Peter Finch: Golf's Set-up Essentials

Peter Finch explains how golf's set-up essentials like grip, posture, and stance have a huge bearing on where you'll be at impact and the resulting flight

GOLF'S SET-UP ESSENTIALS It's important to recognise that set-up essentials like grip, posture, and how you stand to the ball have a huge bearing on where you will be at impact and the resulting ball flight.

Check your grip Your grip is the main controlling factor in what the clubface does at impact - strong grips generally close the clubface to target and weak grips generally open it. Many golfers who hit big hooks have a strong grip in which the left hand sits too much on top of the club and the right hand too much underneath.

The opposite is true of slicers, who typically have a weak grip – the left hand sits too much under the grip and right hand too much on top. This isn’t always the case as some golfers are able to compensate with their wrist angles, but if you’re struggling with a troublesome ball flight, check your grip first.

Watch all 7 videos in Peter's 'Keys to Consistency' series...

• Understanding impact basics
• How impact varies from club to club
• A new way to pitch
• A bullet-proof chipping action
• Fringe putting drill
• Pressure putting practice

Shoulder position at address Many golfers suffer from a slice, especially with the driver, and generally it’s because the path moving to the left of the target line with the clubface open to both path and target line.

If both shoulders sit more or less at the same height at address - so your left shoulder isn’t higher than your right - they will also be open to the target, encouraging a swing path too much off to the left.

Conversely, if your right shoulder is too low, you’ll close your shoulders too much and encourage a swing path too much from inside to out, which can cause a hook.

You can alter your ball flight surprisingly quickly just by adjusting what your body and shoulders are doing at address.