1 Common Setup Flaw That's Crushing Your Scores
While there are lots of elements in the golf swing, one of the most important (and controllable) pieces is having a trusted golf setup.
You see, the setup is the foundation of the swing, so having a consistent one allows you to move athletically once you do address and then hit the golf ball. If you don't dial this in, you'll likely never see great contact.
Unfortunately, given all the golf tips about fixing slices and avoiding chunked shots, most beginner golfers overlook basic fundamentals (myself included)!
But during an on-course golf lesson with top-ranked coach Mike Dickson, he identified a common mistake that I was doing that could also be crushing your scores — which you can see in the video below.
https://youtube.com/shorts/QRdcOFBfJU4?si=JXqDtbizIoWDfLae
As the video above shows, Dickson noticed I had a bad habit of bending my knees too much as I got into my golf setup.
"Do me a favor," Dickson requests. "When you go into your golf setup, don't go so bendy [in the knees]."
But this issue isn't just a "me" problem, as Dickson says it's something he notices in a lot of amateur or beginner golfers, since so many players relate hitting a golf ball with hitting a moving object like a baseball — which, obviously, it's not.
"I think that's one thing that amateurs do a really bad job of," he adds. "Remember, the ball's not moving, so you don't need to go crazy."
Ask any golf coach about what an ideal setup looks like, and they'll likely tell you it requires your feet being about shoulder-width apart, slight bend from the hips or waist (with a straight spine tilting forward) , and your weight evenly distributed between both feet.
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After being in that position, your arms should naturally hang from your shoulders, which allows you to athletically rotate in the backswing and follow through after impact.
But as the video with Mike Dickson and me showed, this wasn't how my golf setup looked.
While many golfers might just disregard this mistake — often attributing a bad shot to an open clubface or poor weight distribution — it's something that needs to be corrected immediately in order to improve your ball-striking skills.
That's because excessive bend in the knees disrupts posture, balance, and the natural motion of your body. So when you bend or squat too much, the hips tend to sway or slide instead of rotating. This disrupts your ability to properly turn and get depth in the backswing, and often leads to your body making compensations later in the swing motion.
But wait, there's more!
Too much knee bend in your golf setup also limits your ability to generate clubhead speed, so even if you do get lucky and make contact in the center of the clubface, you're not maximizing your shot.
So if one of your golf goals this year is working on making better contact, start by getting into the correct golf setup first, then incorporate swing changes. By building a consistent setup with slight knee flex — while hinging properly from the hips — your body will rotate more efficiently, control the low point of the golf club, and strike the ball much better.
Be sure to subscribe to Rainmakers Golf on YouTube for more relatable golf tips, golf instruction, and swing advice to help your game improve.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
