Jack Nicklaus's 5 Setup Keys for Better Aim and Accuracy

Jack Nicklaus's accuracy advice from a 1995 issue of GOLF Magazine is being republished as part of GOLF.com's Timeless Tips series, and the 18-time major winner's core message has not aged: shot-making is decided before the club ever moves.

What did Nicklaus call "the statics"?

Nicklaus grouped grip, clubface aim, body alignment, ball position and posture under one label because none of them require motion, yet he estimated they govern roughly 80 percent of solid ball-striking. His framework skips dead-straight shots entirely, since he argued no golfer can repeat one reliably, and instead builds every tip around producing a controlled draw or fade.

How should a golfer grip the club?

Nicklaus tied accuracy first to the hands, arguing that a grip which feels comfortable is not the same as one that returns the clubface squarely at impact. His fix: let the arms hang naturally, bring them together without twisting, and settle the club across the left palm and right fingers, knitting the hands together at the little finger. Done correctly, two to three knuckles of the left hand should be visible at address.

How do clubface aim and alignment control shot shape?

To draw a shot, Nicklaus recommended aiming the clubface slightly closed to the target line and setting the shoulders, hips, knees and feet a touch closed as well. For a fade, he reversed both: clubface slightly open, body alignment slightly open. He warned that exaggerating either position turns a draw into a hook or a fade into a slice.

Where should the ball be positioned?

Nicklaus placed his driver ball position opposite his left instep, at or just ahead of the low point of the swing arc, to maximize forward thrust. For shots off the turf, he moved the ball back toward his left heel to strike it with a slightly descending blow. He pointed to divot direction as the practical checkpoint: divots that start behind the ball and extend beyond it confirm correct positioning.

Eighty percent of fine shot-making happens before the golf club is set in motion.

What posture did Nicklaus recommend at address?

He described tilting forward from the hips until the club rests naturally behind the ball, arms hanging freely, knees slightly flexed, weight balanced evenly, and shoulders relaxed rather than tense. Because the right hand sits lower than the left on the grip, Nicklaus noted the shoulders will tilt slightly away from the target - a natural byproduct of the grip, not a flaw to correct.