Ball Position

[Nygolfer12]

I’ve been playing golf for about a year and a half, and I guess I was always under the impression that your 6 iron went in the middle of your stance, and as the club loft went up, the ball moved a little farther back in your stance. On the other hand, and the loft went down, the ball moved toward the front of your stance. Right now, my sand wedge is in between the middle of my stance and my back foot, but I was told that unless I’m chipping, no club should be behind the middle of your stance?   

 

Is there a proper way or is it by feel?

 

Thank you

[Buckeyebowman]

That's the general idea, but don't get carried away with it. The bottom of your swing is wherever it is. Find that out, and you'll be much further ahead.

Edited April 7, 2019 by Buckeyebowman

[saevel25]

45 minutes ago, Nygolfer12 said:

I was always under the impression that your 6 iron went in the middle of your stance, and as the club loft went up, the ball moved a little farther back in your stance.

Wedge shots are in the middle of your stance. Six iron should be placed way further forward. 

[Piz]

20 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

That's the general idea, but don't get carried away with it. The bottom of your swing is wherever it is. Find that out, and you'll be much further ahead.

Agree 100%.  Every lie is different.  It is better to find the bottom than it is to set up the same every time.  Take a couple practice swings and note the effect.  

[arturo28mx]

When you see Pro's making practice swings, many times they are checking where the bottom of their arc is and that is where they place the ball.

[Sidehatch]

Thanks, my coach has instructed me to put the ball back. Because of that, I tend to skull it some of the time and can hit it beautifully at other times. On the other hand, when I put it mid or slightly forward I can sometimes have more consistency. I'm going to approach with the open mind you've recommended, as every lie is different.

[billchao]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:01 PM, arturo28mx said:

When you see Pro's making practice swings, many times they are checking where the bottom of their arc is and that is where they place the ball.

I doubt it. They know where the bottom of their arc is.

Pros make practice swings to keep loose, practice a feel, or it's built into their pre-shot routines. Once in a while, they do it to practice trick shots:

 

[Piz]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:01 PM, arturo28mx said:

When you see Pro's making practice swings, many times they are checking where the bottom of their arc is and that is where they place the ball.

I watched John Daly, some years ago, explaining that very thing.  He was talking about uneven lies, in the fairway and rough, rather than tee shots.  It wasn't about where he placed the ball...but rather where he placed himself relative to it.

[saevel25]

On 4/6/2019 at 11:01 PM, arturo28mx said:

When you see Pro's making practice swings, many times they are checking where the bottom of their arc is and that is where they place the ball.

Any facts to support your claim? 

Also, many pro's don't even touch the ground with a practice swing, so how do they know? 

[arturo28mx]

From an interview with Tom Watson, Golf Digest, October 18, 2012

"On the course, you determine the bottom of your arc with practice swings".

[AndyRees]

wedges to mid-irons I place in the middle of my stance, for me this is one club head length off my left heel, for 6 iron and up I then just move my right foot further back, takes any guesswork out of the equation.

[dchoye]

On 4/13/2019 at 6:57 PM, Piz said:

I watched John Daly, some years ago, explaining that very thing.  He was talking about uneven lies, in the fairway and rough, rather than tee shots.  It wasn't about where he placed the ball...but rather where he placed himself relative to it.

That interesting.  I was about to say simply I position the ball off my right hip.  But now reading that explanation,  On most easy lies  and off the tee , I position my right hip to the ball

and for more difficult lies (downhill and ball below my feet) I position my mid pelvis to the ball

[Patch]

http://www.golfinstruction.com/golf-instruction/proper-practice-swings-14079.htm

Since this thread gravitated a little to practice swings, here is one man's theory on practice swings. 

Myself, I take practice swings as part of my preshot routine. Mostly to get use to the club I am going to be swinging. That, and practice how far back I want to swing the club. 

As for ball position, on shorter clubs up to my 7i, the ball is even with my sternum. The only thing that changes is width of my stance. On some swings,  I might also open my stance a little, after locating the ball off my sternum in a square stance.

The longer clubs are a little more left of my sternum, with my driver being the farthest left, near my arm pit. 

I sometimes practice ball positions with various clubs, using a metal yard stick. The numbers offer up great reference points. 

Also, way back when, on chips, and pitches, by playing the ball further back than my sternum, I was putting various amounts of back spin on the ball. Since I was not good enough to control how much back spin I might put on the ball, my distances to the hole were not consistent. By placing the ball even with my sternum, I generated less back spin, and a more consistent roll out.  

 

[Nygolfer12]

I really appreciate all of the replies. I’ll try to take all of your advice and see what works for me. I’m just ready to be more consistent and to stop hitting behind the ball and chunking my shots 

[Groucho Valentine]

On 4/6/2019 at 9:57 PM, Buckeyebowman said:

That's the general idea, but don't get carried away with it. The bottom of your swing is wherever it is. Find that out, and you'll be much further ahead.

This. 

[iacas]

Wedges barely forward of middle, driver front big toe, everything else based on that.

No normal shots back of center.