Ball Position

Ball position relative to the bottom of the swing and how it relates to contact. If we are needing to hit with a slightly descending strike, it is good to have the ball slightly in front of center of your stance, relative your sternum and swing center. Learning to affect ball flight through ball position and how it relates to the angle of attack.

 

Wedges

If you are playing normal full swing wedges it is appropriate to have the ball middle to slightly forward in your stance. This allows for enough shaft lean to flight the ball mid launch without ballooned shots that don’t carry far enough.

8 iron – wedges

It is important to know that the length of the clubs and loft on the face help control the distance of golf shots. If you play shots less than full, you are controlling both distance and direction. If you are hitting full shots, you are really just aiming the shot and choosing the most appropriate iron that is best for that distance. When playing these irons place the ball about one inch farther forward than wedges in your stance.

Long irons (4-7} and hybrids

Remember to place the ball one more ball position forward in stance to allow for the club to shallow enough and hit with a little less shaft lean than a wedge. This ball position allows for full released shots that will fly higher, yet travel a long way and spin to a height and drop with the proper trajectory to stay on the putting surface.

Woods – fairway

The ball position for woods must allow for a slightly descending strike that will produce longer, driven golf shots. The proper position is roughly 2 inches inside your lead heel with the least amount of shaft lean of all the full swings shots played from the ground. The interesting fact is that most golf shots fly about the same total height but they look dramatically different due to the trajectory of the golf balls when they take off.

Driver

A driver is played more forward in the stance after the bottom of the arc to allow for a slightly ascending strike. This golf shot potentially has the least amount of lean due to the ball position and upward strike. The reason we want to hit slightly upward for most drivers is to greater maximize the launch, carry, trajectory and roll of the golf ball struck from the tee.

Trouble shots

Ball position can be all over the map on trouble shots based on needs of the ball flight and the lie of the ball. If you wish to hit the ball with a lower than normal trajectory with a certain club, it will serve you best to move the ball back your stance behind the center of your swing. If wish to hit it higher, move it forward. If you wish to curve the ball, hooking or slicing on purpose, it is best to understand how moving the ball position around can affect the path to face relationship needed to pull off these shots.