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The foundation of any golf swing is the address position, or set up position, that you create before you swing the club. This position indicates how you will swing the club around you and to certain extent it dictates whether you will make a successful swing or not. It is vital that your address position creates a good solid foundation for you to then move and swing from.

As you walk to the ball, the first thing to build in your set up is the aim of the club face. Position the face next to the golf ball so that it is at a right angle to the direction that you want the ball to travel in. You can practise this by placing an iron or alignment pole on the ground and then positioning the club face of the club you are going to use at a right angle to this.

Now you need to create your stance. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart to create balance and you also need to stand a suitable distance from the ball in order to make the most efficient rotation in your back swing. Too close or too far away from the ball and you will struggle to hold your posture and rotate well. A general check point here would be to place the club face next to the golf ball and then with your weight balanced toe to heel in your feet, ensure that you have a four or five finger gap between the end of the club and your body.

Now you have your stance, work on achieving the correct ball position. This will affect the strike that you make on the golf ball and the accuracy that you play the shot with. Play your driver from opposite your left big toe (right handed golfers), your fairway woods from inside your left heel, your hybrids or long irons from an inch further back, your mid irons from two inches left of centre and your short irons from the centre of your stance. Check this by placing an iron or alignment pole across your toes and then create a right angle from the ball back to the line across your toes. This will show you where your ball is actually positioned in your stance.

Now you need to hold the club correctly using an effective grip. This is the time to check you have positioned your hands on the handle of the golf club correctly, as using a grip that it too weak or too strong will give you accuracy issues when you play your shot.

Finally, you now need to set your posture, or spine angle. You need to create a straight spine, so stand up straight and then tilt forward from your hips until your arms dangle vertically under your shoulder position. A great tip to achieve this is to practise standing up straight and then hold your club down your back from your head to the bottom of your back. Now tilt forward keeping both your head and bottom of your back in contact with the club. Just soften your knees to take the pressure from your hamstrings, but maintain the forward tilt.

You are now ready to play an effective golf shot.

A solid foundation and therefore solid swing comes from moving from the same correct start position time and time again. If you keep changing your address position, you will keep getting different results when you hit the golf ball. Work on having a constant set up routine that you can repeat effectively.

Achieving a solid foundation to swing from involves repeating the same position time and time again. This can be achieved by repeating the same routine and order that you do things in to achieve your set up. Not only keep the foundations of your set up constant, but also keep the order of your routine when building your set up constant as well.

Your start position is absolutely crucial. It may seem that you have a lot to do when building your start position. But if you create a good solid set up position, you are more likely to hit a great golf shot. Just walking up to the ball, standing anyhow and then hitting it will never allow you to achieve your best golf shots. Take your time to build your set up.