Address

Setup: Stance, Posture and Alignment

Introduction:
One characteristic feature of a full golf swing is the fact
that a golfer swings the club across the front of the body,
while the body is aligned parallel to the ball-target
line. That fact makes it difficult to aim accurately when
standing sideways relative to the target at address.
Another complicating issue is the fact that the clubhead
moves on an inclined clubhead path that is tilted
approximately 45 degrees from the horizontal, and the
body has to swivel around (while the arms are swinging
across the front of the body) in such a manner that an
optimal clubhead swingpath can be consistently realised.
Because the body's address posture and subsequent
movement is subservient to a need to create an optimal
clubhead swingpath, the body has to adopt a stance and
posture at address, that will allow an optimal clubhead
swingpath to occur naturally, and consistently, from
swing-to-swing.
When watching a PGA tournament on TV, I find myself
always admiring the athletic posture and perfect body
alignment of PGA tour golfers as they get into their
address position. PGA tour golfers always appear to have
the correct body angles at setup and their 'lively' posture
at address gives them an enviable aura of skilled
athleticism. They appear to be in a state of perfect
readiness to be able to swing the club at high velocity
while maintaining perfect coordination and perfect
balance throughout the swing. In this chapter of my
complete review of the full golf swing, I will examine
their approach to the address setup, and I will primarily
be dealing with the body's position at address, with a
major focus on the foot stance, body posture, and body
alignment.

Address setup: 

Consider the appearance of a PGA tour golfer at address.

Aaron Baddeley - from reference number [1]

One can sense the skilled 'athleticism' of Aaron
Baddeley's setup posture. He seems perfectly poised to
start the backswing. He appears to be in perfect balance
and also perfectly aligned relative to the ball-target line.
There appears to be a sense of ready 'liveliness' in his
stance that will allow his body to move fluidly during the
swing.
The same perfect posture can be seen in Nick Faldo's
address position - when using an iron.



Nick Faldo at address- from reference number [2]
There are so many features of Nick Faldo's address
position that are perfect -- foot stance width, degree of
bend in the knees (minimally more flexed than Aaron
Baddeley's), degree of forward bend at the level of the
hip joints, straight lower back, slightly rounded upper
back, head in line with the spine, arms hanging naturally
down from the shoulders, hands close to the body and
not outstretched, hands slightly forward of the ball in the
face-on view, head behind the ball in the face-on view,
slight tilt of the spine to the right causing the right
shoulder to be lower than the left shoulder, nose tilted to
the right as the head turns slightly to the right in
sympathetic alignment with the spine tilt, body weight
seemingly centralised over the mid-feet (down-the-line
view) and between the feet (face-on view).
In the following section of the review, I will provide
detailed advice on how a golfer can best mimic Nick
Faldo's perfect address posture.
Getting started - adopting the correct address
position:
The easiest method of learning how to adopt a perfect
address position is to start from the groundup. David
Leadbetter recommends first starting with the body erect
and the feet approximately a shoulder's width apart.
Then, one bends the knees slightly as if one is getting
ready to sit down on a bar stool - as demonstrated in the
following photo.


Address posture - from reference number [3]

The correct amount of knee flex can be determined by
looking down at one's knees, and noting that a vertical
line passing just in front of the kneecap will pass through
the balls of the foot, or through the junction of the
forefoot and midfoot - as seen in the following diagram.
If the vertical line passes in front of the toes, then the
knees are too flexed. If the vertical line passes through
the rear end of the midfoot, then the knees are
insufficiently flexed.


Flexed knee position - from reference number [4]

As one bends the knees, one should simultaneously push
the hips back so that one creates the appropriate bend at
hip level. It is important to bend at the hips and not the
waist. To accomplish that feat, one should have a distinct
feeling that one is sticking out one's rear-end (as
demonstrated by David Leadbetter in his address posture
photo). Note that if one bends at the hips, and not the
waist, that the lower back becomes straight, and not
rounded and bent/stooped. When one adopts this straight
lower back posture, one should feel like a competitive
Olympic swimmer at the edge of a swimming pool, who
is ready to dive head-first into the pool when the starter
shoots his starting pistol. Another useful visual analogy
is to imagine the athletic position of a American football
quarterback who is waiting to receive the ball from a
huddle, or a professional tennis player waiting to receive
a serve. What particularly characterises these sport
"readiness-postures" is a straight lower back, slight bend
at the hips and knees, and a sense of 'lively' readiness in
the legs. The flexed knees should be perceived to be like
'coiled springs', that can readily allow the torso and hips
to swivel and turn with the utmost ease. The legs should
not be too straight (too hyperextended at knee joint level)
and the knees should also not be excessively bent.
If a golfer has difficulty getting the correct flex at the
hips (rather than at the waist), then the following photo
may be helpful.



Bending at the hips - from reference number [5]

Note that the golfer has placed a clubshaft against the
front of his upper thighs, and he then bends forward at
the hips while pressing the clubshaft firmly against the
thighs. This will enable him to stick-out his rear end
(butt/tush) and bend appropriately at the hips while
keeping the lower back relatively straight (relatively
straight = naturally/biomechanically straight where
there is a small degree of retained lumbar lordosis of the
lumbar spine).

Nick Faldo at address with superimposed image of the

spine

Note that the lumbar spine is still slightly lordotic, and

not abnormally hyperextended or kyphotic, at address.
If a golfer has difficulty adopting a straight back
position, David Leadbetter suggests positioning a
clubshaft along the length of the lower back - as
demonstrated in the following photograph.



 

Adopting a straight lower back - from reference number
[3]

It is important to realise that a golfer needs to adopt
a straight lower back posture without losing the slight
roundness of the upper back. Trying to adopt a straight
back all the way from the hips to the neck results in an
overly rigid, and unnatural, straight back back posture.
After a golfer has acquired the correct amount of knee
flex, the correct bend at the level of the hip joints, and a
straight lower back - then he should ensure that his head
is is line with the spine by straightening the neck. Many
beginner golfers have an overly flexed neck at address,
because they are looking straight down at the ball. If the
neck is overly flexed, then the chin will impede the
rotational movement of the left shoulder in the
backswing and the right shoulder in the downswing, and
thereby disrupt the swing. A golfer should make a
conscious effort to lift his chin slightly - and he may then
acquire a distinct feeling that he is looking down over his
upper cheek when looking down at the ball. However, a
beginner golfer shouldn't over-compensate, and over-
straighten the neck, and thereby lose the rounded
appearance of the upper back in the address position. A
good compromise head position is the position of David
Leadbetter's head in the photo above, or a degree of
forward neck bend that is slightly greater in degree than
the amount demonstrated by David Leadbetter in that
photographic image.
After a golfer has acquired the correct amount of knee
flex, the correct bend at the level of the hip joints, a
straight lower back and a straightened neck - then the
golfer should ensure that the hands hang vertically down
from the shoulders in a relaxed manner when the
clubface is placed behind the ball. The golfer should
avoid any feeling that he is excessively stretching-out the
arms towards the ball, and the correct arm posture is
demonstrated in the following artist-drawn diagram.



Shoulder line - from reference number [4]

Note that a vertical line passing down from the middle
of the right shoulder will pass just behind the middle of
the right upper arm, and pass just in front of the knee cap
to hit the ground through the forefoot. If a golfer adopts
this postural recommendation, then he will have acquired
the correct amount of bend at the hips and the correct
arm alignment.
If a golfer bends too much at the level of the hips thereby
increasing the degree of forward spinal bend inclination,
then the vertical line drawn from the middle of the
shoulder will pass in front of the forefoot. He will then
note that his weight is not distributed evenly between the
heels and forefeet, and that there is too much weight over
the forefeet. That degree of forward weight distribution
can cause a golfer to become unbalanced during the
downswing and predispose the golfer to falling forward
towards the ball during the downswing.
If a golfer bends too little at the hips, then the vertical
line will pass behind the kneecaps to hit the ground in
the region of the rear midfoot. The golfer will then be
standing too erect, and there will be a sense that there is
more weight on the heels relative to the balls of one's
feet. Optimally, a golfer's weight should be evenly
distributed between the heels of the feet and the balls of
the feet, and he should be able to lift up the back of his
heels slightly (or lift up his toes) without becoming
unbalanced if his body weight is evenly distributed over
the feet.
It is interesting to note that there should be very little
difference in the degree of bend-at-the-hip and the
degree of vertical arm positioning when hitting a driver
compared to hitting a short iron.
Consider the following photo of the appropriate posture
when hitting a driver, a long iron, and a short iron.



Distance from the ball - from reference number [6]

Note that there is slightly more bent-over posture with

the short iron (image 3) and that a vertical line drawn
down from the middle of the right shoulder passes just in
front of the kneecap as it passes down to hit the ground
in the region of the forefoot. Note that the arms hang
vertically down from the shoulders when using an iron
(hands are just inside the chin), and that they are only
minimally stretched-out when using a driver (hands are
directly under the chin, or just in front of the chin). Note
that the hands are very close to the thighs at address, and
approximately 4-6" from the thighs when using a short
iron, and approximately 6-8" from the thighs when using
a driver - and that there is only a ~2" difference between
the two hand (driver and short iron) positions.
Now consider Aaron Baddely's address posture from a
face-on view (using the same address position photo).

Aaron Baddeley address position - from reference

number [1]

There are two important features to note-: i) Aaron

Baddeley's spine is tilted a few degrees to the right and
his right shoulder is lower than the left shoulder, and his
head is behind the ball; ii) Aaron Baddeley's left hip is
minimally higher than the right hip.
This rightward-tilted spine postion is best appreciated
when viewing a golfer from behind, as seen in this artist-
drawn diagram from Leadbetter's book.
Rightward-tilted spine at address - from reference
number [4]

These two address postural features are very important,
and this particular positional aspect of the address
posture produces the "reverse K" position, and it is
demonstrated graphically in the following diagram.
Reverse K address position - from reference number [6]

Note that in this model (arbitrarily called the ModelPro),

that the ModelPro has angled his right knee slightly
inwards. Not all professional tour golfers choose this
right knee angulation option, and many professional
golfers (like Aaron Baddeley and Nick Faldo) adopt a
more symmetrical knee alignment at address. Most
importantly, note that the spine is tilted to the right and
that the right shoulder is lower than the left shoulder.
This postural adjustment has two important effects. First
of all, it causes the head to move slightly to the right and
move behind the ball. Keeping the head behind the ball
throughout the backswing and downswing is a
critical component of a good golf swing. Secondly,
during the backsing, rotating the torso around a
rightwards tilted spine allows the weight to more easily
flow to the right side without any jerky, superadded
lateral shift-movements. Thirdly, notice that with the ball
positioned forward near the left heel, and the hands just
forward of center (just inside the left thigh), that the
clubshaft is angled slightly forwards - this address
position encourages a slightly upwards movement of the
clubhead through the impact zone, which is an advantage
when driving a ball off a tee.
The recommended degree of rightward tilt of the spine
depends on the club being used. A distinct rightwards tilt
of the spine is recommended when using a driver,
because a golfer wants the clubhead to be travelling
slightly upwards at the time of ball impact. With a
fairway wood and long irons, a golfer usually wants to
sweep the ball off the turf with a zero/minimal divot.
Therefore, the rightwards tilt should be minimal. With a
short iron, the golfer often wants to hit down on the ball
with a more descending blow, and excess rightwards tilt
of the spine may be a disadvantage.
This next face-on view photo from David Leadbetter's
book [3] will allow me to discuss four seperate address
position issues - stance width, weight distribution,
arm/hand position and ball position.
David Leadbetter address position - from reference
number [3]

Stance width
First of all, note that David Leadbetter *flares both feet
open. Many professional golfers adopt a 10-30 degree
flaring-out of both feet, because it allows the pelvis to
rotate more easily during the swing. Flaring the feet open
allows the legs/knees to rotate more easily in response to
rotatory movements of the torso. This is especially
relevant with respect to the left foot during the mid-late
downwsing, when the body weight is driven powerfully
across to the left side by an initiating lower body shift-
rotation movement. Flaring the left foot open allows the
left knee to more easily rotate counterclockwise as it
straightens in the later downswing.
(* outwards flaring of the feet at address is optional, and
many professional golfers prefer to have their feet
aligned more square relative to the ball-target line at
address)
Regarding the driver, David Leadbetter recommends that
the inner distance between the feet should be equal to
the shoulder width.
Regarding mid-irons, David Leadbetter recommends
that the outer distance between the feet should roughly
be equal to shoulder width.
Regarding short irons, David Leadbetter recommends
that the outer distance between the feet be less than
shoulder width, but not less than pelvic width.
Some golfers, who lack flexibility, may personally find
David Leadbetter's driver stance width recommendation
to be too wide, because it prevents their pelvis from
rotating fully during their downswing and
followthrough. It is therefore perfectly acceptable for an
inflexible golfer to adopt a stance width that is closer to
the width of the pelvis for all clubs - so that the knees are
more vertically-aligned with their respective hip joints at
address.
Another optional method of finding the correct stance
width, which takes body flexibility into account, comes
from the book "Total Golf" [5].

Stance width variations - from reference number [5]

The "Total Golf" authors recommend adopting a stance

width, and then rotating the body 90 degrees
counterclockwise so that the chest and pelvis fully face
the target at the finish position. The "correct" stance
width is a stance width that allows the knees to become
aligned together and that allows the pelvis to fully rotate
90 degrees so that it faces the target at the finish position
- see image 2 in the above composite photo of three
stance width positions. Stance width variation number 1
is too narrow and it allows the pelvis to over-rotate,
while stance width variation number 3 is too wide,
preventing a more complete pelvis rotation (although
many professional golfers still prefer that option for their
driver swings).
I think that each individual golfer should experiment
with these two stance width approaches to find the best
balance between rock-solid stability and a natural/easy
rotational pelvic motion during the
downswing/followthrough. A stance width that favors
stability over easy rotational motion of the pelvis may be
preferable when using a driver, while the opposite bias
may be preferable when using an iron.
Weight distribution at address
David Leadbetter recommends that the weight
distribution between the two feet (right foot relative to
left foot) should be 55:45 with a driver, 50:50 with a mid-
iron and 45:55 with a short iron. Some golf instructors
recommend that the weight be evenly distributed
between the feet for all clubs.
Arm/hand position at address
Notice that David Leadbetter places his hands in the
same position, just left of center and just right of the
inner left thigh, for all clubs. Many professional tour
golfers routinely place their hands in a similar position
at address - somewhere between the center of their stance
and the left inner thigh. Note that when the hands are in
this position nearer the left inner thigh, that the left arm
is more straight line-aligned with the clubshaft at
address. The final choice of hand position at address is
optional - and it is perfectly acceptable for a golfer to
have the hands more centralised between the thighs at
address so that the clubshaft is more perpendicular
relative to the ball-target line, which will cause the left
wrist to become more bent (more dorsiflexed) at address.

David Leadbetter address position - from reference

number [3]
At address, the two upper arms arms should be slightly
adducted. At address, the left elbow pit (left antecubital
fossa) should face more inwards (away from the target),
while the right elbow pit (right antecubital fossa) should
face more outwards (towards the ball-target line). That
means that the left humerus is more internally rotated at
address - compared to the right humerus. Golfers who
adopt a stronger left hand grip will usually have more
internal rotation of their left humerus at address -
compared to golfers who adopt a weak/neutral left hand
grip (like David Leadbetter).

Jamie Sadlowski at address - capture image from a swing

video

Jamie Sadlowski adopts a very strong (4+ knuckle) left

hand grip at address - note that his left humerus is more
internally rotated and that his left forearm is more
pronated (compared to David Leadbetter). However,
note that there is no change in his right arm and right
elbow alignment, and that his right antecubital fossa
faces more outwards (in the direction of the ball-target
line) - as seen in the address position images of David
Leadbetter.
Ball position
David Leadbetter recommends placing the ball just
inside the left heel for the driver (ball position A), about
2 inches back of that position for a 5-iron, and roughly
in the middle of the stance for a short iron (ball position
B). The total distance from ball position A to ball
position B is only about 3" (about the width of two golf
balls).
The "Total Golf" authors recommend a different ball
position approach that relates the ball position to the
chest. and not the feet.
Ball position recommendations - from reference number
[5]

Basing the ball position on its relationship to the torso

makes sense, because it eliminates the variable effect
that varying degrees of foot flaring may have on correct
ball placement (when it is solely based on stance width).
An important golf instructional point about ball
position in these two ball position photographs - note
that the head is always behind the ball irrespective of
which club is being used. When using a short iron,
some golfers prefer to have their head more directly
over the ball, and their sternum marginally ahead of
the ball, so that they can hit down on the ball with a
steeper clubhead attack angle.
Note that the clubshaft angle/direction at address varies
with different length clubs (see David Leadbetter address
position photo). With a driver, the clubshaft is tilted
slightly forwards in the direction of the target, and this
encourages a slightly upward swing path at the point of
ball impact. With a mid/long iron, the clubshaft is tilted
only marginally backwards, and this encourages a
flattish (or slightly descending) swingpath in the region
of the ball and a shallow divot. With a short iron, the
clubshaft is tilted slightly more backwards, and this
encourages a steeper descending clubhead swingpath
and a steeper clubhead attack angle.
There are no fixed rules when it comes to ball position,
other than the general principle that the ball position
should generally be forward of the center of the stance. I
know of no golf instructor who recommends placing the
ball back of the center position (closer to the back foot)
for standard (non-specialised) full golf shots. Many golf
instructors recommend a "fixed" forward ball position
(eg. 2-3" inside the left heel) for all iron shots, and they
simply recommend moving the right foot to vary the
stance width, and consequently the ball's relationship to
the right foot-versus-left foot, for different clubs.
An individual golfer can also find the best ball position
for his individual full golf swing with an iron by personal
experimentation - swinging different clubs and seeing
where the divot starts (which roughly indicates the
lowest point of the clubhead arc). The low point of the
clubhead arc is usually situated vertically under the left
shoulder socket (in the absence of excessive secondary
axis tilt) and the low point (nadir) of the clubhead arc is
usually located at the deepest part of the post-impact
divot (if the golfer generates a divot). The ball should be
positioned just behind the back end of the divot. Using
this approach, most golfers will probably find that their
optimum ball position for most fairway clubs is located
approximately 2-4" inside the left heel.

Body alignment

Body alignment refers to the positioning of the body
relative to the ball-target line.
The body should optimally be aligned parallel to the ball-
target line for all standard shots, and each sub-section of
the body (feet, knees, thighs, hips, shoulders) should be
perfectly parallel to the ball-target line - as demonstrated
in the following artist-drawn diagram.

Body alignment - from reference number [4]

The most important part of the body that has to be
parallel to the ball-target line are the shoulders. The
direction the arms will swing across the front of the body
during the downswing is very much influenced by the
direction of the shoulder line, and the arms will tend to
follow the shoulder line. If the shoulders are pointing to
the right of the target, then it is very likely that the arms
will swing from in-to-out across the front of the body
during the downswing. If the shoulders are pointing to
the left of the target, then it is very likely that the arms
will swing from out-to-in across the front of the body
during the downswing.

Aiming

Aiming refers to the method of aligning one's clubface
relative to the ball so that the clubface faces the target,
and then the body is subsequently aligned parallel to the
ball-target line.
An useful method of aiming is to first stand about 6-12
feet directly behind the ball and then look down-the-line
at the target. This allows one to see the ball-target line in
one's mind without any parallax distortion that occurs if
one attempts to define the ball-target line from a side-
viewing perspective. Many golf instructors then suggest
that one choose an intermediate target along the ball-
target line, that is situated approximately 3-6 feet in front
of the ball eg. divot mark, clump of grass. Then one
should move back to an address position opposite the
ball, and place the clubshaft at an approximately 90
degree angle to the ball, so that the clubface faces the
intermediate target. If the clubface faces the intermediate
target, then the clubface must be perpendicular to the
ball-target line.
David Leadbetter aiming the club - from reference
number [3]

When aiming the clubface, one should look at the lower

2-3 groove lines of the clubface, and ensure that those
groove lines are at right angles to the ball-target line.
Don't look at the top of the clubface, because the top of
the clubface is often angled in such a manner that it is
not parallel to the clubface's groove lines. Also, note that
the clubshaft may not be at right angles to the ball-target
line when the clubface is at right angles to the ball-target
line - because different clubs have varying degrees of
offset (see photo). It is the clubface that needs to be at
right angles to the ball-target line, and not the
clubshaft. When one has the clubface's groove lines
perpendicular to the ball-target line, then one should
build one's stance around the clubface so that one is
standing along a stance line that is perfectly parallel to
the ball-target line. It is very important to understand that
one's foot stance and body alignment (knees, thighs,
pelvis, shoulders) should be positioned parallel to the
ball-target line, and that one should not look at the
target to verify correct foot/body alignment when
standing alongside the ball in the address position. In
fact, if one rotates one's head sideways to look at the
target after getting into a parallel-to-the-ball-target
line foot/body stance position, the target should
"appear" to be situated a little to the right, because one is
viewing the target from an eye-viewing position that is
approximately 2-3 feet left of the ball-target line. A
golfer should resist any inclination to change his foot
stance/body alignment so that he "feels" that his body is
directly facing the target, because this will cause him to
aim right of the target by approximately 10-20 degrees.
The correct reference point for aligning the stance/body
when standing alongside the ball is the ball-target line
(which was previously established when standing
directly behind the ball), and not the target.
Foot, body and shoulder alignment - from reference
number [7]

First of all, note that the feet are placed parallel to the
ball-target line. Then one should ensure that the rest of
the body (knees, thighs, hips, shoulders) is also parallel
to the ball-target line. Note that the clubface is aimed at
the flagpole, which is equivalent to aiming the clubface
at point "X". Note that the feet and shoulders appear
to be aiming at point "Y", which is far to the left of
point "X", when viewed from a DTL perspective.
This is a critical point, and when one turn one's head to
look at one's left shoulder, it should appear to be be
pointing well left of the target. In fact, one shouldn't
easily see the left shoulder out of the corner of the left
eye when one looks directly at the ball. If one clearly sees
the left shoulder in one's left eye's peripheral visual field
when looking at the ball, then it usually means that one
is misaligned, and that the shoulders are in a closed
position (and often pointing 10-20 degrees right of the
target). Many beginner golfers face 10-20 degrees right
of the target because they take aim at the target when
standing sideways alongside the ball, and they
subsequently, and mistakenly, align their shoulders to
face the target. To avoid that problem, a golfer should
always pre-visualize the ball-target line and also the
stance/body line when standing 6-12 feet directly
behind the ball, and then ensure that the two lines are
parallel to each other. The golfer should look to see
where the stance/body line will eventually be pointing
(point "Y") and ensure that his shoulders are facing point
"Y" when he is finally in his adopted address
position. As a rough guide, *point Y will appear to be
approximately 7 feet left of point X for every 100 yards
of distance. Therefore, if one is aiming at a target 300
yards away, then the left shoulder should "appear" to be
pointing at a point that is approximately 20 feet left of
the target.
(* this rough aiming-guide is only a rough approximation
because "aiming at a distant target" is a very subjective
phenomenon when one is standing sideways relative to
the ball-target line)
The railway track myth!
Many golf instructors state that a golfer should imagine
that the stance line should be parallel to the ball-target
line, and that both lines should point at the target - like
railway tracks receding in the distance.

Alignment technique - photos from reference number [8]

The author (Lupo) of the book (reference number [8])

recommends that a golfer should place a club on the
ground at the "projected" stance line so that the club
points at the target (as seen from behind) - see image 1.
He then states that a golfer should place his feet on the
"established" stance line, which means that the
shoulders/feet are facing the target at address - image 2.
I think that this aiming maneuver is a major mistake! If
the feet and shoulders are facing the target at address,
then the "true" alignment will likely be in the direction
of the red arrow in image 3 - about 10-20 degrees right
of the target. I highly recommend that golfers adopt my
alignment recommendations as demonstrated in image 4.
First establish the ball-target line by standing about 6-12
feet directly behind the ball. Second, locate an object (eg.
tuft of grass or divot mark) about 3-6 feet away on the
ball-target line - red dot, labelled "X". Third, stand
alongside the ball, and place the clubhead behind the ball
so that the clubface (short blue line) faces point "X".
Fourth, make sure that your foot stance line is
perpendicular to the clubface, which means that your
adopted stance/body line is parallel to the ball-target line
- yellow line. Fifth, make sure that an extension of the
stance line (yellow line) points well left of the target
(double-headed red arrow) - as viewed when glancing
out of the corner of the left eye at the left shoulder. As a
rough approximation, the width of the double-headed red
arrow at the target should be about 7 feet for every 100
yards of distance.
Another way of thinking about, and adopting, the
"correct" alignment is as follows-:
At address, the stance/shoulder line should be parallel to
the ball-target line and about 3' away - like two railway
tracks. However, when looking at two railway tracks as
they proceed into the far distance, they appear to
converge on a single point at the far horizon. That causes
a golfer to incorrectly think that he can aim his shoulders
at the target (eg. 250 yards away) and be correctly
aligned. However, that's not true. One needs to first
establish an imaginary ball-target line when standing 6-
12 feet directly behind the ball, and then simultaneously
imagine a stance line 3' away from the ball-target line,
where the stance line is parallel to the ball-target line.
Then, remembering the stance line's position in one's
mind, one should move around to the side of the ball and
place one's feet on that stance line. Then, if one looks out
of the corner of one's left eye at the left shoulder - when
standing in the address position - it should "appear" to be
aimed well left of the target (about 7 feet for every 100
yards of distance) and this is due to parallax distortion
that occurs when one mentally projects the imaginary
line between the left eye and the left shoulder into the far
distance. The 7' number is only a rough approximation.
Here is another method of understanding this
perspective distortion - that is based on a golfer's
viewing position.

The top diagram represents a golfer standing on the ball-

target line with his head/eyes directly over the ball. The
small circle represents his head and the large oval
represents his shoulders (as viewed from above). The red
dot represents a target on the ball-target line that is 200
yards away. The blue dot represents a target on the ball-
target line that is 100 yards away. From his viewing
perspective (on the ball-target line), his shoulders are in
a straight-line relationship to the two targets.
The bottom diagram represents the same golfer - who has
stepped back 3 feet, while keeping his shoulders parallel
to the ball-target line. Now, when the golfer looks at the
two targets (from his "new" viewing position on the
stance line), they "appear" to be to the right. The blue
target "appears" to be located a few more degrees to the
right than the red target (see the blue and red arrows). If
he turns his head marginally to the left and looks at his
left shoulder out of the corner of his left eye, to assess
where his shoulders are pointing, it will "appear" that his
shoulders are pointing to the left of the two targets
(direction of the yellow arrow).