Ball Position and Other Questions

[TallSouthern]

Alllright.  Iacas told me to post here so here we go.   I am very tall and long armed.  I've been playing for a year.  I've gone through many sets of used clubs learning what works for me.... graphite, steel, blade, cavity back, stiff, regular, senior flex.  I've watched hours and hours of YouTube instruction.  So I've got some knowledge.  I want to know what is best for me in regards to ball position and flex and bounce and all that.  Why do Nicklaus and Norman always play the ball off the left instep, but others move it back.  It seems to me you'd have to follow through with your right side much more.  If I move it back I have to keep more weight back or I dig.  If I move it up I have to keep more weight on my left or I top it...Does the lie of the ball dictate ball position and how steeply you swing?  I can crank a 4,5,6 iron out of inch tall grass, but I chunk it off a mat or bare lie.  Is this normal?  I'm sure part of it is my clubs are standard length, and my groove is about 2 degrees upright (some of my clubs are bent up and don't dig as much).   I also hit off the toe less with stiff shafts but get less distance....does any of this resonate with you all?  

Edited April 26, 2018 by TallSouthern
Grammar

[Foot Wedge]

46 minutes ago, TallSouthern said:

I'm sure part of it is my clubs are standard length

Have you gotten fitted for clubs and/or taken lessons?

[iacas]

Generally speaking the longer the club the more forward the ball position.  You don’t want to hit down on your 4 iron with -8° angle of attack.

[Patch]

Pretty sure you need to be properly  fitted to find your flex. A fitting will also tell you your proper club length, and lie angles.

I never gave much thought to the bounce on my clubs. What ever came with the club, is what I had to work with. 

As for ball location for normal, full swing shots, no one location fits all golfers , for their various clubs. My driver is a couple ball widths in front of center of my stance. I move back to center stance as my clubs get shorter.

My center of stance reference point is my sternum, and my pants zipper for my hips. 

A friend of mine hits everything off the center of his stance. Even chips, and pitches. 

For yourself, you will have to experiment to find the proper ball position for your swing, for your various club lengths. Find the cutting the grass drill on you tube for an example. 

A good tool to use for various swing reference points is a 3 foot metal yard stick. Get two of them. Add a sharpie to mark reference points on them. 

A good fitting and qualified lessons will give you all this info, while saving yourself hours of possible grief. 

[TallSouthern]

I haven't been fitted...reckon it's time.  No lessons either.  Hit a wall here....The main thing bugging me is ball position and wondering what a good lie really is.  I almost got rid of some good Adams irons because I couldn't hit them without extreme shaft lean off a mat...then I realized it was due to the extreme camber of the soles...time for a fitting for sure.  There is an old GIANT thread on here about flat vs upright swings and fitting for them....The truth is I've extended clubs and hit great flat shots, and I've had them bent and hit great shots albeit I had to adjust ball position and shaft lean... also release point.... thanks for your advice.

[The Recreational Golfer]

If we're talking about hitting a ball off the ground (not off a tee), the ball should be in the place where your swing delivers a ball first, ground second strike. Move the ball until it is in the right position for YOU, not Greg Norman or Jack Nicklaus.

I can see topping the ball when it is too far forward, because your normal swing bottoms out before the club gets to the ball. As for chunking when it is too far back, this might be because it looks like you're setting yourself up for a top, so you try to make sure you don't do that and end up overcompensating.

Start with the ball forward and find the correct position by gradually move it back until you get clean contact.

 

 

[iacas]

21 minutes ago, The Recreational Golfer said:

Start with the ball forward and find the correct position by gradually move it back until you get clean contact.

That's not the advice I'd give.

A bunch of people flip. Moving the ball back can actually create a sort of endless loop where they flip more because, even if the contact is okay, the ball flight is too low. So they flip more, chunk more, and move the ball back again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

There's a fairly narrow range for what the "correct" ball position is, IMO. Everyone is generally built about the same, and the low point in a good swing is generally around the area beneath your lead armpit.

If you want to move the ball back as a band-aid, fine. Have at it. But be wary of what you're doing and be cautious about practicing or just getting used to the ball being back more than it "should" generally be.

[MarvChamp]

@TallSouthern, I think Nicklaus said he played the ball off the left/lead instep (I like the idea of left/lead armpit) to keep it simple. Then he adjusted by moving his right foot in his setup...narrower stance for shorter clubs and wider for longer clubs. It really is a lot simpler for me to return the club to the ball. Butch Harmon and others teach this. Best luck in finding your solutions, -Marv