Golf ball placement

[Chieflongtee]

Do you set up with a different ball position on every shot or use a constant ball position.In either case please explain why.

[sharkshooter]

If I always put the ball in the same position, I would never get off the 1st tee.

[LobWedge]

Are you talking about where the ball is in relation to your stance, ie. forward or back?

[Chieflongtee]

Are you talking about where the ball is in relation to your stance, ie. forward or back?

yes

[Kona Golf]

I generally place the ball at the bottom of the arc of my swing. I really do not pay attention to location except on an awkward lie. Exception Driver & 3 FW from Tee

[LobWedge]

yes

Got it. Unless I'm trying to do something really different with a particular shot (knockdown, stinger, etc.), I pretty much keep the ball in the same place.

[Nat Williams]

I play most shots from ~ center, if not center slightly towrads teh front foot...on 3/4 shots and less (anything inside 160yrds) everything is lined off the back foot. The reason for playing 3/4 shots off the back foot si because i tend to come around on non full shots, and playing off vthe back keeps them straight

[Golfer_Gofer]

I play the first shot from the Tee... the rest I usually hit off of the grass ok ok ok.. my driver and woods are on my front foot.. irons closer to my front shoulder..3/4 and 1/2 shots i tend to play from my back foot..same reason as nat

[ironmaster15213]

I play the Driver a little left of my instep or heel, 3 wood about an inch inside the heel and everything else about 3 inches inside of heel(about inline with my left chest). The width of my stance and the amount of open stance to target line changes a little with different irons though.

[rezadue]

For me it is as follows:
Wedges, 9i ----> Two balls back of middle
8i , 7i ---------> One ball back of middle
6i, 5i ---------> Middle of stance
4i , 3i ---------> One ball forward of middle
3h -----------> Middle of stance
3W,5W --------> Half a ball back of left foot heel
Driver ---------> Left heel

[quinner]

My ball position varies on the club that I am hitting with. The more lofted clubs are in the center and the less lofted they become the ball moves forward in my stance.

[Chieflongtee]

Does Harmon teach touring pros the same method as below?

http://www.golfincostarica.com/const...l_position.htm

Constant Ball Positionby Butch Harmon

Most recreational golfers setup with a different ball position on every shot. I like to use a constant ball position for every shot and here's why... Too many recreational golfers play their short irons way back and woods too far forward in their stance. The further you move the ball back in your stance, the more you close your shoulders and take the club inside while going back. The further you play the ball forward in your stance, the more open your shoulders are at address. You will lose some of your ability to turn when going back and you will open up that much sooner coming through. Position the ball off a point between the center of your chest and your left shoulder. I use the Nike Swoosh logo on my shirt to help me position the ball consistently in my stance. Let the length of the club determine how wide your stance should be. For example, you must have a narrow stance to reach the ball with a wedge. As the length of the club gets longer, the more you move only your right foot back in your stance. Keep the left foot and ball in the same position, just make your stance wider by moving your right foot back. Constant Ball Position will help you setup to the ball in the same way every time. Try it out and I think you'll find it will help you hit more consistent golf shots.

[BC MIST]

Do you set up with a different ball position on every shot or use a constant ball position.In either case please explain why.

Normal shots, flat lie - irons: Same position which is roughly halfway way between centre and left heel.
Driver & FW woods: Depends on what trajectory I want for the conditions.

IRONS: It is important that the low point of the swing arc be well in front of the ball to ensure that the club head is descending into the ball and a divot is taken Therefore, the ball position must be determined accordingly. The descending blow ensures maximum delay in the straightening of the leverage angles, a weight shift and ball first contact. The hands MUST be ahead of the ball at impact.

[jeffc]

full irons - middle of stance
chipping - back in stance
woods - inside left heel

[Kiwi]

When I started at the OAC Golf School 4 years ago Marc Peterson was the Pro there. His seminar series stressed the "constant" position. The logic, as I recall, was that golf is hard enough and if you want to establish any consistency you should (not must) keep the ball in relatively the same position for all shots. As I understood there is ball positioning for woods, irons and the speciality shots (LW, SW, PW). I will take my stance with the ball about 1" forward of the centre line between my feet on the iron shots. My game is such that I am still trying to "find" the best position for the other shots. I have yet to consistently place the ball back of the bottom of the arc of my swing so that the divot is in front of the ball rather than behind.

[Wknd_Warrior]

That's a great question. I come from the school of thought that placed the higher irons back farther, but recently have tried to play my clubs more the same reletive to my leading foot. This has been the bigget change in my swing since I was younger, I've recently gone back to more of varying the ball position a bit to where I at least feel comfortable, baby steps.

[dreaded_snowman]

I basically do what the chief suggests.... constant ball placement relative to the front foot; as I widen my stance, the ball appears to move forward in my stance, but it's constant relative to something.... My most common error on long clubs is to move the ball forward (with the stupid idea that it will somehow make give the club time to close or something) and I end up making an out to in swing path because I'm reaching for the ball and the slice I was trying to avoid is amplified. If I back the ball up, I still hit it badly, but for a whole other list of reasons!

[rezadue]

For all of you who play the ball at a constant position relative to the "half way between the center of chest and left heel", is the shaft's butt always pointing at the middle of your crotch?

[mcgoo]

Same placement as Resadue

[Goshawk]

I think it's quite a bit of personal preference and depending on the particular swing of each individual. I play my wedges and 9iron one ball back in my stance, my mid irons (5-8) in the middle, my 4iron/hybrid/fwy woods 1-2 ball widths forward of center, and driver/teed-up 3wood on my instep.

[Sparkplug]

I stay with a constant ball position. I took lessons from two different pros in the past who stressed it.

The big questions are why and where.

Here is how the last pro explained it to me. For iron and fairway wood play only and I am describing for right handed golfers.

You want to compress the ball or hit the ball before taking a divot obviously.

So he told me about four inches before bottoming out on your swing.

Grip your club in the left hand and find where that particular club bottoms out in your swing. It should be pretty close to directly below your left shoulder joint. Might be a bit before or after. This will be unique to you.

Find that spot, then place your ball four inches behind that and your good to go.

I like it because it takes the width of your stance and relation to the feet out of it.

In the end it comes pretty close to the same thing as Harmon and anybody else describes only for me it simple to understand and makes sense. Its also easy to set up given the vagaries of how you feel day to day, lie of the ball etc....


Hope this helps.