When attempting to find that all-important consistency in your golf game, ensuring your setup and starting positions are correct is key.
But often this can be tricky as we can’t see ourselves when we are addressing the ball at the start of the swing.
One thing we can see when we are addressing the ball is the clubhead and the clubface!
By getting your clubface in the right position you can ensure you have a good, solid golf address position and you are getting your swing off to the best possible start!
So how should the clubface look at address?
In this article, we will look at how to get the basics right when you are addressing the ball.
We will also look at whether to have the toe end of the club up or down at address, and why the driver should look slightly different when addressing the ball.
Hopefully, once you have read this article you will be able to attain the best golf address position for you and hit straighter, longer shots.
Let’s get started!
How to get the basics of clubface at the Golf Address Position correct
When you are in your golf address position, your clubface should be sat directly behind the ball and with a square clubface.
The bottom of the club should be resting on the ground.
But what is a square clubface and how does that look when addressing the ball?
This means the lines across the clubface should be perpendicular to the line of the shot. I.e. your clubface should be pointing directly at the target you are aiming at.
To your eye when addressing the ball, the toe end of the club should be pointing at a 90-degree angle to your target.
Often the clubface will only be slightly off the square position when addressing the ball and it can be hard to spot.
To counter this, follow the drill below that should help to see if your clubface is not square at address and correct that issue.
- With a tape measure, measure the width of your 7-iron. Take out two tees, and place them apart at the same width as your 7-iron.
- With your 7-iron get into your golf address position. Imagine the ball is just in front of the tees you marked out (clubhead between the tees).
- Perform a very small swing, only moving your club as far as your backfoot, and swinging up to your front foot.
- If the clubface is open, it will clip the tee furthest from you. If it is closed it will clip the tee closest to you.
- Keep repeating the motion until you can consistently move your club through the tees without clipping either, making sure to go back to your stationary golf address position after each mini-swing.
As I am sure you are aware, an open clubface at address can lead to a slice. Conversely, a closed clubface can lead to a hook shot.
By having a square clubface at address, you can minimize the likelihood your ball will veer away from the target.
A square clubface, with the club resting on the ground and directly behind the ball, is the foundation of a good golf address position!
How to position the toe of the clubface
The toe of the club is the part of the clubhead furthest from where it attaches to the shaft.
How to position the toe of the club when addressing the ball is not something that is often discussed when assessing the correct golf address position but it is a key part of how the clubface should look at address.
As stated before you want the bottom of the club resting on the ground at address.
However, during the course of your swing, the forces your hands place on the club can force the toe end of the clubhead down.
This means the toe end of the club is pointing toward the ground, which can lead to the clubhead catching the ground too strongly at impact and the dreaded fat shot.
The simple solution to this problem is leaving the clubface toe-up at address.
This means adjusting your hands slightly so that the toe end of the clubface is lifted slightly off the ground.
Doing this should counterbalance the natural movement of the clubface during your swing, meaning the clubface impacts the ball squarely.
Making this adjustment should lead to more consistent ball striking.
There is a simple drill you can use to ensure your clubface is toe up and not lying completely flat on the ground.
- Take your normal golf address position.
- Pull your hands slightly toward your body, tilting your clubhead upwards.
- If the clubface is in the correct toe-up position, somebody should be able to place a coin beneath the toe of your clubhead.
You should note that there are a few exceptions to the rule, where you don’t want the toe end of the club tilted upward.
One is with your putter. When putting the bottom of the club should rest flat on the ground.
Tilting the putter upward could cause the shaft-end of the putter to drag across the ground during your stroke, pulling your putt off line.
Another exception is playing out of the bunker. When playing out of the bunker you want solid impact with the ground when striking the ball, so a toe-up clubface position is not recommended!
Otherwise, keeping your clubface toe-up when addressing the ball is an easy and quick way to improve your ball striking.
This is especially true with your less forgiving long irons, where a crisp ball strike can be harder to achieve.
Next time you are at the range, experiment with keeping the toe end of the club tilted upwards and see if it improves the consistency of your ball striking.
So if fat shots and bad strikes are affecting your game, keep the clubface toe up at address!
How To Position The Driver At Address
The driver can often be the enigma in any golfer’s bag. In some rounds, you bomb it straight every drive, but in others, your tee shots fly left and right with no control.
Getting your stance and golf address position correct can be very beneficial if inconsistent driving is impacting your golf game.
With that in mind, how should the clubface look at address when using your driver?
Firstly when driving, your clubhead should be further forward in your stance.
The best position is about 1-2 inches behind your front foot.
Another alteration that helps is to tilt the clubface slightly upward when addressing the ball.
You can do this by pulling your hands gently toward your back foot while keeping the clubhead still. This introduces a slight backward lean on your shaft.
Drivers naturally have very flat clubfaces, with somewhere between 9-11 degrees of loft, compared to 58 degrees of loft on a sandwedge.
As a result, many amateur golfers struggle to get consistent ball flights with their drivers.
If this is a common issue in your game, taking the steps above could help improve your golf address position and give you a solid ball flight off the tee.
Erratic shots with the driver are another issue common with amateur golfers.
Maintaining a square clubface at address is very important with a driver too.
A square clubface at address decreases the likelihood of a closed or open clubface at impact, helping to minimize hooks and slices off the tee.
Repeating the same drill for a square clubface that we used above can also be effective with your driver.
If inconsistent driving is a bane of your golf game, then follow the steps outlined above to ensure you have a proper golf address position off the tee.
Key Takeaways From Club Address Position
Perhaps the most important takeaway from this article is to ensure you have a square clubface at address.
If you are a golfer who is looking to introduce more control over your ball flight by shaping your shots, don’t be fooled into thinking changing your clubface position at address can help with this.
Shaping shots is more about body positioning and stance than about changing your clubface position.
Altering your clubface position at address could lead you down a slippery slope, where your shots continually move off line.
So remember keep your clubface square and your toe end up!
As with any golfing tips, practice makes perfect. If you are thinking of incorporating any of the changes from this article into your game, don’t get despondent if they do not work straight away.
Often it can take a few rounds before a new golf address position starts to look and feel more natural and your game starts to improve.
If you want more tips on how to keep your clubface square throughout your swing then check out the video linked here!
