Today, I want to share with you a quick golf tip that I recently sent to a reader that asked me a question about how far should he be standing from the golf ball.

This is a great question and something that I struggled with for a while.  Years ago, I followed a tip from a buddy of mine and I ended up standing too far away from the ball.  And I have to admit that it really screwed up my swing and my contact with the ball.

Sometimes it just doesn’t matter if you have great posture, a perfect spine angle and everything feels right at setup. As long as you’re standing too far away from the ball, you’re going to struggle hitting consistent golf shots.  From watching and talking with many golfers on the practice range, most golfers tend to stand too far away from the ball.  Most  stand too far awy because they have a fear of shanking the ball off the hosel or hitting a fat shot. But the intersting thing is,  standing too far away can actually cause those kinds of shots due to having to overcompensate and lunge toward the ball during the swing.

So, how do you know how far is too far?

Here is a simple tip.  Begin by addressing the ball as you normally would,then place one of your headcovers under your right underarm.  Hold it snug, and try and keep it there during the start of your backswing.  If the headcover falls from your underarm before you reach the end of your backswing, then you know you’re standing too far from the golf ball. If the headcover stays put, you’re setup just right. 

The arms should be free of tension, hanging naturally from the shoulder sockets. Any overextension will cause not only inconsistent golf shots, but may also put strain on your lower back. 

You will also notice that the length of your golf club also determines the length between you and the golf ball.

Also, anytime you are on the golf course and you feel you may be standing too far from the ball, back away and take some practice swings with this simple drill with a headcover until you feel more comfortable. Then set up to the ball and swing away!

Are you frustrated with your inconsistency when hitting your irons?  Do you alternate between hitting solid, thin and fat shots?

If so, then lets see if we can fix your problem!

The secret to consistency with your irons is (now keep this secret to yourself), keeping your hands the same distance from the ball at both setup and impact by maintaining the same spine angle from setup to follow-through.

Think about that for a minute.  If your set-up is good and your golf ball is set-up in the middle of your golf clubs sweet spot, then wouldn’t you want to hit the golf ball with that sweet spot?

So, how do you maintain a consistent spine angle?

I am glad you asked.

While it’s impossible to think about what your spine is doing when you swing, you can use this simple trick to see if you’re changing your spine position.

Step 1 – Tuck a softcover book in the back of your pants so half of it shows above your belt. You can also fold a magazine in half.

Step 2 – Address a ball, and as you bend forward into your posture keep the exposed part of the book flat against your lower back.

Step 3 – Make your regular full swing. If you start to raise up (the move that causes your thin hits), you’ll feel the top of the book jam against your back. If you drop too far down toward the ball during your swing (your fat-causing mistake), you’ll lose contact with the book. Keep making swings (in slow motion, if you have to) until you can keep the book snug against your spine all the way to your follow-through.

Try this and you will be hitting your irons flush every time!

For more help with your iron shots check out How to Master You Golf Irons.

I also recommend you check out…

Is your New Year’s resolution to become a better golfer?

My New Year’s Golf Resolutions for 2009:

1. Three putt less
2. Practice my short game more
3. Play more rounds
4. Drop 10 lbs. and get fit

To help me reach my fitness goal of losing 10 lbs., I have checked into this new fitness program that will work good for my busy schedule. This fitness program claims that I can “Burn Fat in Only 10 Minutes”.

You can download a free 10-Minute Turbulence Training Workout Program now!

Also, for those interested in checking out the entire program, Turbulence Training is offering a 21 day trial for only $4.95.  This is a small price for me to check out this program in order to meet my resolution of losing 10 lbs.  Check out the 21 day free trial!

I wish everyone a happy and golf filled New Year.
Leave a comment below and share your New Year Resolutions for 2009.

I found a great drill that has helped me to make sure I have the correct posture when I am addressing the golf ball.  This drill will help you like it has helped me.

The drill is called the Hip Hinge Drill. 

Hip Hinge Drill

There is an excellent video that demonstrates how to correctly do this drill over at Better Golf with Fitness.

Check out the Hip Hinge Drill and get in to the correct address position to hammer the golf ball.

I have a buddy of mine named Larry. Larry likes to brag around the office about his great golf game. I bragged to some other friends about Larry and they said they wanted to play around against me and Larry and told me to put my money were my mouth is. How could I turn down the chance to make a little side money.

I told my friend Larry about the match and he said he was game.

I quickly learned that Larry is probably like most weekend golfers. Larry is just a normal eat at McDonald’s kinda guy that would rather lay on the sofa, like the guy to the right, that practice to improve his golf game.

I asked Larry if he knew of the benefits of golf exercises? Larry said he had no idea there where any benefits to golf exercises. I thought to myself…”What did I get myself into.” I then explained to Larry that there are many benefits to golf exercises.

I then asked Larry what he did to get ready for a golf match. Larry said, “I like to go to the driving range to hit golf balls the night before. I snag the largest bucket of balls I can find and start to hit the hell out of the balls one after the other. I do this about and hour or so until my back and my shoulders get tired and give out.” Again I thought to myself…”What did I get myself into. My wife is going to kill me if I lose this money.”

I tried to tell Larry all he really needs to do in order to improve his game, develop a consistent swing, increase the length of his drives and shoot lower scores is to quickly and easily improve his flexibility. He never believed me…that “famous” weekend.

The morning of our match, Larry met me at the course early to work on our putting and he’s walking like a drunk…barely able to carry his bag. I notice he barely can stand up straight without a grimace look on his face and making a low moaning noise.

I quickly moved into the “I gotta do something quick to win the bet” mode and begin running through the quick-easy and simple 7 minute golf exercise stretching program by Mike Pederson with Larry. 7 minutes later, Larry was standing straight, without pain and walking to the tee box on the first hole, a monster of a par 5.

Before teeing it up, Larry turned to me asked me point blank…”Think I can drive the ball without hurting my back?”

“Larry” I said…”you just did everything you’ll ever need to do in order to drive the ball farther than you ever have…grip-it and rip-it dude…show them what you can do.”

That day…with the help of the 7 minute stretching program for better golf, Larry hit the ball longer than he ever had before, hit more greens in regulation and shot his lowest score in two years.

Larry told me that stretching program we did before the match “was amazing. I always thought it was a bunch of BS but you’ve made me a believer.”

I just smiled back with a “I know…I know” look and held my hand out to receive my share of the winnings.

They say you can’t fix stupid … but you can fix your golf game with the 7 Minutes Golf Stretching DVD.

I hope you will be like Larry and give the stretching program a try.