Adress to ball on drives

[King Cobra II]

I played each of the last two days, and my driving, well it was like night and day. Yesterday, consitantly hit 220, and hit a few out there 250. Most of these shots were straight with a little fade, a few even had a little draw. However today i sliced everything with little to no power. I got so frustrated I just hit my 3-iron off the box because it was only like a 20 yard difference and at least I had a clue as to where it was going. My dad seems to think that it was because I was way to far from the ball. I thought about this and logically, I guess if you have to extend you're arms to far, then you're going to come across your body, hence side spin, with lack of power. Do you think this could be the problem? How far should i be standing from the ball off the tee, and whats a self-check I could do to try and keep this consistant? Thanks for you're help.
-Bryan

[Spectrums]

Typically I have about 4-5 inches from the butt of my grip to my body. The way I set up is by setting the club very close to my body, setting up normally, and then moving my hands outward. It sets me in a great position every time.

[sonicblue]

Simply put, you shouldn't reach out nor feel like you're too close and restricted. Just about everything in your address and swing has to be natural and comfortable - that's a key in making it repeatable.