With irons where do you place the ball at address (heel side, middle, toe side)?

erock9174 · Dec 22, 2010

I tried to do a search but everything kept coming up with where to place the ball in your stance which I am not looking for.

I am curious where people setup to the ball in relation to the club face? Extreme heel side, slight heel side, middle, slight toe side, extreme toe side?

I was fitted for some G700 6-UW irons and lately haven't been able to hit the 7 and 6 irons worth a lick. So much so that I am contemplating going back to my old irons.

I always setup to the ball with the ball in the middle of the iron blade but today after hitting some poor shots tried moving the ball slightly to the heel side. This seemed to help things for the better. Better sound/feel, better contact, higher flight, less duffs, etc.

Hoping I am onto something with the change. So I am curious to see where others setup to the ball.

Thanks

Barfolomew · Jun 6, 2015

always middle...adjust club path to effect flight

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

wkuo3 · Oct 23, 2006

Tap the club face with the eraser end of a pencil. Where it centered will be where I address the golf ball.

Modern irons with parameter weighing usually have it centered in the face , older irons might have this toward the heel.

Check your alignment with help from someone else. I had encountered many golfers thought they center the driver face to the golf ball, but in reality, they had the golf ball toward the heel. Someone stand inline behind the target line could make out if you address the golf ball at the spot you thought you did.

bcsquare · Nov 7, 2017

In my pre-shot routine, I have to make sure my shoulders and hips are square. So I put the club down with the ball at the toe, square up which moves the club out to a heel side address.

This is something I had to incorporate from lessons. I fought a pull for a long time which was related to path issues. I used to strike the toe often but now it's center or a bit heel side.

Bobb3rdown · May 9, 2018

bcsquare wrote:

In my pre-shot routine, I have to make sure my shoulders and hips are square. So I put the club down with the ball at the toe, square up which moves the club out to a heel side address.

This is something I had to incorporate from lessons. I fought a pull for a long time which was related to path issues. I used to strike the toe often but now it's center or a bit heel side.

I've been noticing I hit the toe quite a bit as well. So setting up toward the heel of the club has helped you strike more center?

Cwebb · Nov 4, 2006

There's been great ball strikers who address it towards the toe and others who address it towards the heel. Some of it has to do with how "long" we set our arms at address and how much "tension" is there. Those who set up with less "stretch" in their arms and more relaxed, will tend to have the club head return further "out" than it started at address,.....because the force of the downswing will pull the arms out from their relaxed starting position.....which would usually lead to better results from the ball being addressed further out on the club face. This is how George Knudson, one of the purest strikers of all time, explained why he addressed it towards the toe.

The key is once you "settle" on your swing characteristics, do detailed impact pattern testing to see what your tendencies are. Then experiment from there.

wkuo3 · Oct 23, 2006

Bobb3rdown wrote:

bcsquare wrote:

In my pre-shot routine, I have to make sure my shoulders and hips are square. So I put the club down with the ball at the toe, square up which moves the club out to a heel side address.

This is something I had to incorporate from lessons. I fought a pull for a long time which was related to path issues. I used to strike the toe often but now it's center or a bit heel side.

I've been noticing I hit the toe quite a bit as well. So setting up toward the heel of the club has helped you strike more center?

Have someone look at your golf swing. Whatever it was, caused the toe hit . Could be one or multiple of reasons.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

MadGolfer76 · Jul 26, 2009

I set up slightly to the heel side.

Mikeski · Mar 13, 2015

I set up with the ball at the heel/hosel which makes me hit dead center of the club face on my downswing. This is only with my irons. The woods are lined up at the center of the club face. This past winter I experimented with different ball positions just to see where my consistency was and lining up at the heel/hosel was it.

Sounds like you figured it out. You set up where you think you'll make better contact with your new irons.

semarlor · Dec 13, 2010

Middle on the irons but toe side with my driver. Don't know why I just tried it one day and was striping it.

Cwebb · Nov 4, 2006

semarlor wrote:

Middle on the irons but toe side with my driver. Don't know why I just tried it one day and was striping it.

The "hotspot" is slightly toe side for nearly all modern drivers,...whereas the sweet-spot for irons is dead center or slightly heel side.

Also, when addressing a teed up ball, if we start the head near the ground, but return to impact at the higher teed ball position, the head will 'all else equal' return further out. This promotes contact that is further out on the face, then we "think" we should based on address

Golf64 · Feb 27, 2010

Middle for me. Might be a swing flaw OP, or clubs are too long?!

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

cmagnusson · Jul 14, 2017

I'm about a quarter ball toe-side of middle with my 5 iron, and move heel-wards slightly through the set to where I'm about 3/4 of a ball heel-side on full wedge shots. Woods and Hybrids I'm dead in the middle.

Just go to the range and screw around until you find what works for your swing.

bcsquare · Nov 7, 2017

wkuo3 wrote:

Bobb3rdown wrote:

bcsquare wrote:

In my pre-shot routine, I have to make sure my shoulders and hips are square. So I put the club down with the ball at the toe, square up which moves the club out to a heel side address.

This is something I had to incorporate from lessons. I fought a pull for a long time which was related to path issues. I used to strike the toe often but now it's center or a bit heel side.

I've been noticing I hit the toe quite a bit as well. So setting up toward the heel of the club has helped you strike more center?

Have someone look at your golf swing. Whatever it was, caused the toe hit . Could be one or multiple of reasons.

The above post is what I'd tell you as well. Lessons have been the best investment over equipment.

I do strike more center and toe strikes are very uncommon now. However the set up was one of the results of correcting swing path and working on compressing the ball.

erock9174 · Dec 22, 2010

Thanks everyone. I used a sharpie line on the ball with my 7i today and when setting up with ball in the middle the strikes we’re middle to toe side. With ball slightly towards the heel my impact was more concentrated in the center of the face.

lawsonman · Mar 29, 2012

MadGolfer76 wrote:

I set up slightly to the heel side.

This^

Johnnypenso · Apr 1, 2018

Probably about a half inch towards the toe with all clubs. My arms are very relaxed at address and I think I extend slightly with the full swing. That's my theory anyway.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

tips09 · Mar 12, 2017

lawsonman wrote:

MadGolfer76 wrote:

I set up slightly to the heel side.

This^

+1 as well.

Lord Helmet · Jan 14, 2013

Heel side with everything

ChipNRun · Jun 1, 2013

An additional factor is proper shaft length. A couple of fittings suggest my irons are about 1/4" too short. I tend to contact my irons on the toe end of the club.

Here's the alignment adjustment I made to get more center hits:

baudi · Apr 15, 2007

Depending on trajectory.

Fade: towards heel

Draw: towards toe.

BiggErn · Aug 16, 2017

Plenty of great golfers address the ball somewhere other than the center of the clubface. If you’re hitting it a little off toe and lining up on the heel puts your contact in the center then go for it.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

Valtiel · Dec 12, 2011

I address the ball exactly where I plan to hit it.

Hosel.

Lord Helmet · Jan 14, 2013

Valtiel wrote:

I address the ball exactly where I plan to hit it.

Hosel.

That sir is pure genius.

1b!ggolfnut · May 5, 2018

I hit it best lining the ball up on the heel.

With irons where do you place the ball at address (heel side, middle, toe side)?

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