Preferred Fundamentals
We have spent a lot of time discussing our primary fundamentals in these articles but very little time discussing the preferred fundamentals. The preferred fundamentals are grip, stance, and alignment. We called them preferred because there are different combinations of these fundamentals that can work to allow a player to control the golf ball at a high level. Let’s look at some of the basic principles of the preferred fundamentals.
When it comes to grip it is simple, stronger grips will produce more hook spin and weaker grips will produce more fade or slice spin unless there are compensations made. However, many times the grip itself is a compensation for poor movement quality. The important thing is to understand the grip and its influence on clubface control. Â
Alignment seems obvious but many people struggle with it. This can be an issue of having a poor process but many times alignment is also a compensation for the shot tendencies that a player has. Therefore, understanding alignment through the lense of the desired outcome and tendencies many players will find that they don’t play their best from perfectly square alignment. Find what works for you.
Lastly, ball position is an important fundamental to understand in terms of its influence on ball flight. The farther back the ball is in the stance the more a player will tend to block or hook the ball. Again, this can also be a compensation for not moving into the lead leg well in the forward swing. There are different ball positions that can work, you just need to understand how the club is delivered through the impact zone and how moving the ball up or back in your stance will affect ball flight.
Take the time to experiment and ask your coach for some guidance to better identify your best combination of preferred fundamentals.
