Jump to content
IGNORED

How far do you stand from the ball at address?

Chris08527
 Share
Note: This thread is 3673 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Chris08527 Member

Chris08527

Hey guys,

Been taking a couple of lessons and my pro wants me to stand closer to the ball.  He is correct I do stand far from the ball at address and bend a lot at the waist.  My problem now is, it feels really uncomfortable to stand as close as I am suppose to? any thoughts/tips?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MS256 Great Member

MS256

Hey guys,

Been taking a couple of lessons and my pro wants me to stand closer to the ball.  He is correct I do stand far from the ball at address and bend a lot at the waist.  My problem now is, it feels really uncomfortable to stand as close as I am suppose to? any thoughts/tips?


I would think that your pro should have a lot better idea of what you need to do than we would. He could have reasons for standing closer or farther, based on what you are doing, that we wouldn't know about.

Moe Norman stood about as far away from the ball as he could stand and Jim Furyk stands about as close to the ball as he can stand. Not a chance I would feel comfortable with either of those but it worked for them.

If I had to give a guideline it would be to have the left arm hanging somewhere between vertical and extended a couple of inches toward the ball.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

saevel25 Incredible Member

saevel25

Hey guys,

Been taking a couple of lessons and my pro wants me to stand closer to the ball.  He is correct I do stand far from the ball at address and bend a lot at the waist.  My problem now is, it feels really uncomfortable to stand as close as I am suppose to? any thoughts/tips?

Post a video of your swing, or have someone take a picture from down the line (toe line) of you at address. Its impossible to say with out seeing your swing or set up. Basically you want want to end up too much on your toes or too much on your heels at address.

Generally you want to have about a hand width between the butt end of your club and your thighs. Given what @MS256 mentioned, that range can very greatly depending on the golfer.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: :titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

  • Moderator
mvmac Incredible Member

mvmac

  • Moderator

Hey guys,

Been taking a couple of lessons and my pro wants me to stand closer to the ball.  He is correct I do stand far from the ball at address and bend a lot at the waist.  My problem now is, it feels really uncomfortable to stand as close as I am suppose to? any thoughts/tips?

Like @saevel25 said, generally you want to be about a fist and a thumb away from the butt of the club. Arms are hanging slightly away from you, weight is even between the toes and heel.

Post a pic or something, it may feel like crap but could be perfect.

Mike McLoughlin

Check out my friends on Evolvr!
Follow The Sand Trap on Twitter!  and on Facebook! 
Golf Terminology -  Analyzr  -  My Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1
1

Keith White Well Established Member

Keith White

Chris I know how you feel, I was standing wat too close.  been working on it and leaning forward more with hands further away.  Get that natural drop frop the shoulders.  Feels wierd but it works, I can turn around the shoulders much easier and swinging much better,  The old Butch Harmon check is still a good one, if your standing well, when you drop the club to your leg it should fall just above the knee if your distance and stance are solid. Ifeel like I amstretched away but that's because I was too close.  It always feels wierd when you make a change.

Driver - Cleveland Launcher XL270
3 Wood - Cleveland Launcher HT FL3W
Hybrid - Adams A12OS 4h
Irons -  Mizuno MP54 5i - Pitch
Wedges - Cleveland 588 Rotex
Putter - Rife Mr Beasley
Remember, P23 - V4 !!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JoePete Established Member

JoePete

Hey guys,

Been taking a couple of lessons and my pro wants me to stand closer to the ball.  He is correct I do stand far from the ball at address and bend a lot at the waist.  My problem now is, it feels really uncomfortable to stand as close as I am suppose to? any thoughts/tips?


Listen to the pro you are paying. By in large, most high handicappers stand too far away from the ball - at least in the U.S. Influence of Little League and adult softball on the golf swing I think. Baseball swing you extend the arms out from the body. Golf swing you keep the arms (at least the upper arms) a lot more connected to your upper body to keep on plane. The other issue you might be confronting is that when you move in closer, you really need to clear those hips on the downswing.  If you have been an upper body swinger, it might take a little adjusting, but stick with it. You probably feel like you are going to shank everything, right? Stick with it, and remember get those hips through first. I have seen guys, as a drill for getting a good turn through the ball, almost stand right on top of the ball and be able to hit square shots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MS256 Great Member

MS256

Maybe with a bad Little League swing. One of the drills we do is to stand facing a wall with the bat against the stomach and against the wall (one bat length from the stomach to the wall). Then make a full swing without hitting the wall. Try that with that bad swing and see what happens.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hammer 4 Great Member

Hammer 4

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoePete

Listen to the pro you are paying. By in large, most high handicappers stand too far away from the ball - at least in the U.S. Influence of Little League and adult softball on the golf swing I think. Baseball swing you extend the arms out from the body. Golf swing you keep the arms (at least the upper arms) a lot more connected to your upper body to keep on plane. The other issue you might be confronting is that when you move in closer, you really need to clear those hips on the downswing.  If you have been an upper body swinger, it might take a little adjusting, but stick with it. You probably feel like you are going to shank everything, right? Stick with it, and remember get those hips through first. I have seen guys, as a drill for getting a good turn through the ball, almost stand right on top of the ball and be able to hit square shots.

Maybe with a bad Little League swing. One of the drills we do is to stand facing a wall with the bat against the stomach and against the wall (one bat length from the stomach to the wall). Then make a full swing without hitting the wall.

Try that with that bad swing and see what happens.

Dude, your so hard core..lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1

Note: This thread is 3673 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up

  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.

  • Popular Now

  • Posts

    • billchao
      Strategy on Neshanic Valley Ridge #2

      By billchao ·

      It seems like too much work for me. I'm actually surprised at myself for spending as much time on this as I already have. Shot Scope tells me my shots to finish with a 7i is 0.1 better than with my 50 or 55 so I'm just going to go with it. Actually, I tend to be the complete opposite. I've never faced a shot I'm convinced I can't hit. It leads to great heroics and complete flops. Conservative for me might just be someone else's normal.
    • iacas
      Strategy on Neshanic Valley Ridge #2

      By iacas ·

      Tell me you've not seen Bill play without telling me you've not seen Bill play? 😄 Just teasing @billchao. 😄 
    • iacas
      Future Pro: Miles Russell Age 15

      By iacas ·

      And like Matt said, and I have hinted at… it's ONE ROUND. Because you have to get hot. Better players than him failed to get through. And… Peaked too soon, perhaps. He could also get injured, get surpassed, lose interest or lose his game… Again, if I trusted y'all to uphold the bet, and if the bet wasn't basically a 15-year proposition… I'd bet y'all. The odds are against him, and heavily so. So… he didn't qualify, and he's playing on a sponsor's exemption. Jordan Spieth was 16 years old when he tied for 16th in a PGA Tour event… and I realize that mentioning Jordan Spieth (who has obviously had a lot of success) seems to argue against my point, but Spieth is the exception and he did better at only a year older than this fella. The odds are strongly against him.
    • Ty_Webb
      Future Pro: Miles Russell Age 15

      By Ty_Webb ·

      He shot -5 with a bogey on the last hole. Those Monday Q events are seriously tough to get through. Lots of very very good players play in those, including normally a fair few tour players who've lost their cards, including past winners. It is a small sample size, but he also just broke one of Tiger's records (youngest ever to be ranked one in AJGA if memory serves). He's the best 15 year old in the world at the moment. He's also pretty small and skinny - if he grows and fills out a bit and gets stronger, he could be a serious force to be reckoned with. He may of course also go off the boil and struggle or his swing may not last his growth or something, so it's not like he's odds on to make it or anything like that. I think it will be interesting to see how he progresses and if (big if granted) he progresses well, then he will be quite the prospect.
    • Ty_Webb
      Strategy on Neshanic Valley Ridge #2

      By Ty_Webb ·

      At a basic level, you can take those strokes gained numbers and if you know what the baseline strokes to hole out is from each distance, you can figure out how many strokes on average you will take to hole out from any given spot on the golf course. Then you can take that shot zone thing from shotscope and put it down there and see what the average is for each club and each target you choose. That's not exactly trivial to do though even with a computer, so the strategy guides (like LSW) use rules of thumb to make those decisions easier for you to make on the fly. Most of the time you'll come up with the optimal strategy and on the odd occasion when you don't, the strategy you come up with will be pretty darn close to optimal. If you're anything like me, then you'll probably wind up being a little too conservative with both club choice and target. Fear of penalty strokes can make you play suboptimally. Basically it's a bad idea to base your strategy on a shot that might pop up less than 1 in 20 times. If you happen to hit that shot, then today just isn't your day, but the 19 times you don't, you'll be in that much better of a spot.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

  I accept
The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...