By: Steve Williams, WGCA contributing writer You might think that the setup is so fundamentally simple that it comes natural to a touring professional. With some of them, that’s true, but with the vast majority, it has to be stressed constantly. Although there can be problems with grip and stance width, these are not usually the trouble areas. My experiences have shown me that the first thing to falter is usually posture, followed closely by alignment and ball position. Posture usually falters because the golfer gets lazy physically and lazy with his discipline. Alignment usually falters because the golfer gets lazy mentally. Ball position will usually gravitate to the most advantageous spot, depending upon the errors and compensations in the golfer’s swing at present. Regarding posture, I find it most advantageous to put this thought in the golfer’s mind: Viewing the static posture from down the line, there should be two hinges. Those hinges are the knees and the hips. They should also get in the habit, before starting their swing, of elongating their spine as much as possible. Honestly, I cringe and almost want to throw up when I hear a teacher tell their student to tilt from the waist. Regarding alignment: Until a student demonstrates that they never fall into alignment problems, stress the importance of using an alignment rod every single time they hit a bucket of balls, with at least one third of the balls in that bucket. Regarding ball position: Stress the importance of them being methodical enough with their pre-shot routine and that they have perfect ball position for every shot, whether practicing or playing. Why do even touring professionals struggle with these areas? Because they are tedious! Remember, though, they are tedious until they become habit. Once they become habit, the golfer experiences the rewards of strengthening these areas so much so, that they couldn’t care less whether they’re tedious or not. They just know that they’re excited about playing better since strengthening these areas. Finally, think about this: If touring professionals struggle with these areas, imagine how much college and high school golfers have to deal with these issues.  
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