position in our day to day, so it requires practice and prior knowledge to do it well:

Characteristics of a good stance

In a good stance the legs are separated, however we exert a different degree of separation depending on the blow we want to make. The spacing of the feet should be approximately the same as the width of the shoulders when we play a 5 or 6 iron. With more open clubs the tendency is to bring the feet a little closer (almost together with a wedge) and, on the contrary in the case of the more closed ones (wood and drive) the separation will be progressively greater.

The knees must be flexed slightly, adopting a semi-sitting posture, as if we were going to lean on a high chair. The weight will be distributed evenly across the soles of the feet (between the heel and the toe of each foot). In turn, the back leans towards the ball, from the hips, keeping it as straight as possible but comfortably, to avoid injury, and slightly pulling the buttocks out to achieve balance. In this position the arms must fall comfortably from the shoulders, without tension, and the hands must be loose and hang freely so that we can grasp the club freely. We tilt our heads slightly so that we can focus on the ball.

How to know if you have a stable stance

The objective of the stance is to facilitate the movement of the body when making the swing turn, as well as to provide stability to give an accurate shot without falling to the ground.

There is a litmus test that helps us identify if our golf stance is stable, for this you must imitate the posture normally taken on the golf course. You can even pretend you’re about to hit to make it more accurate. Then another golfer should give you a slight push in order to unbalance. If it achieves this it is because your stance must improve, if you maintain balance you will have mastered your posture.

As a tip you must remember that the stance must be solid but not rigid and if you think it should improve you can approach your golf course in Majorca, to be advised by a golf professional.