LETTER FROM THE TEACHING PROFESSIONAL
BALL POSITIONS ARE KEY FOR SOLID CONTACT
Happy September Eaglebrooke ! We ’ ve made it through the heat of summer , now its time to start getting the golf game back up to par for the upcoming season . One of the biggest fundamentals in golf is the ball positioning , or where the ball is in relation to the stance . The reason that this is so important is that the ball position has a huge part in making consistent and solid contact . If you think of your golf swing as half a circle , the lowest point on that circle is going to be where the club is going to contact the turf , and being able to control where that low point is key to make consistent golf shots .
Now there is no one ball position , the ball position will change based on the club someone is choosing to hit , and also it will vary based on the golfer ’ s biomechanics . Some may play the ball more forward in the stance , some may have it farther back in the stance , but understanding where the ball needs to be in order to make solid contact makes the world of difference . One of the best ball strikers to ever play the game of golf , Lee Trevino said , “ There is nothing more important than ball position when making a golf swing .” So let ’ s figure out where the ball needs to be to make that solid contact . Below is a diagram of ball positions based on a certain club . The wedges and short irons will be in the middle of the stance , mid irons are one ball forward of center , long irons and fairway woods are 2 balls forward of center , and the driver is 3 balls forward and just off the instep of the lead foot . This is a fairly stock diagram for most players .
Mr . Travino also made a great analogy of ball positioning as it relates to a tree . He Said , “ Think of your arms like the limbs on a tree , and your body is the trunk , as the arms swing there is a point where they start to move up and around the body .” The common mistake is to have the ball to far forward in the stance , making the arms start to rise up to soon causing all types of contact issues . So using an alignment stick , or just a club that represents the ball position in the stance can give you feedback on where the ball needs to be .
Once we have an idea of the stock ball positions we can now we can adapt a certain players biomechanics into the mix . For example , if a player ’ s arms are longer than they are tall , then the ball positions will move slightly forward in the stance to allow for more lateral or horizontal movement in the golf swing that the player needs to hit the ball solid . On the other side if a player has shorter arms than they are tall , the ball will be slightly back in the stance to allow the player to get down to the ball . Also , some players that have an open stance may play the ball farther back , because the open stance allows the club to come down steeper into the ball . A player with a closed stance will need the ball slightly forward because the attack angle will tend to be shallower .
So , once we start to understand and pay attention to ball positions at set up , and we start creating consistent contact as we hit shots , we can then start to change ball positions to hit all types of different shots . For Example , when trying to play a high lob shot around the greens , we can move the ball slightly forward in the stance and the leading edge of the club can now slide underneath the ball giving it a higher trajectory .
So pay attention to ball positions , and also contact . Once you it right , your shots will feel more solid , and you will be able to play many different types of shots when the need arises .
Hope you all have a great month on and off the course , and as always keep ‘ em in the short grass .
6 eaglebrooke newsletter
Ben Johnson
PGA , Teaching Professional