Get Set - Ball-striking success starts at address

AMATEURS OFTEN STAND OVER THE BALL with their feet too wide apart. I understand the appeal—they want to feel more stable throughout the swing, and a wider stance seems a logical way to achieve that.

COLLIN MORIKAWA

Ever notice how many tour pros have both feet anchored to the ground at impact? Not everyone—some pros get up on their toes for more power—but most know having both feet planted is such a stable position when you’re swinging through the hitting zone. It helps provide consistency to ball-striking. That said, there is such a thing as being too wide. It hinders body rotation and truncates the swing. This is something my coach, Rick Sessinghaus, and I keep an eye on as it pops up periodically when I address the ball. When my stance is too wide, my tendency is to slide away from the ball in the backswing, rather than making a good turn off the ball with my upper body. Often this leads to my right hip sliding outside my right ankle during the backswing, or my right shoulder dropping too much and too far back, getting my swing out of sequence. The club gets blocked by my body in the downswing—we call this “being stuck”—and I leave the face a touch open to my target at impact. If you see me miss with a spinny shot to the right of the fairway or green, I was probably too wide at address.