{"id":31062,"date":"2025-07-29T05:11:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T05:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/31062\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T05:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T05:11:11","slug":"the-4-biggest-mistakes-recreational-golfers-make-in-their-setups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/31062\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4 biggest mistakes recreational golfers make in their setups"},"content":{"rendered":"

The setup is one of the most important fundamentals<\/a> in the golf swing. But despite its importance, most recreational golfers rarely work on it.<\/p>\n

Think about it: When\u2019s the last time you went to the range and saw a weekend warrior grinding over their setup fundamentals? My guess is that it\u2019s a rare occurrence at your local driving range. <\/p>\n

When you watch the pros on the range, though, it\u2019s quite the opposite. Just about every one of them works on their setup fundamentals each time they practice \u2014 and that\u2019s no coincidence. The setup is the foundation for a solid golf swing, and when it gets out of whack, it can throw everything off.<\/p>\n

Recently, I spoke with GOLFTEC<\/a> Director of Teaching Quality Josh Troyer about this subject, and he shared four of the biggest mistakes he sees recreational players make in their setups. Check it out below.<\/p>\n

4 key setup mistakes golfers make1. Too open at address<\/p>\n

One of the most common mistakes Troyer sees is excessive openness in the body at setup \u2014 especially the shoulders and hips.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecreational golfers tend to be significantly more open to the target than they should be,\u201d he says. \u201cWhile pros may have their shoulders slightly open \u2014 about eight degrees \u2014 and their hips around four degrees open, many amateurs are 20 to 30 degrees open. That leads to a swing direction that\u2019s too far out-to-in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Try getting your shoulders and hips more in line with the target. Chances are you\u2019re too far open.<\/p>\n

2. Grip too weak<\/p>\n

Another common issue Troyer sees is a weak grip with the trail hand too far on top of the shaft.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen golfers take their grip, their hands are often rotated too much toward the target, which puts them on top of the club. That\u2019s a really weak position,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt typically results in the clubface being open at impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a weak grip can be playable, for amateurs who struggle with weak fades and slices,<\/a> it does them no favors. If that sounds like you, try strengthening your grip a bit.<\/p>\n

3. Feet not flared enough<\/p>\n

If you want to hit the ball a long way, you\u2019ve got to be able to maximize your rotation \u2014 and that starts with getting your feet in the correct position. If your toes are pointed to straight (or even inward), you will limit your ability to rotate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes it extremely difficult to rotate during the backswing and follow-through,\u201d Troyer says. \u201cIt also limits movement in the lead ankle and knee, which makes it harder to shift your hips forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Shaft too upright<\/p>\n

Another subtle yet important detail in your setup is how the club shaft is positioned at address.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany golfers set the handle of the club straight up and down at address, rather than leaning it slightly toward the target,\u201d Troyer says. \u201cThat impacts your low point and makes it more likely you\u2019ll hit behind the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forward shaft lean at setup promotes crisp, ball-first contact. It\u2019s a hallmark of elite ball-strikers and something every golfer should emulate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The setup is one of the most important fundamentals in the golf swing. But despite its importance, most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-31062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}