Many golfers have believed that striving for consistency is unrealistic – inconsistency is only part of the game. Despite some truth, the best participants in the world prove that high levels of consistency are not only possible, but are crucial to success. These are habits and principles that golfers should focus on everyday, but most people don’t know where to start.
Although individual settings styles may vary, the basics of consistent settings remain the same. Every golfer, regardless of skill level, can apply key setting principles to promote their preferred shooting shape. Here are the details of travel professionals constantly monitor and fine-tune to maintain their strengths.
Settings: The basics of consistently controlling ball flight
1. Put your hands into the club in the same way every time (note that small changes in strength or disadvantage can be added when needed)
2. The distance from the ball to the bag and how it changes with shorter clubs vs longer clubs
3. Ball position related to shorter clubs
4. Body positioning related to club length
5. Align because it is related to the stock ball flight they are trying to create or the professional shot they are trying to hit.
6. Create patterns by aligning the bottom by swings to facilitate repeated flights
Iron requires an intentional process
Small skill players usually approach shooting without consistent routine or clear intentions. This random approach only reinforces inconsistency as its norm. While golf is an inherently unpredictable game, that’s why a consistent process is so important – not an excuse to avoid excuses.
In contrast, the top players I worked with had a clear ball plane plan for each club in the bag. They know the shape of the lens they like and know how to make subtle adjustments when needed. Ask them to hit the stock five times on the boot monitor and you will see significant consistency of the key impact variables – center contacts, paths, face angles, dynamic lofts and attack angles. The same is true for ball flight when these factors are repeatable.
Even if asked to shape the shooting outside the usual pattern, these players can make precise adjustments. Their ability to control the influence conditions allows them to be reliable commands on distances, trajectories and curves, even in games where unpredictability is the norm.
Use longer club controls for impact variables
The same principles that apply to iron extend to drivers and longer clubs. Skilled players know the shape of the lens they like and how to create it with specific set positions and swaying feels. Although perfection is never a goal, their misses are usually smaller and easier to manage.
They always manage key impact variables, namely strike, gear effect, attack angle, face angle and dynamic loft center, producing reliable ball flights even under pressure. With longer clubs, especially drivers, precise control of these elements becomes even more important.
Although golf plays golf on an ostensibly inconsistent under changing circumstances, elite players don’t have any chance. Their approach is intentional, disciplined and refined – designed to bring as much predictability as possible to unpredictable games.
