Most golfers set up the same way regardless of what they're hitting — same spine tilt, same knee flex, same forward lean for a pitching wedge as for a 5-iron. That seems like consistency, but it's actually the opposite. Because every club sits at a different angle, the same posture produces a different relationship between the spine and the shaft for every club.
The only consistent posture is one that changes with the club — specifically, one that keeps the spine perpendicular to the shaft every time.
Brad Pluth has a two-second check that gets every golfer to that position without thinking about it.
The drill
Brad Pluth — PGA Master Professional Teaching & Coaching (Class of 2025), Golf Digest Best in State (Minnesota), US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Coach, Founder of Brad Pluth Golf Achievement™ at Dick's House of Sport, and three-time Minnesota PGA Award winner (Youth, Player, and Professional Development) — uses the pathpal as a visual shaft plane reference and the kneecap touch as the body calibration mechanism.
- Stand upright and hold the club at address
- Hinge forward from the hips — not the waist — until the fingertips touch the top of the kneecaps
- That position is the athletic stance baseline: hip hinge present, spine tilted forward, knees naturally flexed
- Check the pathpal set to the club's shaft angle — confirm the spine is perpendicular to the rod
- Repeat for each club, noting that the wedge requires more forward tilt (flatter plane line) and the 7-iron requires a slightly taller stance (more upright plane line)
The kneecap touch is the universal entry point. The perpendicular spine rule is the club-specific calibration. Together they produce the correct athletic posture for every club in the bag from a single, memorable physical cue.
Watch the drill
See Brad Pluth demonstrate the Kneecap Setup Drill live at Dick's House of Sport — including how the posture changes visibly between a wedge and a 7-iron when the pathpal is used as the plane reference.
Watch on YouTube: The Kneecap Setup Drill with Brad Pluth →
Why it works
The kneecap touch works because it measures the hip hinge rather than the knee bend — the distinction that separates an athletic golf posture from the two most common setup errors. Too many golfers either stand too upright (no hip hinge, spine too vertical) or bend from the waist (spine rounded, hip hinge absent).
The kneecap touch is only achievable through a genuine forward hip hinge — you can't touch the tops of the kneecaps with straight legs or a rounded back. The physical constraint of the test self-corrects both errors simultaneously.
The pathpal makes that progression visible rather than abstract — the golfer can see the angle they're perpendicular to and self-check without needing a mirror, camera, or instructor present.
The perpendicular spine principle is what makes the posture club-specific. Brad uses the pathpal set to the club's natural shaft angle as the visual reference, and the golfer adjusts their spine tilt until it's perpendicular to the rod. A wedge requires more tilt; a 7-iron requires slightly less; a driver requires even less still.
Who this is for
Inconsistent feel across the bag
Golfers who feel "different" over every club and can't identify why.
Good swing, bad contact
Players whose ball-striking is inconsistent across the bag despite a repeatable swing.
Building from scratch
Junior and beginner golfers who want a single, simple, physical check for every club.
This drill is also ideal for anyone who's been told their posture changes between clubs without knowing how to fix it.
Try it
Take three clubs — a wedge, a 7-iron, and a hybrid — and set the pathpal to each club's natural shaft angle in sequence. For each club, use the kneecap touch to find the hip hinge and check that the spine is perpendicular to the pathpal rod.
Notice how much the forward tilt changes between the wedge and the hybrid. Once the correct posture feels clear for each club, make five swings per club without the pathpal — recreating the perpendicular feeling from the kneecap touch alone. The contact consistency across the bag will confirm the posture calibration is working.
Continue your training
The Kneecap Setup Drill addresses how you stand over the ball. These three drills address what happens once that foundation is in place — or pair directly with it to build a complete, repeatable setup station.
Once your posture is set correctly with the kneecap touch, this drill teaches you to rotate freely around it — using a hockey slapshot analogy to make the perpendicular spine-to-shaft feel natural and athletic. A direct next step from the Kneecap Drill.
Janean Murphy uses the pathpal's multi-channel design to lock in lead foot position and ball position simultaneously, creating a physical setup template for every rep. The Kneecap Drill controls how you stand; this drill controls where you stand — together they define the complete address position.
With posture dialed in, the next question is whether your swing is staying on the plane that posture creates. Janean's Shaft Plane Match Drill sets the pathpal to your club's angle and trains you to swing under, not over, that reference — the on-course payoff of correct setup work.
About Brad Pluth
Brad Pluth is a PGA Master Professional Teaching & Coaching (Class of 2025), Golf Digest Best in State (Minnesota), US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Coach, and Founder of Brad Pluth Golf Achievement™ at Dick's House of Sport. He is a three-time Minnesota PGA Award winner in Youth, Player, and Professional Development.
Follow Brad on Instagram · bradpluthgolf.com · Follow pathpal on Instagram
The tool Brad uses in every lesson
pathpal is an integrated training system used by PGA Master Professionals, Golf Digest Best in State instructors, and golfers of every level. One tool. Every drill. Every club.
Shop pathpalFrequently asked questions
What is the kneecap touch and how do I perform it?
Stand upright, hold your club at address, then hinge forward from the hips — not the waist — until your fingertips touch the tops of your kneecaps. That position is your athletic stance baseline: hip hinge present, spine tilted forward, knees naturally flexed. This is the entry point for the correct posture for any club in your bag.
Why does my posture need to change between a wedge and a 7-iron?
Every club sits at a different shaft angle because lie angle and shaft length both vary across the set. A wedge sits on a flatter plane and requires more forward spine tilt; a 7-iron sits on a more upright plane and requires a slightly taller stance. The spine must remain perpendicular to the shaft for each club — which means the actual spine angle changes with each club you hit.
How does pathpal help with this drill?
In the Kneecap Setup Drill, the pathpal acts as a visual plane reference rather than a physical barrier. Brad sets it to the natural shaft angle of the club being hit, and the golfer adjusts their spine tilt until it's perpendicular to the rod. This makes the abstract relationship between spine and shaft immediately visible — no mirror, camera, or instructor required.
What are the two most common setup posture errors this drill fixes?
The two most common errors are standing too upright (no hip hinge, spine too vertical) and bending from the waist (spine rounded, hip hinge absent). The kneecap touch self-corrects both simultaneously — you can't reach the tops of your kneecaps with straight legs or a rounded back, so the physical test forces the correct hip hinge.
Is this drill useful for beginners and junior golfers?
Yes. The kneecap touch is a single, simple, physical check that works for any skill level. For beginners and juniors building setup habits from scratch, it provides a repeatable starting point for every club without requiring advanced body awareness or complex feel-based instruction.
