The nose knows

I’ve heard of ball position in your stance.

I’ve heard of hand position at address.

I’ve heard of impact position.

I’ve heard of shoulder, feet and elbow position in the golf swing.

But this is the first time I’ve heard of nose position in the golf swing.

FitzyGolfPro, also known as Brian Fitzgerald from Australia, says that there are no less than three nose positions that every golfer needs to know.

When I first heard that I chuckled, wondering how I could move my nose from its current position on my face.

Of course, I realized he was talking about the position of my nose at address and throughout the swing, with my nose being in a central position on my face/head.

For the driver, Fitzy wants us to position our nose just ahead of the center of our stance. The ball is positioned very near our lead heel. To test nose position, take your stance, hold a ball at the tip of your nose, and drop it. If it drops near the center of your stance (behind the teed up ball), you’re in a good position to hit up on the driver. Just keep your head still throughout the swing and your nose will maintain the correct position.

With full swing irons, hybrids and fairway woods (any club hit from the ground), Fitzy wants us to position the nose directly over the shaft of the golf club at address. If you drop a ball at the tip of your nose, it should hit the shaft.

Fitzy says this position gives you “the best chance of collecting the golf ball and then the turf afterwards.” In other words, ball then turf contact resulting in better compression of the ball and increased distance.

The third nose position is for chip and pitch shots. These short game shots require a less than full swing and can be played with any number of clubs from a fairway wood or hybrid or with any of your irons.

Fitzy recommends a very narrow stance with the ball in the middle of that narrow stance. He wants your nose positioned just in front of the ball. Drop a ball from the tip of your nose and it should hit the ground just in front of the ball position.

This promotes a downward attack on the ball resulting in crisp, consistent contact.

If you like to move the ball in your stance to alter the trajectory of the shot, go ahead, but make sure your nose position is just in front of the ball position relative to your stance.

Holiday cheers and thanks!

As we move towards Christmas and the rest of the holiday season, I’d like to thank all of you for subscribing to Finding the Tips. You’ve given me a great gift and I am very appreciative. I’ll continue to work to repay your generosity by finding you the golf tips that are most likely to help improve your game.

Until next Friday, Merry Christmas to all!

From Mark at Finding the Tips