Square Stance

A square stance means that a line across the toes, another across the hips, and another across the shoulders all run parallel to the target line, rather than pointing left (open) or right (closed) of it, for the golfer's intended ball flight. It is the default alignment taught to beginners and the reference point instructors use when describing any intentional or accidental deviation.

Achieving a genuinely square stance is harder than it sounds, because the golfer's own view of their alignment is distorted by standing to the side of the target line rather than behind it. A large majority of amateur golfers who believe they are square are measurably open or closed when checked with an alignment stick or video from directly behind the ball — a well-documented tendency, most often toward aiming right of target with the body while the clubface points at the true target, which sets up a compensating in-to-out swing path the golfer doesn't realize they're making.

A square stance is the correct default for a standard, straight-target shot and the position most golf instruction assumes unless a deliberate fade or draw setup is being taught. Regularly checking alignment with sticks on the range — not just occasionally — is one of the simplest, highest-value habits a golfer at any level can build, since alignment errors are invisible to the golfer's own eyes but easy to fix once identified.