Where do you position your ball

All standard shot are played slightly right of my left toe and I just move the right foot back and forth depending on club! It worked for Ben and Jack, much simpler and Ive got enuff on my mind not to worry about foot position!

Left breast (no...not a chick). Same for every shot.

-mini

All standard shot are played slightly right of my left toe and I just move the right foot back and forth depending on club! It worked for Ben and Jack, much simpler and Ive got enuff on my mind not to worry about foot position!

almost my exact response...I tend to play everything off the left heel and move the right foot in as the shot gets shorter....I only move the ball back when I'm trying to lower the trajectory....Its hard enough to learn one golf swing let alone compensate for different ball positions....

I think your current ball position is pretty close to what the "standard" is. I've been doing a bit of research on this topic myself lately and most instructors say to move the ball forward in the stance as you use longer clubs. Moving the ball forward is actually what allows you to use the same swing with different clubs.

Thats how I learned. Longer the club, the more the ball moves up in your stance. Tiger does the same thing only instead of going off of his pocket or armpit he goes from the center forward using ball widths.

Is this a common thought process for everyone when they step up to the ball? I mean, do you conciously say to yourself 'ok..I need this one off the inside of my left foot/left armpit/chest etc' and move your feet until you get it just right? I know I set up and dont tell my self this, but I probably do put the ball off my left foot and move it around slightly with different clubs. I try to limit my thinking when taking a shot, what are your thoughts?

i play wedges slightly back of center

Pw-6 in the center

and 5-2 inbetween left heel and center depending.

I dont like to think of all those little things and have a ball postition for every club, just too much to think about. For a draw i play it a touch back and a fade a touch forward. And obviously back and forth for high or low shots.

With me ball position is all feel, I look at the target and im positioning my feet while im looking at the target, so the ball position is in the correct place for the shot im visulising.

I've always played the 6-iron as an extension of my zipper (center mass). 7 iron down to wedges slighty back and 5-iron to driver progressively forward....my 3-iron through driver are played off my left heel. My stance stays about should width apart unless I am trying to power the ball (widen my stance) or control it (shorten my stance width - usually with my wedges).

For the following shots, what is your stance (closed, square or open) and where is the ball positioned?

 

a) Regular Bunker i play the head of the club in the middle of my stance and the ball just in front of that

b) Long Bunker shot just put the ball back a bit from regular bunker stance

c) Chip for bump and run ball off the inside of my right foot with all weight on left side

d) Pitch played one ball back from center in stance

e) lofted pitch if you mean a flop shot, its the same as my bunker shot setup...

i play wedges slightly back of center

Pw-6 in the center

and 5-2 inbetween left heel and center depending.

 

I dont like to think of all those little things and have a ball postition for every club, just too much to think about. For a draw i play it a touch back and a fade a touch forward. And obviously back and forth for high or low shots.

How do you play a low cut or a high draw?

-mini

I'm a fan of having the ball dead-center for all full-swing iron shots. It's the only position that is precisely repeatable; anything else is an estimate.

For "sweeping shots," such as FW or hybrid, I move it forward about 3". For driver, left armpit. Both of these are estimates, but pinpoint accuracy isn't as crucial (at my level of play).

I hit almost all chips and pitches with the ball dead-center, only changing for special circumstances. Again, I'm after repeatability.

Let me bring a little different look at the issue. I am guessing you are talking about a flat lie and the wind factor is negligible. I play at a place where neither of those conditions are the norm. The best approach for me is to play irons from a position where I take a very thin divot unless the ball is sitting down in a tough lie. Fairway woods are positioned at the bottom of the swing and drivers are caught very slightly on the upswing, with some exceptions.

I try to fit the ball position into the swing arc rather than vice versa. Wet conditions call for a minimal divot while very firm conditions allow a steeper action, depending on how the ball is sitting.

The basic guideline is how can I make the best contact and hit the shot I want in the circumstance I am in at the time. Controlling trajectory and spin are important. Ball position, as well as, club selection and exertion may be variables from shot to shot. I try to practice as many of those variables as time will allow.

Great topic (cool)

Some coaches advocate the constant ball position - ball is always played 1-2" to the right side of the left foots inner heel. You them move your right foot back and forth depending on the club you play to get the correct ball position.

Other coaches advocate the constant stance position and moves the ball up and down depending on which clubs you intend to use.

I would like some of the PGA Pro's who use this site on a frequent basis to explain what they think is the best way to deal with this issue of ball position and stance width.

inside left shoulder

1. Sternum : Wedges thru 7/6 iron.

2. Just forward of Sternum : 5/6 iron thru Fairway woods.

3. Inside front heel : Driver

I forgot to give my reasoning for the above stated ball positions.

I believe the spine serves as an axis of rotation in the golf swing. I want my short to mid irons centered off my sternum, because that is where our swing arc should be bottoming out and create a slight descending angle of attack into the ball. Whereas the long irons/hybrids/fairway woods, I will encourage a ball position just slightly forward of the sternum to catch the ball with a 'level' blow. Once the ball is elevated off the ground for a tee shot, I will move it even further forward so that the club will strike the ball as it is on the 'upswing' of the the swing arc.

I forgot to give my reasoning for the above stated ball positions.

 

 

 

I believe the spine serves as an axis of rotation in the golf swing. I want my short to mid irons centered off my sternum, because that is where our swing arc should be bottoming out and create a slight descending angle of attack into the ball. Whereas the long irons/hybrids/fairway woods, I will encourage a ball position just slightly forward of the sternum to catch the ball with a 'level' blow. Once the ball is elevated off the ground for a tee shot, I will move it even further forward so that the club will strike the ball as it is on the 'upswing' of the the swing arc.

Do you keep your left food in the same place for all your golf shots and only move the right food accordingly to get the correct ball position ?

I personally do not focus on the left foot...I will set up into the ball with my right foot, and then align the ball in relation to my sternum...I try to stay focused on center of my body, then adjust feet accordingly to the particular shot...

I personally do not focus on the left foot...I will set up into the ball with my right foot, and then align the ball in relation to my sternum...I try to stay focused on center of my body, then adjust feet accordingly to the particular shot...

This is the way I see a lot of tour players doing it. First right foot, then left foot.

Leadbetter, Simon Holms and some other well known golf pro's try to keep the left foot and the ball in the same position no matter the shot. The then move the left foot far to the right for driver and 3 wood, and not so fart o the right for long irons and so on. I guess this is called constant ball position.....

I've tried both - and I think I like the way you do it better.

What about the distance between your legs - do you keep a wider than shoulder distance width for driver, shoulder width for long irons and smaller than shoulder width for short irons and wedges ?

Full Swings : Shoulder Width PW - 7/6 iron : Progressively wider up to driver