Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

[Jimbud]

Is there a clear correct answer to this question? Do most teaching pros recommend progressively moving the ball forward in your stance as your club choice gets longer? I remember a book Jack Nicklaus wrote in that he used the approach to hit every ball off the inside of your front foot and simply narrow your stance as your club got shorter. Love to hear what the modern day thinking is on this subject.

[BrianW]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

This article explains my thinking on this subject:

http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/c...lace-ball.html

[LowPost42]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

The best answer I've heard is that the ball is always played 2-3" inside your lead heel (ie under your left armpit).


Where it looks like it's being played in your stance is completely dependent on where you put your trailing foot - a wider stance will make it look played 'up' while a narrow stance will make it look played 'back'.

[GolfJunkieSr]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

I think a big problem is that higher handicap players do not play the ball in the same (correct) position that their swing requires. They may think they are, but being off just a little can cause a slight to major ball flight problem.

I suggest a golfer get themselves a yard stick, (metal works best) and use the numbers as reference points for ball, and feet locations. Mark the locations that work best for you on the yard stick. Use this everytime you are at the practice range, and eventually the locations needed for your particular swing will become second nature. If you don't have a yard stick, then use anything that you can that allows you to mark reference points on it. Call it your own "golfing story pole" if you wish.

Once you are happy with the reference points you have marked, move the ball back and fourth and see what that does to your ball flight. You may need that type of ball flight later on.

I play most of my full shots from the left center of my stance, and adjust my rear foot to fit the club I need to use. I say "most" because sometimes the shot required, and the conditions I am hitting from means I have to very my ball location. GJS

[Jimbud]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

Saw something interesting on the the Golf Channel last night. Frank Nobilo was doing a on-air golf shot tip and said his normal ball position for hitting a 8 iron is 2 to 3 inches behind his left heel. Much farther forward then I would have guessed.

[LowPost42]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

Saw something interesting on the the Golf Channel last night. Frank Nobilo was doing a on-air golf shot tip and said his normal ball position for hitting a 8 iron is 2 to 3 inches behind his left heel. Much farther forward then I would have guessed.

LOL - I already said that.

[Jimbud]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

LOL - I already said that.

I used your recommendations today on a rare 64 degree November day here in Minnesota and it worked out well. Still need to fine tune ball placement and rear foot position but the more forward ball position really helped.

[LowPost42]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

I used your recommendations today on a rare 64 degree November day here in Minnesota and it worked out well. Still need to fine tune ball placement and rear foot position but the more forward ball position really helped.

I've spent time looking into it, and it seems to me essentially how better players do it. Their ball position in relation to their lead heel rarely seems to change (a little up and a little back for trajectory things), but their 'stock' shots seem to be played from 3-4" behind their heel. I know for myself that it's really helped my consistency; whether it's from the confidence in 'knowing' that my ball position is OK or whether it's because my ball position is actually correct, either way I'm hitting the ball both better and more consistently.

What makes the ball seem to 'move' in the stance is width. Even for pitches and chips my ball position seems to be the same, perhaps cheated back a ball width to ensure ball first contact.

I just finished playing 18 holes at a 9 hole course where I used 14 clubs for the front 9 and 1 club for the back (I used a 7 iron). My score wasn't really much different (a couple strokes - it's tough to putt with a 7 iron!) It was really neat to move the ball up a little and sweep it to hit a high, short one, and to cheat it back and really compress it to get some extra yards out of it. For one shot, I even cranked the face open and hit this little chip out of the rough to a short pin... fun stuff! But I think it would have gone horribly had I not had a solid ball position from which to work.

[mont86]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

Doesn't ball postion depend on the persons swing also?..

[BrianW]

Re: Ball Position in Relationship to Club Choice?

Doesn't ball postion depend on the persons swing also?..

Not really. If the ball is positioned around 2/3 inches inside your front heel then it will be around your leading armpit, this is where your swing arc will bottom.