Should the shaft be straight or lean slightly forward

It depends on the shot but for irons and wedges you probably want a forward shaft lean most of the time. For a lot of people it’s almost always. At impact you want your hands to be ahead of the club head nearly all the time.

@Aspen
That’s interesting. A few friends have said this but my instructor told me something different. Maybe the shaft lean comes later

Dakota said:
@Aspen
That’s interesting. A few friends have said this but my instructor told me something different. Maybe the shaft lean comes later

My instructor told me the same thing. Technically, you’re supposed to start centered or level and then have shaft lean at impact. But I was advised to start with a little lean at address because I was returning the club to my starting position, which led to a poor impact position when starting level. My impact would then be level. I used to hit floaty slices but now I shoot straight.

@Hayden
That makes sense. Thank you.

Dakota said:
@Aspen
That’s interesting. A few friends have said this but my instructor told me something different. Maybe the shaft lean comes later

Maybe lean a little more so that the head’s center of gravity lines up with your hands to your lead shoulder. It’s tough on the physics to get your hands farther forward, but your setup won’t matter anyway.

Dakota said:
@Aspen
That’s interesting. A few friends have said this but my instructor told me something different. Maybe the shaft lean comes later

Follow your instructor’s advice for now. Having shaft lean or a forward press at address doesn’t mean you’ll have shaft lean at impact. A lot can go wrong, and you can still mess up even if you had a lot of shaft lean at address.

Dakota said:
@Aspen
That’s interesting. A few friends have said this but my instructor told me something different. Maybe the shaft lean comes later

Shaft lean is correct. You will naturally get it if you grip the club right with your left hand. There will be less lean with longer irons because you place the ball more towards your left foot.

@Remy
That makes perfect sense. I do notice some natural lean when I grip properly, though it’s slight.

Dakota said:
@Aspen
That’s interesting. A few friends have said this but my instructor told me something different. Maybe the shaft lean comes later

If you have a qualified instructor, follow their advice for your swing instead of what people say online. I’d suggest asking your instructor this question and following up with a big ‘why’ so you can understand their reasoning.

@Aspen
My instructors have always said to keep it centered. But everyone I want to copy uses shaft lean.

Teo said:
@Aspen
My instructors have always said to keep it centered. But everyone I want to copy uses shaft lean.

I think keeping it centered is an older method. Having a little shaft lean at address makes it easier to have hands forward at impact. I’ve heard to have the handle pointing at the first belt loop or lead hip. I haven’t come across many modern instructors saying to keep it centered.

@Aspen
Does the lean also apply to long irons

It doesn’t matter, but forward lean is often used to remind people where impact should be. But it doesn’t really do much.

Noor said:
It doesn’t matter, but forward lean is often used to remind people where impact should be. But it doesn’t really do much.

This drives me nuts. Thank you. Having shaft lean at address does nothing for me. But I can get my hands ahead of the ball at impact.

Noor said:
It doesn’t matter, but forward lean is often used to remind people where impact should be. But it doesn’t really do much.

Thanks. I noticed at the range today that it made little to no difference in my shots.

Noor said:
It doesn’t matter, but forward lean is often used to remind people where impact should be. But it doesn’t really do much.

If the face is square to the target, you better believe it has a slight impact on your grip and other factors. It changes the direction your elbow is facing and your shoulder position slightly. You can do it either way but it does make a difference.

Forward

The angle is only important at impact. It can vary at address.

The shorter the club, the more shaft lean you should have. None for a driver and some for a wedge. Don’t overdo it, but having some lean at address helps create that feeling of having your hands in front of the club face at impact.