Golfers who place the ball too far forward in their stance often struggle to make solid, consistent contact. Placing the ball forward at address will increase your angle of attack which, if not timed correctly, can cause fat or thin strikes and make it difficult to produce enough shaft lean for optimal compression and control.
What happens if you hit the golf ball too far forward?
Golfers who place the ball too far forward in their stance often struggle to make solid, consistent contact. Placing the ball forward at address will increase your angle of attack which, if not timed correctly, can cause fat or thin strikes and make it difficult to produce enough shaft lean for optimal compression and control.
Why do Golfers play the ball forward?
Another Reason. I think another reason why most golfers want to play the ball forward is to gain force. By playing to ball forward, you might feel like you can have more time to accelerate your clubhead. But if the ball it too far forward, the clubhead will be moving left by the time the clubface contacts the ball.
What is the ball forward procedure in golf?
Ball Forward Procedure. In order to position the ball forward in your stance you have to slide your feet and body away from the target slightly so that the left foot is closer to the ball than the right foot is. It has the following consequences. Immediate Effects. Adds loft to the club; Impact happens later in the swing arc; Use it to Produce
How does your ball position affect your golf game?
This may seem like such a small detail in your golf game, but your ball position at address affects everything. The right position helps you nail the ball at the right angle of attack with the right club face orientation and the right aim. More to the point, the right ball position helps you hit it flush every time.
Does having the ball too far forward cause a slice?
Be careful not to play the ball too far forward, however, as this will only exacerbate that slice and lead to even more left-to-right curve. Once you establish ball position, make sure to get your body aligned correctly--in particular, your shoulders. They should be square, or parallel left, of your target line.
What happens if ball is too far back in stance?
Ball too far back. With the ball too far back in your stance, your swing plane will be too steep as you approach impact with the driver. That means you will be prone to hitting the ball high on the face, and your ball flight will likely be too high as your backspin rate will be out of control.
How does ball position affect driver?
Ball position allows you to make contact with the ball at the right angle and with the correct face angle. If you never change your ball position, you'll probably struggle to hit some shots because your clubs weren't all meant to be hit the same.
How far do you have to forward a ball driver?
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Is it better to stand closer to golf ball?
Stand closer to the ball and allow the hands and butt end of the club to be no further than three inches from the body. The closer the better. Standing too far away from the ball and reaching out will cause a low trajectory, cause a golfer to cast the club, come over the top and hit the ball on the toe of the club.
Why do I hit ball better back in stance?
A ball positioned towards the back foot will create a steeper angle of attack and therefore more back spin and a lower ball flight. This can be very useful when faced with certain shots. The punch shot can be extremely useful when trying to keep the ball low.
Does ball position affect slice?
The forward ball position shifts the shoulders open to the target, which leads to an out-to-in swing and usually a slice. Standing too far from the ball pulls the upper body downward, leading to a compensating stand-up move through impact, another common cause of the slice.
Does direction of golf ball matter?
With a forward position, the club strikes the ball later in the swing arc. This allows the golfer to slice or pull the ball. While you will have to practice determining the direction of the ball, you can experience a higher ball flight with this position.
Where should ball be when hitting irons?
The ball should be in the middle of the tracks and you should be standing on the outside of them. The third alignment stick should be laid perpendicular to the other two and placed right around in the center pointing straight at the golf ball. This stick represents where the ball is placed in your stance.
Can ball position cause a hook?
A Rearward Ball Position Those who swing out-to-in often have more forward ball positions, and they're usually players who slice the ball. It's no coincidence, because ball position can determine the hook or slice spin that occurs during the shot, as well as dynamic loft.
Should the golf ball be in the middle of your stance?
From Middle to Left Heel The ball position with the driver should be farthest forward, just inside your left heel, then move progressively farther back until you get to your wedges, which should reside squarely in the middle of your stance.
How far should an average golfer hit a 5 iron?
164 yardsThe average golfer hits their 5 iron 164 yards, but the range tends to vary between 146 and 179 yards. The distance you hit the ball will depend on your swing speed and how well you can compress the golf ball.
How far back in your stance should the golf ball be?
Calvin recommends that each club length you go down you should place the ball about one ball distance back in your stance.
Can standing too close to the ball cause a hook?
Standing too close to the ball causes a loss of posture, reduction in arm extension, loss of balance, loss of speed, toe hits, slices, low hooks and a change in swing path. Always check you setup first when you start hitting errant shots. It is much easier to change your setup from day to day than your golf swing.
Where should I position the golf ball in my stance?
The ball position with the driver should be farthest forward, just inside your left heel, then move progressively farther back until you get to your wedges, which should reside squarely in the middle of your stance.
What does it mean when a golf ball is placed further back?
Positioning the ball further back will change the angle of the shaft in relation to the ground. Also known as the shaft lean, this will lead to a reduction in your clubface’s loft angle in contrast to what it would be if the ball was located in the centre. Ultimately, a reduced loft angle will lead to a lower flight path.
What does it mean when a golf club hits the ground before hitting the ball?
Indeed, a fat shot occurs when the club penetrates the ground before it makes contact with the ball. On the flip side, it will increase your chance of topping the ball. Topping the ball occurs when the club will strike the top half of the ball on a descending blow.
How does a ball forward affect loft?
Positioning the ball forward in your stance changes the normal loft angle in your club. Indeed, because contact is made past the middle of the stance the angle of the clubface will point towards the sky more than it normally would. This in turn will lead to a higher ball flight.
What is the meaning of "lower ball flight"?
Lower ball flight. In order for the ball to remain low and clear branches (or other obstacles), for example in a punch shot. In order to mitigate the effects of a strong headwind. Lower odds of hitting it fat. Useful for delicate chip shots.
How to position the ball forward in stance?
In order to position the ball forward in your stance you have to slide your feet and body away from the target slightly so that the left foot is closer to the ball than the right foot is.
How to move the ball back in stance?
Moving the ball back in the stance is achieved through moving your feet and body forward towards the target until the ball is closer to the right foot than it is to the left.
Where is the ball center in golf?
Ball Center. A normal – or default – ball position in golf would be one that sees it located in the middle of the stance, in the center. In other words, the ball is located the same distance from the left foot as it is to the right. The following adjustments can be made to that position with the associated consequences listed below.
Why is it important to position your golf ball?
One of the biggest reasons ball positioning is crucial in golf relates to the arc of your swing. Thin shots occur when the bottom of the arc occurs too early, meaning you hit up – or excessively up – on the ball at impact, leading to thin shots or, if bad enough, tops. If you play certain clubs with the ball too far forward in your stance, ...
Why should weight be forward in golf?
For both shots, however, your weight should be forward to help keep the attack angle downward at impact. The ball position being further back in the stance will deloft the club a little and help keep the shot along the ground.
What is the best position for a golf ball?
Ideal ball position: Driver, irons, wedges. The positioning of the golf ball will generally start towards the middle of your stance for higher lofted clubs before working its way forward to the left heel for a right hander’s driver. It is important to note, however, that this shouldn’t be a constant transition, ...
Where should the golf ball be placed in the stance?
The positioning of the golf ball will generally start towards the middle of your stance for higher lofted clubs before working its way forward to the left heel for a right hander’s driver.
What is the language of golf?
To anyone starting out in the game, the language of golf is something that can make about as much sense as trying to play a flop shot off a cart path. While the golf swing and everything influencing it is one of the most complex movements in any sport, there’s one point in the swing where you have complete and utter control: the set-up.
Where should the ball be on a wedge?
For wedges through to about 8-iron, the ball should be fairly close to the centre of your stance. Some players might even like to hit wedges with a ball positioning slightly behind centre, which is OK with the higher lofted clubs, but not recommended for anything stamped with a single digit number.
Where should the golf ball be placed when playing a wedge shot?
The golf ball should be placed in the middle of your feet when playing a wedge shot, but moved a little forward of centre as you progress into the mid-irons. For longer clubs like hybrids and woods, the ball should be about a clubhead inside your left foot (for a right hander). Finally, a driver should be played with the ball teed up inside ...
What happens if you set up your golf ball incorrectly?
If you set up incorrectly, with the ball directly underneath your sternum, you will find that your head is now out in front of the golf ball. Furthermore, you will have almost no axis tilt because your shoulders are almost completely level.
What happens when you top a ball?
What happens is, the body begins to realize that it's in trouble. You may top that ball once, or you may whiff it once, but your body's not going to allow that to happen again. It starts to compensate with strict hand-eye coordination, to prevent that from happening again.
What does it mean when you realize where the bottom of the swing arc is?
When you realize where the bottom of the swing arc is, you will begin to understand where the golf ball should be placed in relation to your stance. You can ask a dozen golfers about the bottom of the swing arc, and get a dozen different answers.
What marker do you use to get the golf ball in the right position?
Get something with a little logo, and that will really help you get the golf ball in the right position. A second marker you can use is your left ear. You want your left ear to be set up behind the golf ball at address. Your head should not be out in front.
Where is the golf ball on your shirt?
Since the bottom of the swing arc is opposite your left shoulder , a simple trick is to line up the golf ball off the logo of your shirt. That's a pretty good point of reference. If you don't have any logoed shirts out there, go get one.
Where is the golf club going to bottom out?
Your club is going to bottom out approximately three inches in front of the golf ball, opposite your left shoulder, but the golf ball is way back under your sternum. Theoretically, if you make a proper weight transfer with the ball in that position, you should either: You should whiff altogether.
Where is the bottom of the golf swing?
Line up the ball with the logo on your shirt. The bottom of the swing arc is opposite your left shoulder, and in a perfect golf swing, that never changes. That's where the left arm reaches maximum extension in the golf swing, and it's the bottom of the swing arc. It is the lowest point in your golf swing. It would only stand to reason, then, that ...
What happens if you play the ball too far forward?
If you play the ball too far forward, you hit the ball on the way up in the follow-through. Move the ball back slightly in the stance , taking notice of the ball’s position relative to the heel of the front foot.
What happens when you hit the golf ball way up with a driver?
Of the many problems that can afflict novice golfers, one of the worst is skied tee shots. The ball flies high in the air, costing golfers valuable yards off the tee, leaving long approach shots into the green and ballooning scores.
How to keep golf club from coming down sharply on the ball?
To help cure this, when taking back the driver, focus on bringing the club head back low and slow. This will help reinforce the thought of a more elongated swing arc and keep the club from coming down sharply on the ball when making contact.
Where to play golf ball when skied?
When using a driver, you should generally play the ball off the inside of the front foot ( left for right-handed golfers). If you play the ball too far forward, you hit the ball on the way up in the follow-through. Move the ball back slightly in the stance, ...
Why do golfers skied their tee shots?
Tee Height. One easily fixed cause of skied tee shots is the height of the tee. When the ball is teed too high, the golfer is unable to make solid contact; the club head only makes contact with bottom half of the ball, lifting it high into the air.
What happens when you hit the ball too far forward?
When the ball is too far forward while hitting the driver, you will have trouble 'reaching' the ball at impact – meaning you will hit the ball low on the face most of the time. If you feel that impact is taking place low on the face, try moving the ball back in your stance an inch or two.
Why is my ball flight so high?
That means you will be prone to hitting the ball high on the face, and your ball flight will likely be too high as your backspin rate will be out of control . If you are seeing your drives 'balloon' up into the air, only to fall down short of your usual driver distance, consider moving your ball position up slightly.
How to get a good ball position with a driver?
So, the best way to get started working on your ball position with the driver is simply to head to the driving range to hit some shots. Take your driver from the bag and hit five drives with the ball lined up off of your left heel.
What is the best position for a driver in golf?
For most golfers, the best ball position for the driver is going to have the ball lined up off the inside of the left foot. That means when you take your stance, you should be able to draw a ling that is perpendicular to the target line and runs from your left heel through the golf ball. This is the most-forward ball position ...
How far away should you put your grip on a golf ball?
As for distance from the ball, the butt of the grip at address should be about six inches from your body. Check this by setting up and then taking your right hand off the grip, moving it about a foot to your right. You shouldn't feel like you have to reach to put it back on the club.
How to play golf with a driver?
Rule No. 1: Position The Ball. With the driver, most golfers play the ball too far forward and stand too far away from it. This might feel powerful, but it sets some bad things in motion. The forward ball position shifts the shoulders open to the target, which leads to an out-to-in swing and usually a slice. Standing too far from the ball pulls the ...
What is the cause of a slice in golf?
The forward ball position shifts the shoulders open to the target, which leads to an out-to-in swing and usually a slice. Standing too far from the ball pulls the upper body downward, leading to a compensating stand-up move through impact, another common cause of the slice.
How far should the butt of the grip be from the body?
(For shorter clubs, the ball should stay in line with the logo, but the stance should be narrower, making the ball more centered relative to the body.) As for distance from the ball, the butt of the grip at address should be about six inches from your body.
Can a fast takeaway ruin a swing?
It's true that a fast takeaway can ruin a swing, but I see more golfers who start too slowly and then kick it into another gear halfway back. That throws the swing out of sync worse than the fast start. Check out the great players: From fast-tempo swingers like Nick Price to slow-tempo guys like Ernie Els, they start at a pace that matches their swing. Smooth is good if that fits your overall rhythm, but never start slow.