My coach’s analysis of my sand-wedge swing showed that my biggest opportunities were present before I ever moved the club. By comparing my face-on and down-the-line videos with professional reference positions, he identified three major setup changes: 1) use a narrower stance, 2) improve the relationship among my left shoulder, left hand, and ball, and 3) create my posture with a better hip hinge. These are lessons from this specific coaching session and this specific sand-wedge swing—not universal setup rules that I am automatically applying to my driver, longer irons, or every other type of shot.
1. Use a Narrower Sand-Wedge Stance
The face-on analysis showed that my stance was wider than my coach wanted for this sand-wedge swing. A wide stance can feel stable, but with a wedge it can also make it harder to stay centered and rotate comfortably. His recommendation was to bring my feet closer together so the width better matches the shorter club and controlled swing. The goal is not to stand with my feet touching or to feel unstable; it is to create a compact, balanced base appropriate for a sand wedge rather than using the wider base I might choose for a driver.
I do not want to turn “narrower stance” into a rule for every club. Longer clubs and faster swings may require a different width. For this sand-wedge swing, my checkpoint is to bring my feet a little closer together, feel centered through the middle of both feet, and make sure I can turn without swaying.
2. Connect the Left Shoulder, Hand, and Ball
The face-on professional image showed another relationship my coach wanted me to see. For this sand-wedge setup, he highlighted the left shoulder, left hand, and ball along the same reference line. Thinking about all three points together is more useful than thinking only about pushing my hands forward, because it connects ball position, the lead side of my upper body, hand position, and shaft lean in one picture.
I am deliberately keeping this instruction in context. The video demonstrates the relationship with a sand wedge, and I am not assuming that the same amount of hand position, shaft lean, or ball position should be copied with every club. Those details can change with club length, intended trajectory, and shot type. My immediate goal is simply to reproduce the relationship my coach showed me when I set up for this stock sand-wedge swing.
3. Build the Hip Hinge in Order
My coach did not simply tell me to add more hip hinge. He gave me a sequence I can recreate every time I practice:
- Stand straight and tall with the club held naturally in front of me.
- Bend forward from the hip joints while keeping my back long rather than rounding my shoulders.
- Continue hinging until the clubhead is approximately 10 centimeters—about four inches—above the ground.
- Soften my knees just enough to lower the clubhead the rest of the way to the turf.
- Let my arms hang naturally instead of reaching toward the ball.
The order makes the advice much more useful. If I bend my knees first, I can end up squatting without creating enough forward bend. If I reach down by rounding my upper back, I may look lower without establishing a better athletic posture. The 10-centimeter checkpoint creates a practical dividing line: the hip hinge brings the club most of the way down, and the small amount of knee flex completes the setup.
Putting the Three Changes Together
Before hitting my next sand wedge, I will combine the coach’s three lessons into one routine. I will begin with the narrower stance, then check the relationship among my left shoulder, left hand, and ball from the face-on perspective. From there I will stand tall, hinge from the hips until the clubhead is about 10 centimeters above the turf, soften my knees to ground the club, and let my arms hang naturally. Once I feel centered and balanced, I can make the swing without adding another complicated backswing thought.
These changes should also be easy to measure. I can record the same face-on and down-the-line angles and check whether my stance is actually narrower, whether I reproduce the left shoulder–left hand–ball relationship, and whether I create my posture from the hips rather than squatting or rounding my back. The objective is not to copy a professional pose perfectly or make every club look the same. It is to understand what my coach wants for this sand-wedge swing, turn those instructions into a repeatable setup, and see whether that better starting position produces improved balance and more consistent contact.
Lesson from Coach Mike Lindfield.