He has been awarded 14 major championships for his golf stance. His ball position, weight distribution, and foot width have all helped him win. The driver’s golf stance is what we should all use, right?
But not fast. You can choose to accept or reject it. Why would Tiger Woods’ golf stance not be appropriate for all?
First, a golf stance is not independent of your swing technique. Your stance style will likely be different if you play a different type of golf swing than another player.
Your body type could also be a factor in your golf stance being different from Tiger Woods’. Tiger Woods agrees 100% with this statement. His book is at page 87. How do I play golf?Tiger states “in choosing a particular player to model your swing after, take into consideration the player’s height and build.” “If you’re tall and thin, you don’t want to copy the swing of a player who is short and stocky.”
Third reason: I’d expand on Tiger Woods’ statement and add that it is important to take into consideration a player’s strength, flexibility, coordination, and other factors.
To see the differences in Tiger Woods’ golf technique and Tiger’s build, you need only look at how they have changed. A young, skinny Tiger Woods had a golf swing that used a square-to-closed foot position and a strong grip. His grip and stance helped him to square the clubface when he hit it. In his early thirties, Tiger was stronger and he adopted a stance that had a slightly square foot position and a neutral grip to avoid oversquaring the clubface. The swing philosophy also changed, resulting in Tiger’s foot position changing. Tiger’s older swing was meant for youngster play, and Tiger’s new swing was made for him to use a power fade as an adult.
To answer the question “Is Tiger Woods the driver?” let us first describe the specific components of Tiger’s stance. Tiger’s stance is slightly more upright than his shoulder width, and it is somewhat open. Tiger also turns his left and right feet slightly outwardly.
Tiger can swing the club higher than with a more upright and square stance. The reason for this is that the ball needs to be farther away than your body at address. Your swing will be flatter the further away the ball is from you at address.
The way that he flails his feet allows him to turn his shoulder fully on his backswing while following through, and also limits his hip turn. The ideal foot width for stability and balance to manage his 135 mph driver swing speed is what he uses.
For you to decide if the Tiger Woods stance is right for your needs, you will have to play with it. Women with lower center of gravity or slower swing speeds might not require a driver’s stance that is wider than their shoulders. A square or closed stance may be better for those who are trying to swing a flat plane, or playing a draw. People with differing flexibility may have to adjust the way they move their feet to achieve the correct hip rotation and shoulder rotation for the backswing.
You can see that the real answer is either yes or no. You can be sure of one thing: To learn how Tiger swings the golf club, you must be able to integrate flexibility and strength training in your game. You cannot buy his hip flexibility and upper and lower body strength over-the-counter. He needs them to be able to swing like a portrait.