Stance

The width of your stance should vary with each club. That sounds obvious, but the reason for it is often misunderstood. Let’s take a closer look at why stance width matters.

Everything we do in the setup is designed to help create a certain impact condition. The grip influences clubface control. Posture helps regulate the angle of attack. Aim helps start the golf ball on an effective path toward the target.

Stance width can also serve as an important control within the swing.

A simple way to think about it is this: A wider stance tends to promote a shallower attack angle — ideal for the driver. A narrower stance tends to promote a steeper attack angle — more appropriate for wedges and shorter irons.

The key is understanding the low point of the swing arc — the bottom of the downswing. That low point largely controls attack angle.

By widening the stance, you create conditions that tend to move the low point farther back in the swing arc. This promotes the opportunity to swing more upward through the ball, producing a shallower strike.

By narrowing the stance, you create conditions that encourage the low point to move farther forward, increasing the likelihood of striking more downward on the ball and producing a steeper angle of attack.

I use words like “opportunity” and “likelihood” intentionally, because stance width alone does not guarantee a particular attack angle. It simply improves the chances of producing one. The motion itself must still support the setup.

To create a shallower attack angle, the golfer generally needs to turn farther away from the ball in the backswing, allowing more pressure to move into the trail foot before shifting forward through impact.

To create a steeper attack angle, the golfer typically remains more centered during the backswing while continuing to rotate aggressively onto the lead side through impact.

Certainly, there are many other variables involved in controlling the golf swing. But understanding low-point control — and recognizing how stance width influences it — gives the player a far more functional understanding of setup fundamentals.