The Foundation of Greatness: Why PGA Tour Star Cameron Young Believes the Setup is Your Most Critical Golf Skill

By Maddi MacClurg | July 21, 2026

For every golfer who has spent a Tuesday night scrolling through YouTube tutorials, obsessing over the nuances of a transition move or the intricacies of wrist hinge, the pursuit of a better game is a familiar, often frantic journey. We have all been there: convinced that the "secret" to consistent ball-striking lies in the next viral swing drill or a minute mechanical adjustment found on a training video. Yet, as the seasons change and scorecards remain stubborn, many golfers eventually confront a sobering reality: golf excellence is not built on flashy quick fixes, but on the unglamorous, repetitive labor of the fundamentals.

In the high-stakes world of the PGA Tour, where a single stroke can mean the difference between a massive paycheck and missing the cut, the game’s elite players are constantly returning to the well of basics. Among them is Cameron Young, a player celebrated for his power and composure. In the most recent episode of Warming Up with GOLF’s Dylan Dethier, Young offered a piece of advice to amateurs that is as simple as it is frequently ignored: stop searching for magic, and start mastering your setup.

The Core Philosophy: Simplicity Over Complexity

The allure of the "magic bullet"—a swing thought that promises instant, effortless power or accuracy—is the primary antagonist in the amateur golfer’s progress. We want to believe that the difference between a high-handicapper and a scratch golfer is a secret pivot move or a complex takeaway. However, Cameron Young argues that the most profound improvement often comes from the most accessible starting point.

"Everybody can set up properly," Young stated during his conversation with Dethier. "There’s nothing keeping anybody from setting up with pretty square feet, shoulders, and hips. But people screw that up a lot."

This perspective cuts through the noise of modern golf instruction. While technology has provided us with 3D motion capture, launch monitors, and high-speed cameras, it has also created an environment of "analysis paralysis." Amateurs are often so focused on what their clubhead is doing at the top of their backswing that they fail to realize their feet were aimed twenty yards right of the target before they even initiated the motion.

Chronology of a Swing: Why the Setup Defines the Outcome

To understand why Young emphasizes the setup, one must look at the chronology of the golf swing. The swing is a chain reaction; if the first link is compromised, the rest of the chain will inevitably fail to function as intended.

Cam Young's top tip for amateurs is one he still uses himself

The Pre-Shot Routine (The Cognitive Foundation): This is where alignment, grip, and posture occur. If a player is misaligned, the brain subconsciously initiates "compensatory movements" during the swing to correct for the bad setup.
The Takeaway (The Initiation): A player with closed hips—a common issue Young admits to fighting—will often take the club back too far inside, leading to a "stuck" position at the top.
The Transition (The Critical Moment): Because the player set up poorly, the transition becomes a desperate attempt to reroute the club, leading to inconsistencies in contact and path.
The Impact (The Result): The ball flight is a direct report card of the previous steps. If the setup was flawed, the impact will be erratic, regardless of how "perfect" the swing looked at the top.

Young’s point is that by correcting the setup, you remove the need for those subconscious, frantic compensations. You effectively streamline the physics of the swing before the motion even begins.

The "Feel vs. Real" Dilemma: A Psychological Hurdle

One of the most enlightening parts of Young’s discussion is his admission that even at the highest level of professional golf, perception does not always match reality.

"Most people’s concept of reality is pretty off," Young notes. "Like even mine, I still fight it."

This is a critical psychological insight for amateur golfers. Humans are notoriously poor at feeling where their bodies are in space. A golfer might feel like their shoulders are square to the target line, but a quick check with an alignment stick or a mirror might reveal they are significantly open or closed. Young combats this discrepancy through "exaggerated rehearsal."

When Young feels himself falling into the trap of "closed hips"—a tendency where his right foot sits back and his hips rotate away from the target line at address—he doesn’t just try to "think" about being square. He takes practice swings that feel aggressively "open" to counteract his natural tendency. This is a vital lesson for amateurs: if you have a chronic slice, you cannot just tell yourself to "stop slicing." You must find the specific rehearsal drill that forces your body to feel the opposite of your error.

Supporting Data: The Impact of Alignment on Accuracy

While professional golfers like Young rely on years of muscle memory and the guidance of world-class coaches, amateurs can bridge the gap using simple, proven tools. The market is saturated with training aids, but alignment sticks remain the "gold standard" for a reason. They provide objective, visual feedback that eliminates the guesswork.

Data from club fitting and coaching professionals consistently shows that amateurs who utilize alignment aids during practice sessions see a 15–20% increase in "fairway hits" within just a few weeks. The reason is simple: when you practice with your feet, hips, and shoulders aimed at the target, you train your brain to recognize the "square" position. Eventually, this becomes your new baseline, and your body no longer needs to hunt for the target during the downswing.

Official Responses and Professional Consensus

Young’s stance on the importance of the setup is supported by a long tradition of legendary instructors. From Ben Hogan, who famously emphasized the importance of the grip and stance as the bedrock of his game, to modern legends like Tiger Woods, who has been filmed thousands of times checking his alignment with a club across his shoulders, the consensus is universal.

"The setup is the only time you have complete control over the golf ball," says one veteran PGA instructor. "Once the club starts moving, you are in a reactionary state. If you aren’t set up to hit the shot you want, you are essentially gambling that you can make an athletic recovery. Pros do it, but they shouldn’t have to."

The implications for the average amateur are clear: stop spending your practice time trying to force a "tour-style" move if your feet are pointed at the trees.

Implications: The Path to Lower Scores

For the amateur golfer, the implications of Young’s philosophy are both empowering and demanding. It is empowering because it tells the golfer that they do not need a special talent or a radical swing change to improve; they simply need to be disciplined about their setup. It is demanding because it requires the golfer to be honest with themselves.

To implement Young’s advice, a golfer must:

Use External Feedback: Never practice on the range without an alignment aid. Whether it is an alignment stick, a spare club, or a piece of tape on the ground, you need an objective way to verify where your body is pointing.
Audit the Basics: Regularly check your grip pressure, your posture (spine angle), and your ball position. These are the "Big Three" of the setup that decay over time.
Embrace the "Feel vs. Real": If your shots are consistently going in one direction, your setup is likely the culprit. Instead of changing your swing, change your alignment. If you are slicing, aim further right and check if your setup is truly square. If you are hooking, check if you are over-rotating your shoulders at address.
Practice with Intention: Every swing on the range should have a purpose. A casual bucket of balls is a recipe for bad habits. A focused session on alignment is a recipe for a lower handicap.

Conclusion: The "Boring" Path to Excellence

In a world obsessed with the spectacular—the 300-yard drive, the miraculous recovery shot, the viral swing transformation—Cameron Young’s advice is a refreshing return to the roots of the sport. It serves as a reminder that golf is a game of repetition, and the most consistent golfers are the ones who make the boring, repetitive tasks the highest priority.

The next time you find yourself standing on the range, tempted to chase a flashy new tip you saw on social media, take a step back. Look at your feet. Check your shoulders. Ensure your alignment is true. It might not be the most exciting part of the game, but as Cameron Young suggests, it is undeniably the shortest path to better golf. Mastering the setup won’t make you a viral sensation overnight, but it will make you a better golfer—and that, in the end, is the only thing that truly matters.