15 Dec Wider feet restricts correct weight shift, body turn

The wider your feet when you try to hit the ball may make you feel more powerful but actually it restricts the correct weight shift and turning of your body during the swing. Your stance should be wide enough to allow your body to move properly, therefore try and stand to the ball so that your feet are shoulder-width apart.

With your feet this far apart, your hips should be able to turn freely, and your weight should move smoothly from one foot to the other without swaying. Proper stance width also helps regulate swing speed, so you don’t lose control of the club. You can swing as hard as you want as long as you keep your balance, which is largely the main function of the correct stance. The shoulder-width rule is actually a simple one but what really happens is that you’ll find that your feet are closer together with the shorter irons and then opening slightly wider than shoulder-width when using the driver.

Golfing demons that are in all of us who swing at that little white ball, regardless of our shape and size and golfing ability send shivers of anxiety and apprehension through even the best of golfers. These demons are laughing at us while trying to disrupt our enjoyment of the game. A missed short putt or fluffed pitch or chip will haunt you for years whilst instilling self-doubt on every other future putt, chip or pitch of the same distance. Nerves come into play when these little bloody demons start nudging each other with glee as you face another one of those shots that have the probability of destroying your golfing soul.

However, any negative thought can be overcome and dealt with by positive thinking and lots of practice on any one particular shot. Alas, there’s no shortcut — practice, practice and more practice will allow you to find that ‘key’ swing thought, or movement, that will enable you to make a good positive stroke or swing at that crucial moment, and therefor silence those golfing demons!

Out of Bounds: Fred and Bill were playing on the fourth hole, which ran parallel with the main road. A hearse rounded the corner and Fred shouted out: “Slow down!”

“What’s up, Fred?” asked the startled Bill. “Well, Bill, around 10 years ago, my wife was in that same car. Her funeral service was lovely. However, the driver of the hearse went too fast around that corner and hit the wall. After surveying the damage, he heard a faint moan,” Fred said. “They opened the casket and found out that my wife was actually alive — so I just want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”