The Ultimate Golf Guides

Just like no one grip suits every golfer, the same is true for the position of the ball. Because they are all of different lengths, every golf club “bottoms out”, i.e. reaches the bottom of its swing arc at a slightly different position in the golfer’s swing. Ideally, one should position the ball so that each club reaches the bottom of its swing arc just after making contact with the ball.

Ball position does change slightly when working one’s way from the longer clubs to the shorter ones. As club length decreases, the stance should become narrower. As the stance narrows, the swing arc moves back slightly in relation to the center of the body. As the clubs get shorter, the golfer should shift some additional weight onto the left side of his or her body. This shift means that the ball should be positioned back slightly in the stance the shorter the club.

When using longer irons or fairway woods, the width of the stance should increase. The inside of the heels should never get wider than the outside of the shoulders. Also, the outsides of the heels should never be narrower than the width of the hips. Widening the stance when using a long iron results in more weight being distributed over the right side of the body. Weight position signals that the ball needs to be moved forward towards the target in the stance when using longer clubs.

Distance from the ball when swinging also depends on different factors. Body type and flexibility are probably the most important. For example, golfers who have a big chest and/or stomach should stand farther from the ball with more forward bending of the hips. Golfers who have a small chest and are tall should stand more erect.

One exercise that can help you to figure out how much distance to allow between you and the ball is to take a 5-iron and grip it as you would normally. Raise the club and hold the club out in front of you. Make sure that you are standing up straight, then bend forward about 20-30 degrees. Let the arms hand down vertically until the club touches the ground. Get in your neutral setup and bend your knees slightly as you would in your normal stance.
Then, just let your arms hang down vertically downward. Make sure that you are relaxed with no tension in either arm. Support the weight of the club with the muscles surrounding your shoulders and back, not your arms and hands. You should be feeling the weight of the club in your shoulders and back.

Next, keeping the arms straight and the club extended, slowly drop the arms while bending forward from both hip sockets. Ultimately, your arms need to hang naturally beneath the shoulders. The inside of the upper arms should stay in contact with the sides of the chest. Make sure that the elbows do NOT touch the sides of the chest.

Keep your weight centered over the balls of your feet, and as you lower the clubhead down to the ground, have someone put a golf ball directly in front of the clubface. This is how far you should be standing from the ball based on your body type.

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