Golf stance

Common Golf Stance Mistakes and Simple Fixes

The easy traps golfers fall into with stance, plus simple fixes that work on the range and course.

Common Golf Stance Mistakes and Simple Fixes illustration

The miss usually leaves clues

When stance goes wrong, the ball tells on you. A push, pull, thin strike, heavy wedge, or wipey slice often traces back to something that happened before impact. In a 6-iron from a slightly hanging lie, even a small mismatch can turn a sensible club into a scramble.

Watch for these patterns:

  • Too much tension in the hands or shoulders.
  • Ball position drifting without a reason.
  • Aiming the body while forgetting the clubface.
  • Practicing the correction once, then abandoning it on the course.

One change at a time

Fix the biggest leak first. If you change grip, stance, tempo, and target all in one bucket, you’ll never know what worked. Make ten slow rehearsals, hit five balls, then decide.