The real cause of most swing problems is not your swing

It is my firm belief – and I emphasize the word firm – that almost all swing cancers can be traced directly back to lineup errors.

A poor grip, poor posture, incorrect distance to the ball, incorrect alignment, incorrect ball position – or a combination of these – will sabotage even the most talented player. You simply cannot build a repeatable, high-level golf swing on a shaky foundation.

Can you make a good shot from a bad position? Naturally. But can you do that consistently? Absolutely not. Remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Poor lineup conditions may give you a great shot here and there, but over time they will cover your ceiling and cause your ball to hit very inconsistently. If you’re constantly looking for solutions during the swing, chances are the real problem started long before the club ever moved.

That’s why I constantly remind my students that practice is about practice qualitynot quantity. One of the easiest ways to increase the quality of your practice is to place an alignment stick on the ground and go through your entire pre-shot routine before each ball you hit. Not some of the time. Every time. Treat the course like a golf course and not a ball machine. If you wouldn’t hit a shot on the range without proper aim and adjustment, why would you do it on the range?

So who had the best pre-shot routine of all time? Undoubtedly Jack Nicklaus. Right behind him I would nominate Tiger Woods and maybe Raymond Floyd. What made these players special was not just talent, but also discipline. I often tell my students that one of the defining characteristics of top tour players is that they are “boring.” They do exactly the same thing for every shot. Same routine. Same checkpoints. Same commitment.

Recreational golfers, on the other hand, are often far too ‘excitable’. They aim one ball carefully. Next time they won’t. One swing and they’re standing tall. The next moment they crouch. Over time, that inconsistency becomes impossible to overcome.

If you want to play better golf, become a setup expert — and yes, it’s worth repeating: become an installation expert. Develop a pre-shot routine that is 100 percent fundamentally sound. Create a grip that suits your swing, maintain an athletic stance, position the ball correctly in front of the club in your hands, and aim with the precision of a world-class marksman.

When these fundamentals are in place, the swing becomes easier, contact improves, and consistency follows. The setup not only initiates the swing, but also defines what is possible once the club starts moving.

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