Ball position with driver.

[bluetoff]

When I use my driver on the tee,I hit it better when the ball is in the middle of my stance.I try with it closer to my front foot but hits better in centre. Why is this when all the tips say to play the ball forward in your stance. I also dont get super distance whenever i hit it .

[bill reed]

Re: Ball position with driver.

hi
you tend to play ball forwards as you strike the ball just as club starts to swing up so your your hitting upwards and with irons your hitting down into the back of the ball to add spin. with a driver you want less spin as spin means less distance and higher shots, if you watch tiger with his driver off the tee, the tee pegs fly forward but when he uses a 3 wood he hits down and it pushes his tee pegs down into ground.
bill

[slater170]

Re: Ball position with driver.

hi bill
i am totally perplexed how to set up with driver!
ive had the ball position everywhere from off the left big toe to just in front of centre but can not settle on the ideal spot.
im never sure how far to stand from the ball and how wide the stance should be.
its got so bad its knackered me up with my 3 wood which used to be so reliable

[bill reed]

Re: Ball position with driver.

hi slater
something to try is go into a flat sand bunker and take a few swings with your driver and note where it first touches the sand and where it leaves the sand too. the ball should be and inch in from where the last of the sand diviot ended. would same with irons but you set ball just before the club touches the sand.
with the driver it should just brush the sand and not dig into it. if you use one of the high tees the the ball will be about and inch more forward, if you use a 460cc driver the make sure you use the high 4" tees as they do make a diffrence.
bill
bill

[Christo]

Re: Ball position with driver.

I've heard so many versions of where you should place the ball in the stance and you never know where it should be.
The best tip I got was to make a swing and note where the club hits the ground.Your ball should be at the beginning of the divot.This is for all your clubs and through my experience this is the best indication where the ball should be in the stance. Doing this ensures that the ball position is best suited for your specific swing.

The disadvantage of the ball prosion being too far back, is that you will have problems getting the required height on the ball and therefore your distance will be lacking. You want to hit the ball when the driver is moving upwards.

You should look at why your not hitting the ball consistently of the conventional ball position for a driver. It may be a different error.What is the problem when you place the ball forward?

[bluetoff]

Re: Ball position with driver.

Thanks for the replies so far. I find that if the ball is forward in my stance it does not feel comfortable, I prefer the ball in the centre,the same place from were i hit my irons from.But having it in the centre, does that not stop me hitting it on the up swing, is it hitting the ball too early.I dont seem to be getting the distance, but i am off 20.I have just bought a calloway big bertha this week, so i will see how it goes this weekend.

[bluetoff]

Re: Ball position with driver.

UPDATE... Just been for a knock this afternoon, i played the ball forward in my stance, just behind my left heel, and hit it much better.I think before i was putting the tee forward , but also moving my body forward as well.But today i done my normal swing as if the ball was in the centre of my stance.I also lined the ball up with the toe of the club face , not the centre of the face.

[2pe]

Re: Ball position with driver.

I agree that body type, swing speed and driver’s loft determines for each of us, the most suitable ball position, I´m most concerned in consistency than distance. With my 11º loft and flex shaft Big Bertha, I put the ball at my front heel. The heigth of the middle of ball is at the top of the clubhead and I “hit” the ball 1 inches before his position. I get more than 90% of my shots with a deviations less than 10 yards from the center of the fareway. When I change this, I never get a green in regulation.

[BrianW]

Re: Ball position with driver.

hi bill
i am totally perplexed how to set up with driver!
ive had the ball position everywhere from off the left big toe to just in front of centre but can not settle on the ideal spot.
im never sure how far to stand from the ball and how wide the stance should be.
its got so bad its knackered me up with my 3 wood which used to be so reliable

Hi Slats,

Each golf club has a slightly different make up in terms of the length of shaft, the lie angle and the loft of the clubface. It is only when the club is vertical and the sole of the club is flush to the ground that these design features are accurately represented at address.

Your role in the golfswing is to create that perfect lie angle at setup and then again at impact when the left arm and clubshaft reach their maximum length. Keeping this fact in mind the optimum ball position will be directly below the left armpit at address.

For most this will be two to three inches right of the left heel. This relationship is a constant element of your set-up and the distance between the golf ball and the left heel must not vary to any degree.

Here is a link to a recent thread where I discussed this issue:

http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/10527731-post1.html

[msklar92]

Re: Ball position with driver.

I find it easiest to work backwards from the clubhead to the feet.
1) Set the club head down towards an intermediary target
2) Grip the club without moving the shaft
3) Set your feet. Small step with the left foot and larger step with the right.

[Mox]

Re: Ball position with driver.

Is your stance by any chance slightly open compared to target?

According to Ben Hogan, the ball never changes position at all ... only the feet change position.

The "illusion" of the ball being further back or forward in your stance is based on whether you are closing or opening as well as widening or narrowing your stance.

Compared to target line and swing path, the ball stays in the same position, but because your stance is slightly closed with your driver and woods and slightly open when using the wedges and short irons, the position of the ball perpendicular to the stance changes from "inside the left heel" to "back in the stance".

Anybody seen "The Matrix"?

Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

In my experience, thinking about it like Hogan did, makes it a lot easier to stay focused on the target line and swinging on a natural path in relation to the target.

[aroachr]

Re: Ball position with driver.

I go out to the back lawn when it needs mowing and take practice swings. This helps me see where the club head ends up on the swing , I then practice duplicating the swing keeping the same line. the ball would get placed in the middle of the "cut" mark :-)

Roger

[BrianW]

Re: Ball position with driver.

I go out to the back lawn when it needs mowing and take practice swings. This helps me see where the club head ends up on the swing , I then practice duplicating the swing keeping the same line. the ball would get placed in the middle of the "cut" mark :-)

Roger

Hi Roger,

This should vary depending on the club you are swinging. The swing will bottom out in line with your sternum. It's where you place this in relation to each club that matters.

[aroachr]

Re: Ball position with driver.

Hi there Brian

Thanks for the note. I had a good game this morning , weather was good , slight bit of rain about the 6th hole. Stayed out of the water holes and bunkers but missed some easy putts. the tee off went better , I stayed with the club I'm most comfortable with (3Wood) placed the ball to the front of where the divit would be , took the same swing I would use with my 7 iron and the ball avereged 185m. No fade this time , seems I only fade on a full swing (club right back paralel to the ground).