The Golf Stance And Your Arms
How do you position your arms in a good golf stance?
The position of the arms, particularly the elbows, is an important part of your golf stance.
We do not want loose arms or elbows that crook and point outward, left and right. These lead to a loose and sloppy swing.
The arms should be very nearly straight, though by no means locked. The elbows, especially, should be pointed down, toward the ground, not out to the sides.
You will notice, if you put the elbows in this position, that the very act of doing it brings the arms and the elbows closer together.
This is where we want them in your golf stance!
Elbow Depressions Up.
If we make it a point to keep these Little hollows on the inside of the elbows pointing up rather than in, our arms are brought closer together and the swing is likely to be more compact.
Beware the "Open" Body
Now for the "open" body, cited earlier. There is a natural reason for this.
It occurs unconsciously, because our right hand is lower on the shaft than our left.
As we reach slightly lower with our right hand to grip the club, our right shoulder moves down and forward slightly and our right hip moves forward just a little bit.
Slight as they are, these movements "open" our body to the ball. You can see the effect more easily if you drop your right hand a foot down the shaft from the left.
This, by exaggerating the action, opens the body much more.
It is just another of the natural actions we make in golf which are wrong.
The effect of this "opening" is threefold. It causes us to aim to the left, restricts our backswing and shoulder turn, and puts us in a position to hit from the outside in before we have even started the club back.
Heaven knows it is hard enough for the average player to swing from the inside without taking a preparatory position that almost prevents it.
You can have a friend check your position at address by holding a club against the front of your shoulders and seeing where the club points.
It will point to the left of the target an amazing number of times.
To bring it around so that it points toward the target or parallel to the direction line requires a conscious effort with the hips and shoulders.
But that effort must be made until it becomes a firmly established habit.
For one who has been addressing the ball with an "open" body for a long time, the squaring around will seem awkward.
For a while he will think he is looking at the target over the point of his left shoulder.
This thought, in fact, is a good one to have. It will almost serve as a check point for your golf stance.
