Driver ball position

[Snaphook10033]

For the last 3 years my driver has frustrated the heck out of me.     I was struggling with a inconsistent ball flight and a knuckle diver flight trajectory.     I was hitting on flight scope and the new pro at our club stopped and watched.    He asked how I was doing and I told him how much I hate this club.   He asked me why I play the ball in the middle of my stance.   He had me move it up off my left toe and i immediately struck the best drive I hit all year.   Positive attack angle, ball speed increase....30 yard carry difference.      I hit ball after ball after ball the occasional miss was still better than my average drives with my old position.     Could it be this simple? I am pumped to get back onto the course and am hoping this was not a fluke. 

 

 

[BigBlue7]

1 minute ago, Snaphook10033 said:

For the last 3 years my driver has frustrated the heck out of me.     I was struggling with a inconsistent ball flight and a knuckle diver flight trajectory.     I was hitting on flight scope and the new pro at our club stopped and watched.    He asked how I was doing and I told him how much I hate this club.   He asked me why I play the ball in the middle of my stance.   He had me move it up off my left toe and i immediately struck the best drive I hit all year.   Positive attack angle, ball speed increase....30 yard carry difference.      I hit ball after ball after ball the occasional miss was still better than my average drives with my old position.     Could it be this simple? I am pumped to get back onto the course and am hoping this was not a fluke. 

 

 

 

Yes - the driver should be played somewhere within a ball or two either way of your front big toe. I cannot even fathom hitting driver from the middle of my stance.

[PhillipG78]

I don’t even hit my wedge from the middle of my stance unless I’m hitting a low punch shot. 

[iacas]

18 minutes ago, PhillipG78 said:

I don’t even hit my wedge from the middle of my stance unless I’m hitting a low punch shot. 

 

To add on to that, if the ball is centered in your stance, it's actually back. If the back of the ball is in the middle of your stance, that's a "middle" ball position.

[Pepperturbo]

Ball position falls under attention to details but doesn't vary much for me.  I adjust my posture and how I address the ball to accommodate the club and desire flight path.  With driver and 2 iron, my ball position is off the arch/toe of my left foot and 3wd is slightly forward of center.

 

Where most people error with short irons / wedges, the ball gets too far forward, inline with belt buckle, no shaft lean.  Body weight should be 70% on the left instep, and Ball should be slightly back of center, with shaft leaning forward, putting hands well forward of the ball, and remain forward through impact.

[PhillipG78]

If you’re shifting your weight left you should be hitting even short irons left of center 

[golfarb1]

Ball position is part of a golfers setup , which is an overlooked and essential part of the golf swing .Problems in the setup can lead to a chain reaction of problems later in the swing. 

One caveat with playing the ball more forward ; the golf club swings on an arc . The more forward you tee the ball the greater the positive angle of attack and the more outside -in the path. 
Each of us has an optimum and different place and height  to tee the ball . It looks like you have found  a better place to tee the ball .
 

[Chunkitgood]

I wonder why indeed you were placing the ball in the middle of your stance?

 

Just curious.

 

I’ve sort of noticed some pros like IIRC McIlroy with his ball a little farther back than was once common.  I wonder if this goes or is thought to go with hitting up on the ball in light of the (possible) connection between body movement towards the target and a descending hit on the ball.  In other words, if you’re going to hit up, might it not be better to “hang back”?

[LBB]

I used to play my driver a little forward in my stance, but probably closer to middle than to my front foot.  I also tee'd the ball with the top of the ball never higher than the crown of the driver.  I had poor control and too low of a ball flight.

 

Ended up buying a 10.5 degree driver...then turned it up to 11.5 degrees with the ball still somewhat middle of my stance to compensate.  Better, but still not ideal.

 

Then I finally just put the ball way forward in my stance, tee'd the ball up 3/4 of an inch higher, and the contact was better, but ball flight too high.  Turned the driver down from 11.5 to 9 and boom...much better.

[KMeloney]

16 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

In other words, if you’re going to hit up, might it not be better to “hang back”?

 

No. Putting the ball forward allows you to get to your lead side AND hit up on it. Hanging back is never good.

[GoGoErky]

16 hours ago, Chunkitgood said:

I wonder why indeed you were placing the ball in the middle of your stance?

 

Just curious.

 

I’ve sort of noticed some pros like IIRC McIlroy with his ball a little farther back than was once common.  I wonder if this goes or is thought to go with hitting up on the ball in light of the (possible) connection between body movement towards the target and a descending hit on the ball.  In other words, if you’re going to hit up, might it not be better to “hang back”?

Hanging back is bad, it’s what most amateurs do now.