Effect of ball position

[jfrain2004]

I have read varying texts on where a ball should be positioned for a pitching wedge. From towards the target foot to way back to the trailing foot. I always read that a low iron should be played more left of centre so why would this position be applicable to a pitching wedge. Does a wedge played with the ball forward in your stance produce a higher ball flight and if so how is this? I'm struggling big time with my "over an obstacle" short approach shots

[misty_mountainhop]

Varying schools on ball positioning. I think Jack Nicklaus advocated the inside left heel for everything approach whereas some recommend getting more and more towards the right foot as the clubs get shorter. I grew up worshiping Jack so I went with his ideas although I've tried all sorts now and I'm not sure one thing is better than the next.

One thing though. Make sure you make a descending contact on everything (except maybe driver) and let the club's loft do the hard work. Trying to help it get airborne is more likely to hinder the elevation you're after.

[jfrain2004]

I'm thinking of going down that rout you mention of moving the ball forward for the wedges. So basically ballis in the middle for mid irons 6 - 9 and starts moving forwards for long irons and wedges. Would you reccomend the ball be further forward for SW & LW than for PW?

[David in FL]

No teacher here, but for a full swing, I've always played my longer irons slightly forward of center and moved the ball incrementally back in my stance as the shafts shortened and the lofts increased.

Seems to me that if you move the ball forward with a shorter shaft, the clubhead will bottom out behind the ball and your tendency would be to either hit fat or scoop/thin the shorter clubs unless you made some kind of unnatural swaying type of adjustment to keep that from happening.

But again......I don't pretend to teach the game and didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so what the heck do I know?!

[flybub]

For the general full swing my ball position never moves more than 3 ball widths in my stance. I position the ball dead center of my stance for 4-7 iron and work my way towards my back foot for the shorter clubs. My SW position is exactly 1 ball width back from the center of my stance. Same goes for going towards the front foot. My 3 wood off the deck is 1 ball width forward of where my center stance is. It is very easy for me to keep the ball where I need it to be so I'm not thinking of where the ball needs to be placed. For punch shots and chips it goes further back than 1 ball width, for my driver off a tee it goes forward more than 1 ball width.

[wachesawgolfer]

For those over the obstacle short shots you can play the ball forward (just inside my lead heel) to hit a high soft shot. I keep my weight on my lead foot but setup behind the ball to drive straight under the ball causing a high flop like shot. Playing it forward also adds loft to the club. You would play the ball back in the stance when you want a lower chip like shot with some run after it lands on the green. The third place is to place the ball dead center in the stance and just turn back and through with very little hands.

I practice all three positions regularly and find the forward position to me is the easiest and most reliable. Remember to hit down, accelarate through and keep the left wrist flat through impact. The key is to shorten the backswing and increase the forward follow through. Ideally, you should use the same tempo and just adjust the backswing for your distances. Its really easy if you practice it.

[PiKapp23]

Except for driver, 3wood and 2H, I play the ball in the center of my stance for all full swing shots. I have found this takes some of the guesswork out of that part of the game. Of course, for specialty shots I will move the ball as the shot requires. Only time it moves for full shots is if I want to hit a quick stop/spinning wedge, I'll play ball slightly back and weight a little forward. I even play my driver, 3W and 2H just forward of center. Into wind those 3 clubs will be played at center of my stance.

[ebough]

At the absolute bottom of the swing, the angle of the club face is maximally lofted for hitting the ball up. If the ball is struck (as it should be for irons) with a somewhat descending blow, the club face will be variably de-lofted (contact the ball with a more vertical club face angle, causing less rise). Consequently, the further back in your stance you hit the ball, the more the club will be de-lofted and the less the ball will rise. Moving the ball forward in your stance has the opposite effect.