• What is the Ball position? 

  • Ball Position is how far forward, or back the ball lies in your stance, and it will heavily impact the trajectory, and angle you contact the ball at.

 

How does Ball position DIffer for each Club?

Clubs like the Driver, woods, and long irons are primarily in the front of your stance, 

Driver:

• The goal for a driver swing is to make contact on your up swing, in your sweet spot in being able to maximize distance.

  • To do so, If you can imagine your swing path as a circle, you want to make contact after the lowest point in your swing path, and as the club begins its upward trajectory.

  • If the lowest point of your swing is where you are, the center of your stance, the ball needs to be placed further up in order to reach the upward trajectory we need.

  • Tee position is essential to reach the desirable contact point with your driver.

    • If the tee is lower, you will hit it lower on the club face, causing a lower ball trajectory and a more spinny ball slightly.

    • On the contrary teeing it up to high you will either top the ball, and catch it on the upper club face, or find it too high in your upwards trajectory 

    • The basic rule for tee height remains that the top edge of your driver head should slice the ball in half, which keeps the ball from being too low, and too high in your stance.

How to Set Up:  

• “Stand with your feet together and imagine a line starting between your heels and leading straight out in front of you. Position the ball on that imaginary line.

• Step your lead foot slightly toward the target.

• Step your trail foot back as far as you need for a comfortable stance width. (If you’re an experienced golfer who’s lost a little balance over the years, don’t be afraid to widen your stance. It’ll give you more stability.)” (Kolb, 2023)

 

Woods

• Although SImilar to irons, the ball position for woods needs to be a different position as if you make contact on the upswing,you will top it as the ball is laying on the ground. 

 

How to Set up your woods?  

• When hitting a fairway wood the main objective is to hit it on the downest most part of your swing, where it bottoms out and sweeps the ground.

  • A common rule for fairway woods is to move the ball two inches behind the front of your stance, and a ball behind your driver stance.

  • This will help you reach the ball just after your lowest point and catch the contact point while you are sweeping up to carry the ball up.

  • This is further forward then your irons, although further back then your Driver, as you are hitting your woods off of the ground. 

  • If the balls are too forward, you will hit it on the upswing and miss the centre of the clubface, if the ball is backward in your stance, it will cause chunks, or hitting down on the ball as you are making contact before the lowest point on the swing. 

 

Long Irons: 

• Long Irons,from 3-6e have similar distances to hybrids, and woods although have to be set up a little differently.

How to set up long Irons? 

• The Ideal Ball position for long irons is ¾ past the back, and 1/2 from the middle, in the front of your stance.

  • If the ball is too far back in your stance you will make contact on the downswing, delofting your club and usually causing a fat shot .

    • Similarly, if the ball is too far forward, you will make contact while your club is on the upwards trajectory which will cause two common misses. 

      • A topped shot, which is when you knick the top of the ball on your upswing. 

      • And a thinned shot, which is when you hit the ball a few grooves low on the clubface, and catch the bottom causing a very low spin, high speed, and low trajectory shot which is not the desirable shot for a long iron. 

 

How to set up Mid Irons?  

• Mid irons can vary between the 7 and 9 iron, although there are some rules of thumbs to follow when setting up in your ball position. 

  • Mid irons are usually set up within the middle of your stance. 

    • This is because these irons have enough loft when you hit them on the bottomest most movement in your swing, the club has enough loft to carry the ball forward, and into the air, whereas you need to hit long irons slightly on the upswing in order to reach the desirable loft.