Golf Ball Position

I think you would be surprised at the different levels of golfers that ask me the question “What is the correct ball position in golf?“

When I learned how to play the game of golf, everyone was taught to play the ball in a different position in their stance depending on what club they have in their hand and what shots they wanted to hit.

Drivers were played off of the front foot, a six iron out of the middle of your stance and your wedges were to be played off of your back foot during a swing.

Due to the newer technologies in the game Trackman and Flightscope, we have learned that golf ball position should be more consistent than that and tend to reside more towards the lead heel. That is the left heel for right handed golfers.

When I get a new student, I always go through an interview process. What is the number one thing that almost universally everyone says that they want to do? It is to be more consistent with their swing.

For those of you that know me, you know that I really don’t like that word. However, if you’re going to become a consistent ball-striker, wouldn’t it make sense to keep the ball around the same spot for most golf shots?

Yes, you will need to move it around in your stance to “manufacture” some shots during a round. For our discussion here, we will talk about a “stock shot” for golfers.

Golf Ball Position for a “Stock Shot”

So, as we discuss what is the correct ball position in golf, keep in mind, that we were talking about a stock golf shot. A stock golf shot swing would just be an average height flight for the ball.

With that being said, I’m sure there will be some golfers in the game disagree with the process I’m getting ready to outline. That is okay. It has worked for many of my students of all skill levels but not all of them use it.

We decide if it is best for them depending on their current skills and how they deliver the golf club in their swing. Let me explain why I think this is the best golf ball position to hit a stock golf shot for the vast majority of golfers.

If you were standing on the golf lesson tee with me, I would go ahead and place one ball off my “back foot.”  I would then take a back swing and a forward swing… stopping just before the ball.

This downswing will tend to be more vertical. If you are really vertical you will seemingly only have one chance to hit the ball really well.

Unfortunately, the good result does not happen that often either.  and it does not happen often :(. More than likely, the higher your handicap… the more of a chance you will have to hit either behind or in back of the golf ball or top the golf ball.

Conversely, I will then take a ball and place it towards my lead heel (this would be the left heel for a right-handed golfer). I again take the club back and through stopping just before impact.

This forward swing tends to be much more shallow or back and through and allows the clubhead to stay closer to the ground for a longer period of time. Thus, giving the golfer a greater chance for success at impact. In addition, it allows the club face to stay more stable through the impact area. Read – a consistent hit there 🙂

Many golf instructors and coaches (let alone your friends and buddies) would tell you that this ball position is too far forward. However, the other thing that this ball position does being forward is it promotes pressure on the lead foot at impact. Many amatuers struggle with experiencing pressure to the lead foot prior to impact.

There were a few of the old school players that would play all of their golf shots basically off the left heel… like this one… Jack Nicklaus talking about his ball position…

What did Jack do With His Ball…