Why a wider stance with longer clubs?

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DDL

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I don't have any difficulty rotating my lower body through ,with wedges up to mid irons. However, I feel my legs and hips are stuck with long irons and woods. Can't rotate, and feel I am lunging. My right knee has zero chance of touching the left knee unless I lift up my right leg. The inside of my heels aren't even at the outside of my shoulders, and I feel like Jean CLaude Van Damme doing a split!

I've been searching the threads and forums for an answer, but couldn't find an explanation why longer clubs need a wider stance. One guy mentioned balance. More forward ball position and ball positioned further from the body for longer clubs should take care of everything, so I thought.

Assuming the same release point feel, the hands and arms travel the same exact distance from wedges to driver....arms don't get longer with the longer clubs. And I am not swinging the clubhead, but the dragging lagging sweetspot via pp#3.

A more closed stance for longer clubs is necessary, I assume to get the hands ahead of the ball at impact, from an inside path. That I understand. However ,with a wider stance, feels like it is more difficult to come from inside.
 
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lagster

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It sounds like you ascribe to the ball position theory that says the driver should be played at or near LOW POINT, which is opposite the left shoulder. The clubs should be played more inside of low point as they progressively get shorter.

One method of determining ball position is to play all shots inside the left heel, but to change the stance width depending upon the club being used. (Shoulder width with the driver, down to about 10" wide with the sand wedge) Another way would be to keep a fairly constant stance width, but move the ball up, or back in the stance depending upon the club or shot at hand.

One could probably play the longer clubs with a fairly narrow stance if they so desire, but should just move the ball a little more forward in the stance than is normally done. If you are having trouble turning... check your posture and weight distrubition. If you are on your toes too much it may be difficult to turn. Also... you might need to flare your left toe more, if you are having trouble turning through the ball.
I hope this helps.
 
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Matt Taylor

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I know exactly what you're talking about. In every sport I've played in my life, coaches and teachers have always tried to get me to spread my legs out more. I went snowboarding once and the "standard" foot placement was so wide for me that I had a really exhausting time trying to move the board around. This problem would make sense if I were short, but I'm 6'2".

In golf, when I place my feet shoulder with apart, I feel just like you said about Van Damme. The handle of the club feels like it's pointing to my neck when I spread out, and unless I get some clubs that are 15 degrees flat, that's where they have to be.

I think that not everybody's body is set up the same -- that the relationships of body parts vary based on arm length, torso length, leg length, etc.

I would be very interested in hearing some info on this from someone with technical knowledge of biomechanics. I'm constantly fighting doing what is solid, proven golf instruction versus what feels right to me regarding stance width. Everything just feels easier with my feet closer together, but I know that it ain't "right." The bottom line is, only you know what you are feeling, and at some point you have to do what feels right. That said, Brian made me spread my feet out much wider and though it felt like a spastic move, the ball flight got much, much better.

I wish I had a better answer for you, but all I can offer is sympathy from someone who also can't muster up the nerve to go against one of golf's most unquestioned basics.

Would love to hear more about this.
 
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Powerdraw

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quote:Originally posted by DDL

I don't have any difficulty rotating my lower body through ,with wedges up to mid irons. However, I feel my legs and hips are stuck with long irons and woods. Can't rotate, and feel I am lunging. My right knee has zero chance of touching the left knee unless I lift up my right leg. The inside of my heels aren't even at the outside of my shoulders, and I feel like Jean CLaude Van Damme doing a split!

I've been searching the threads and forums for an answer, but couldn't find an explanation why longer clubs need a wider stance. One guy mentioned balance. More forward ball position and ball positioned further from the body for longer clubs should take care of everything, so I thought.

Assuming the same release point feel, the hands and arms travel the same exact distance from wedges to driver....arms don't get longer with the longer clubs. And I am not swinging the clubhead, but the dragging lagging sweetspot via pp#3.

A more closed stance for longer clubs is necessary, I assume to get the hands ahead of the ball at impact, from an inside path. That I understand. However ,with a wider stance, feels like it is more difficult to come from inside.
Click to expand...
why touch the knees together?
 
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lagster

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The Driver would be the main problem club with a narrow stance.
The narrow stance tends to put the ball too far behind low point, (which is in a line from the left shoulder) and would tend to cause one to take divots with the driver.

Some players compensate for this with a big back up move of the upper body on the downswing, in order to get the left shoulder in position for that club. Some do make this work.

I have seen players that use a narrow stace with the driver, move the ball up, more off the left little toe, in order to get the left shoulder in better position for that club at address. This is a little unusual, but I have seen it work. As Mathew noted, also be careful to monitor the upper body when dealing with ball position.
 
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