Down the line setup features...what are we looking for?

[GeoffDickson]

I am going back to the fundamentals - grip and address.

I am keen to give myself a framework to ensure a more effective/efficient setup position.

Here is an image of me testing/practising one way of setting up at address. Its drawn from a variety of sources/influences.

I call it the DTL (Down the line) 2 Zone Setup. Its key features are three vertical lines - butt, foot arch, and shoulder.

The features:
1. Shoulders are in front of toes.
2. Butt is behind heels
3. The shoulder line intersects the hands (just).
4 Shaft plane intersects the spine angle at an angle of nearly 90*.
5. The body mass is distributed equally across two zones. Note the equal spacing between the three lines.

In my humble opinion, this looks a good start for a golf swing. What improvements could you suggest?

 

[GeoffDickson]

...and this is how I started the day before heading indoors for some mirror work and slo-mo swings.

Note the unequal spacing between the lines....the shoulders are along way in front of the toes....and the hands are inside the shoulder line.

Two 'big' changes':
1. Reduce forward bend.
2. Get hands further away from body. This was very hard for me to do...somewhere along the line I had been programmed to think that the closer the hands were to the zipper, the better. I now focus on getting into position without right hand on club. Let the right arm hang (which means the right hand will be further away from my body than the left hand with the club...and then move the left hand into the right hand. Feels like I am standing alot further away from the ball.

One minor change:
1. Slightly reduced knee flex.

Softconsult...keen to hear you thoughts about the distance between hands and zipper.

 

[spktho]

How far apart are your feet with the irons? Tough to tell from the dtl, but they look a little too wide to me.

 

[hp12c]

It may parallax on the photo, but to me it looks like u have a lot of your torso over your toes, if I were to swing from that position I would go forward in the follow through.Again it may be parallax, just my opinion from the photo. I stand a little taller and the club closer to my body and the shaft a little flatter.

 

[softconsult]

I just think you are too analytical. That just doesn't look athletic to my eye. Of course, you can find every variation on tour. From Streelman and Bradley very bent over, to Poulter very upright. It may have been Brian who offered the tip of just jumping up and landing to achieve what your body determines to be balanced.

 

[spktho]

the tip of just jumping up and landing to achieve what your body determines to be balanced.

I have found this to be the best way to determine a good athletic setup. I tend to get the feet too close together, but the most athletic position is right about when you are springing up for a little jump straight up. Also the "ready" position for baseball infielders, football linebackers, volleyball serve-receive....

 

[mgranato]

I typically like neutral...

 

[GeoffDickson]

Mike,

Not a huge difference between Els' address and my own. Looks like Ernie and I have a few things in common:

1. We are both teetotallers...but he gave up the grog whereas I never really started.
2. Our butts are well behind our heels....but mine is smaller
3. His hands are more outside his shoulder line than mine.
4. I used to wear pleated pants like Ernie does...but then my wife and daughter started to use the term 'awkward'.
5. My zones are equal, whereas Ernies midline to shoulders zone is narrower than his midline to butt zone.
6. I am 6"2' and weigh 205 and he is 6"3' and weighing a reported 210.
6. We both used to play Callaway, but now I hit Ping.
7. We both dislike the All Blacks, but he supports the Springboks and me the Wallabies.
8. He probably has a little less knee flex.

 

[Rick Dandy]

For Your DIY Lines:

Bring each outside line in towards the middle line and you have something to move well with.

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[Brian Manzella]

I like this better, but I'd take out some knee bend.

 

[softconsult]

To me, one small change, photo shopping the head downward towards the ball, changes moves my impression from rigid to more athletic.

 

[GeoffDickson]

Thanks one and all.

I had never given the 'neck angle' any consideration. I think it is the way it is as a consequence of getting the lower spine 'straight' (i.e. lordosis) and my shoulders retracted (i.e. not slumped, which is my tendency). I am guessing that Brians suggestion will help the shoulders rotate, help the shoulders rotate steeper, and improve my 'visual' of the ball. Al good things.

Yep the knee bend is too much. No arguments....and the scary thing is that my knee bend increases alot during takeaway (think left knee collapsing towards right knee) Less knee bend at address and less during the backswing are two key swing thoughts for me at the moment.

I am starting to be less concerned about the angle of my upper body therefore the positioning of the shoulder line...I accept that if anything I need to me more upright, certainly no need for any more forward lean.

A key learning from this process was that my arms were often way too inside my shoulders.

I will keep experimenting.

 

[Brian Manzella]

I moved the upper back downward AND then separately moved the head.