Distance from the Ball

[Captain Hook]

Iam getting started late in life, iam 50 and have just found this Great Game of Golf, I have alot to learn, and iam playing 3 times a week, Wife loves that? My qustion is iam hitting the ball Great off the tee, about 240 yards with a slight Fad, but iam always trying different things like my stance from the ball, is there a certain distance. I know your probably thinking keep doing what your doing, I just feel like iam overextened at times?

[bunkerputt]

Iam getting started late in life, iam 50 and have just found this Great Game of Golf, I have alot to learn, and iam playing 3 times a week, Wife loves that? My qustion is iam hitting the ball Great off the tee, about 240 yards with a slight Fad, but iam always trying different things like my stance from the ball, is there a certain distance. I know your probably thinking keep doing what your doing, I just feel like iam overextened at times?

This isn't an easy thing to find out, unfortunately. But it's important to get right for a number of reasons because the dynamics of your swing will cause you to compensate depending on whether you stand close or far. For example, if you are close to the ball, you will have to pick the club up steeply to keep it on plane. You will also have to feel really trapped on your downswing to get the club coming in at the right direction ala Jim Furyk. If you are far from the ball ala Vijay Singh you will have a much flatter swing plane. If you are far from the ball and get narrow (steep and over the top) on your downswing, you will have trouble keeping your balance and not falling forward, particularly if you are a big guy. So you want the ball position that gives you solid contact and promotes balance. The best way to go about finding it out is the following:

1. Check your spine angle at address and the length and lie on your clubs. When you get into what feels like an athletic posture, do a reality check and look in the mirror, comparing yourself to a photo of a good player at address. You will put your arms in whatever position is comfortable to you. Some players like a reach, some don't. The club should of course meet your hands at the grip when your arms are fully extended and the head should sole properly. You can find this out at a club-fitting as well. Once you have your posture ingrained, then you can have some hope of finding a consistent ball position. 2. Take some practice swings back and forth where you just brush the top of the grass without a ball in front of you. You more than likely won't brush the exact same distance from you every time unless your swing is very good. So there will be some width that is wider than the clubhead starting nearest too you and continuing furthest away. Put the club behind the middle of the brush marks where the ball would sit. Remember that the brush mark is a miniature divot. If the brush marks are too inconsistent (read 'wider than the width of the clubhead'), just put it in the middle and stick with it until you can develop some consistency. Don't change it just because you're hitting it off the toe or hosel because the problem isn't ball position, as we have just identified. Until you can get your swing to the point where the sum of the brush marks are consistently the size of the clubhead, expect some poor contact now and again. I have to repeat this process every now and again otherwise things start drifting in a weird way. But that's mainly because I can't play as often as I'd like. You've got a good shot playing 3 times per week, so just work on that address position and swing.

[retexan599]

There is also discussion on this subject in another thread here:

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthr...ighlight=kroen

[cirem22]

watching golf channel last night one of the pros mentioned a simple way to do determine this. He said alot of people stand too far from the ball. Simple method was to have your elbows at your side with the club pointed in the air. then keep your elbows by your side and let them work as a hinge as you let the club drop to the ground. There you have it, thats your distance. Now get your stance comfortable and swing away. I just heard it last night so no chance to try for myself but seems like a simple way to get an idea of correct distance from ball

[DavidFehertysBike]

watching golf channel last night one of the pros mentioned a simple way to do determine this. He said alot of people stand too far from the ball. Simple method was to have your elbows at your side with the club pointed in the air. then keep your elbows by your side and let them work as a hinge as you let the club drop to the ground. There you have it, thats your distance. Now get your stance comfortable and swing away. I just heard it last night so no chance to try for myself but seems like a simple way to get an idea of correct distance from ball

Thats sounds about right. Good tip.

[Captain Hook]

Great Tip,
I Tivoed it last night, just havent had time to watch it, Got to love the Golf Channel, Plus Tivo.

[shortstop20]

watching golf channel last night one of the pros mentioned a simple way to do determine this. He said alot of people stand too far from the ball. Simple method was to have your elbows at your side with the club pointed in the air. then keep your elbows by your side and let them work as a hinge as you let the club drop to the ground. There you have it, thats your distance. Now get your stance comfortable and swing away. I just heard it last night so no chance to try for myself but seems like a simple way to get an idea of correct distance from ball

That was Kevin Sutherland, just an FYI.

[McGolf-Doggie]

Having recently gone through the process (i.e. in the last 5 years) and being an 45+yr old newb with some flexibility issues, I can say it took me a long time to get it to where distance from the ball is no longer an issue. Sometimes I wondered if it would ever happen, and now these days it seems to come way more naturally.

I think the biggest change for me came along with becoming more of a swinger than a hitter, and letting the left side of my body have more to do with the swing.

I also use practice swings to keep me on the right path. As others have said, you see where your club typically brushes the grass or the astroturf mat and calibrate from there.

[Scott_K]

The key is that you're getting "started". If you're playing 3 times a week, you'll become consistent and enjoy the game more.

I have the distance issue show up from time to time. I recently read that a good starting point would be a 6 to 7 inches gap from the butt end of the club to your body. Everyone's a little different. When you address the ball it is important that you feel comfortable and confident. It will help ensure you make a good swing. I also have a natural fade off of my driver but I've learned to work with it as my natural shot. When I'm overextended (maybe a couple inches longer), I feel my swingpath go outside and I know at impact I've cut the ball too much and send it into the woods.

I grew up on Jack Nicklaus' "Golf my way" video and Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons" book. They are the foundations of my golf knowledge and something I recommend if you're just starting out. They just teach it so well. I'm coming off of an 8 year break from the game and I'm going to revisit them to check my fundementals.

Good Luck

[bunkerputt]

watching golf channel last night one of the pros mentioned a simple way to do determine this. He said alot of people stand too far from the ball. Simple method was to have your elbows at your side with the club pointed in the air. then keep your elbows by your side and let them work as a hinge as you let the club drop to the ground. There you have it, thats your distance. Now get your stance comfortable and swing away. I just heard it last night so no chance to try for myself but seems like a simple way to get an idea of correct distance from ball

I'm not sure I understand. Does 'elbows by your side' mean in line with your torso vertically? Are you at one point in the drill standing straight up and then in the address position, or is it done entirely in the address position?

[Captain Hook]

Just Ordered a Book Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons" book, Hope to have it so i can spen a few days reading it and help me understand things better.

[cirem22]

I'm not sure I understand. Does 'elbows by your side' mean in line with your torso vertically? Are you at one point in the drill standing straight up and then in the address position, or is it done entirely in the address position?

yes. basically you want to let them fall naturally. Now obviously if you are standing up strait and let your arms fall without bending at the hips some clubs wont even reach the ground. Once your elbows have unhinged all the way you do the rest with the bend of your hips, not be dropping the elbows any lower. So elbows by your side (torso) with club point up, let your club fall down using elbows as hinge (don't move them lower or out), once fully unhinged the bend at the hips will bring you to rest on the ground.

[Etzwane]

watching golf channel last night one of the pros mentioned a simple way to do determine this. He said alot of people stand too far from the ball. Simple method was to have your elbows at your side with the club pointed in the air. then keep your elbows by your side and let them work as a hinge as you let the club drop to the ground. There you have it, thats your distance. Now get your stance comfortable and swing away. I just heard it last night so no chance to try for myself but seems like a simple way to get an idea of correct distance from ball

What I do is something similar to this, but that was a tip from a golf pro. I take my grip and stand knee just unlocked with arm extended (but not locked in) in front of me and wrists slightly extended. In fact you can also use the elbows hinge to gently project the club in front of you like cirem22 mentioned, that will promote the slight extension of the wrists. From that position, I only bent from the waist to ground the club and adjust my distance from the ball, making sure also to feel a good balance, i.e. weight not on the toe nor on the heels. It's a very reproducible way to get into position that adjusts to club you have in hand, it's now part of my pre-shot routine.