Assuming the ball is in a normal flat lie on the ground and a standard trajectory with an iron shot is desired,where should a player locate the ball? The answer is, "just prior to the clubhead reaching the
bottom-most portion of the forward swing arc." That will generally be somewhere to the left of
the center of the stance. How far will depend partly upon the degree of lateral weight transfer the
player makes from the right to the left side on the forward swing. If the player's lateral motion is
limited, the ball should be closer to the center. Likewise, if the player has poor flexibility or
balance problems due to heredity, age or physique which allow for little weight shift, then the ball
location would also be more centered, but this is a compensation.
Those preferring a more rotary swing with an emphasis on swinging the arms and hands also
generally play the ball farther back; whereas those with more body weight shift, using more arm
and bodyswing, play it more forward.
A constant ball position method as opposed to a variable ball position is where the ball is played
in relatively the same location to the left foot for all shots. Nonetheless, constant ball positioning
does have a variable, the right foot. For the longer shots like the #2, #3 and #4 irons, where bigger
swings require a widerbase for better balance, the right foot is spread farther from the left. This
moves the swing center and center of body rotation (the spine) farther to the right and makes the
angle of approach to the ball shallower, thus taking a shallower divot. Conversely, with the same
ball position but the right foot drawn closer to the left for a #8, #9 iron or wedge, the swing center
and center of rotation move forward, steepening the angle of approach thus taking a deeper divot.
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With a ball placed on a tee peg the angle of approach should be decreased as the height of the tee
is increased. When hitting a driver, a steeply descending approach arc to the ball provides less
effective force, more back-spin and a shorter driven ball, making the shot undesirable. To
decrease the approach angle to make it closer to zero degrees, the ball can be moved farther
forward, nearer to the inside of the left heel, or the swing center can be set farther back by
spreading the right foot farther to the right.
The left foot is the most common reference point for ball location. Some players and teachers,
however, suggest that the positioning of all shots be related to the lowest point of the swing
opposite the middle of the left shoulder. For a wood shot, this puts the ball also directly opposite
the left shoulder with the hands covering the line of sight to the left toe. For a short iron the left
shoulder still is in line with the swing's low point, which is now an additional 3-4 inches farther
forward; thus the ball position ends up farther back. The hands now block the line of sight to the
left heel.
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Whether the choice is a fixed or variable ball position, using the feet, the club or some other part
of the body as a reference point, this fact should be made clear: Ball position is an important
factor that must be given precise consideration on each swing if one is to hit consistent shots.
Locate it, measure it and check it frequently, just as one would do with the grip.
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