Is your golf stance too wide? This simple test will tell you

When it comes to golf swing fundamentals, there are plenty of elements to consider: grip, ball position and posture, to name a few. But what about your stance width? How can you tell if your stance is appropriate for your body type?

GOLF Top 100 Teacher Jason Baile has a simple test to find out.

In a video posted on Titleist’s YouTube page, Baile demonstrated just how simple it is to ensure that the stance you’re using is the correct width.

First, Baile recommends getting into a stance and posture that feels stable and athletic.

“I want you to feel like you could play anything,” he says. “Like you could take a snap from center, play basketball, field as a shortstop. But then once you feel that width and that athleticism, place your golf club right here on your thighs, just make a turn towards the target and tell me whether your thighs can kiss right here.”

By “kiss,” Baile means your upper thighs should be able to touch as you turn and follow through.

On Baile’s first swing, he finds that his thighs are too far apart to kiss, so he narrows his stance and tries again.

“If I narrow down that stance a little bit closer, now I can easily turn, kiss my thighs and I really feel like I’m in much better balance here,” he says.

The trick to finding the perfect stance for your body type is to get wide enough to feel athletic but narrow enough to feel stable on the follow-through.

“We want you to be wide, but not so wide that you can’t make this motion and stay on balance,” Baile says.

Once you have your stance sorted, other fundamentals like ball position and posture can more easily fall into place. Give Baile’s test a try during your next practice session to become a more athletic and powerful golfer.

To check out a full video of Baile’s tip, click here.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.