For irons...Arms forward or closed face at address

Hi, I just started playing this year and bought a set of beginner golf clubs...This set has offset...but for me to have the face angle square at address...my arms really need to be moved forward instead of letting them just hang, as suggested in so many golf swing tips...it doesnt feel and look right to me...I look at other people at the driving range and never see anyone set up like this with there arms extremely ahead of ball...and none of the golf tips i get on the net ever say to do this either....it always says to just let it hang in front of you...now doing research ive heard of closed face woods and drivers...but nothing on closed face irons...but when i drop i drop my arms the face angle is closed...now i can hit the ball this way using an in out swing plane...and get a bit of a drawl...which is fine...but im new and really want to have a fundamentally sound swing and not one thats been compensated to my equipment...since i do have a beginner set with alot of offset...is it proper for me to address the ball with a closed face? Ive tried setting the ball more back in my stance...but i just cant get that crisp feeling shot consistently...so to make a long question short...is it proper for some game improvement irons to have a closed face at address? or should i really set my arms forward pass the ball? or should i move the ball back by quite a bit in my stance? Thank you!

I have this same issue. I'm using a set of Ping Eye2's from my father-in-law. I find that my hands are well ahead of the ball at address in order to get the club face square. It seems to work OK for now. I have a lesson coming up in a couple of weeks. I may address it with my instructor then.

What some of us term as square may not be what you are referring to as square.
Do you mean to say that when you setup you push your arms forward like shown in this drawing?
http://slam-it.com/images/forward%20press.PSD.gif
That is an incorrect position that high handicappers tend to get positioned in at setup.

What you want square is the bottom groove on the clubface.
http://www.thomasgolf.com/510top.jpg

If it doesn't look square at setup your alignment may be off, specifically your eye line, may be aligned in the wrong direction.
To check your eye line have a club on the ground parallel to your target (as shown in the image below). Take another club and hold it directly below your eyes pointed in the same direction your eyes are pointing. If the shafts matchup or are parallel then your eye line is correct, but if the shaft you are holding points left of the shaft on the ground then your eyes are aligned too far to the left, and that will give you the impression the clubface is open.
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/Le...ackPosture.jpg

A good way to tell if you club face is square in your grip, is after taking your grip, hold the club head out in front of you, toe up, at arms length,and align the bottom groove(s) with an object that has a verticle 90 degree line. Something like the corner of a building, or pole that is standing straight up. After doing this, (which is a good drill on the practice range) place the club on the ground, square to your target line, using your normal address position. Do not adjust the club face in your hands at address. What you might see is that your club face will tend to look closed. Never the less it is still square to your target line. If you were to pick the club up again, the club face would still be in line with what ever 90 degree verticle object you used. That is the easy part. The hard part is to get the club face back to that same position at impact. GJS

Each club is designed to have an amount of forward lean in the shaft so that you attack the ball with the correct loft. Take a look at the image of Nick Faldo in Avid Golfers post, hid hands are forward of the ball. When addressing the club you should set the appropriate ball position then square the clubface behind the ball, hold the grip so it respects the natural lean of the shaft. With a mid iron as in the picture your hands will be around the inside of your thigh, longer irons more upright, wedges a little more forward.

__________________
Best Regards
Brian

________________________________
Funny o'l game!

Golf clubs are designed with impact in mind first and foremost. If you are setting up trying to set the sole of the club, or flange, flat on the ground at setup you are making the game more difficult and your shots erratic. If you look at the pictures of Greg Norman below you'll see his setup is very consistent from one club to the next. His ball position is consistently in line with the inside of his left heel and his armpit. His shaft is perpendicular to the ground so that it is straight up and down, not tilted excessively toward the target, nor excessively away from the target. His consistency from one club to the next (and thus one swing to the next) is one of the reasons why Norman was such a good player. While it is true that some tour players vary their ball positions it is not more than by three inches total, not in the middle of the stance, nor near the back foot (chipping being the exception). Like Nickalus, Hogan, Jones, and many other players Norman believed a constant ball position helped make it easier to produce a repetitive swing, and it also coincides with the scientific principles of how the golf swing works.




(http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9...ansetupdn8.jpg)

Just to show there's more than one way to "swing a cat"......

The following link shows a slighlty different view on where your hands should be at address.

http://golf.about.com/od/golftips/ss/golf_setup_8.htm

Bottom line, don't be afraid to experiment, find what works for you and use that...

Cheers

I did not suggest that the ball should move around in your stance. I like to keep the ball in line with my left armpit (around 2 inches inside my left heel, a tad less for my driver) for all clubs then vary the width of my stance by moving my right foot only.

I don't like the way Greg Norman aligns the club and how forward his ball is in his stance. Your picture of Nick Faldo is a better ball and club setting. To reiterate my point, the shaft of each club is designed with a natural forward lean and this should be respected in setup.

__________________
Best Regards
Brian

________________________________
Funny o'l game!

Basically let your arms hang naturally and then move your right hand to your left hand. Let your right shoulder drop a little bit because your right hand will be below your left hand on the club. You shouldn't have to move both arms forward. Seems likes you need to change how you grip the club to get it square at that point. It is actually preferable to have the club face very slightly open at address.