Stance and ball position is, in my opinion controversial.
Some people, especially the very good golfers and the professionals might disagree with this statement.
However, you, like me are not professionals and you may not be as good a golfer as you would like to be.
Therefore, I am going to explore the different aspects of this part of the game as I see it.
The orthodox position that is adopted before making the golf swing is with the ball positioned opposite the left heel.
The argument is that this is the only position during the swing where the club head becomes directly square with the target.
A ball positioned behind this spot will go to the right as the club is still open as it moves to the square position, and a ball positioned beyond this spot will fly to the left as the club has gone beyond the square position and is beginning to close.
OK, that is the theory and a very good one too.
However, it will not suit all of us.
If it suits you, then what I have to say is possibly not for you.
On the other hand it may help you to overcome a difficulty.
Do you top your ball, or hit it thin? Or fat? Do you have trouble hitting down on the ball? I certainly did for a long time as I struggled to do things "by the book".
What you should do is apply the above theory to your swing with one difference.
Find out at which point your club head becomes square to the target.
It may be that you are swinging in such a way that it does this well back of the above ball position.
This means you are probably hooking your ball all the time.
Make sense? The other thing you might be doing is hitting your ball fat all the time.
That is hitting behind the ball.
Therefore as well as finding where your club head becomes square to the target during your down swing, you need to see at which point you reach the bottom of your swing.
This will also dictate where your ball should be placed in your stance.
Use these two measurements to find where you should put your ball.
It makes sense then to place your ball at this point in your stance and take no notice of the orthodoxy above.
When I finally woke up to the fact that orthodoxy is merely a good stating point and not necessarily for me, I found I was able to let go and relax.
I began to try different things until I found what I was looking for.
In this case it was placing my ball further back in my stance.
When I did this, I found I could hit the ball crisply, and take a divot as I had never done before.
I could also hit down on the ball with much greater skill and ease.
Herein could lie a lesson for you.
Perhaps you are having difficulty hitting your ball crisply.
Perhaps you are hitting your ball fat.
I certainly was.
If you are, then your ball is too far forward.
Bring it back.
How far you ask? As far as you like.
Even as far back as just inside the right foot.
Now the experts will criticize me here.
They will point out that by bringing the ball back so far, the loft of the club used is being taken away and a nine iron will play like a seven iron for example.
Actually, it doesn't play like a seven iron.
It does play differently from a nine iron that is played just inside the left heel, but when you get used to playing from this ball position, you will adapt.
Because you are hitting your ball so well, your confidence will grow and you will get to know how the ball will behave from this further back position.
Using a pitching wedge, you will certainly lose some loft and you will probably not be able to get the ball as high as you would like.
This results in more of a running shot and difficulty in stopping the ball on the green.
This brings me to the next part of this article.
The width of the stance varies for each club.
If you are hitting your wedge from just off the green and you want it to fly high and stop, then close your stance to almost feet together.
One method that is great is to have your heels together and the toes flared to the left and right.
This will allow you to play the ball from mid stance and it will travel with the required loft and land softly.
Using a wedge from say 50 yards out, use a very narrow stance and hit your ball from a point mid way between the feet.
This is just inside your right foot and your left too.
So you will achieve the required loft.
You will be able to hit down on the ball with ease take a divot without trying and stop your ball after it has landed.
As you go from the wedge to the driver, widen your stance a little bit for each club.
Be careful not to have too wide a stance as this will cause you to sway.
What you want is the right amount of width to allow total balance and to allow you to utilize your whole body during the swing.
The widest stance is that used for the driver.
Make sure that this widest stance is no wider than the width of your shoulders.
Try a wider stance to see what I mean.
You will find that your legs restrict your swing if your stance is too wide.
So find what is best for you Always keep in your mind that orthodoxy is a guide only.
Never be backward in thinking outside the square and trying something new.
However, be sure you start trying your new ideas on the practice fairway and not during a game.
Practice your new idea diligently and once you have a good result, give it a go on the course.
If it doesn't work after a couple of rounds, give it a miss and go back to your original method.
Some people, especially the very good golfers and the professionals might disagree with this statement.
However, you, like me are not professionals and you may not be as good a golfer as you would like to be.
Therefore, I am going to explore the different aspects of this part of the game as I see it.
The orthodox position that is adopted before making the golf swing is with the ball positioned opposite the left heel.
The argument is that this is the only position during the swing where the club head becomes directly square with the target.
A ball positioned behind this spot will go to the right as the club is still open as it moves to the square position, and a ball positioned beyond this spot will fly to the left as the club has gone beyond the square position and is beginning to close.
OK, that is the theory and a very good one too.
However, it will not suit all of us.
If it suits you, then what I have to say is possibly not for you.
On the other hand it may help you to overcome a difficulty.
Do you top your ball, or hit it thin? Or fat? Do you have trouble hitting down on the ball? I certainly did for a long time as I struggled to do things "by the book".
What you should do is apply the above theory to your swing with one difference.
Find out at which point your club head becomes square to the target.
It may be that you are swinging in such a way that it does this well back of the above ball position.
This means you are probably hooking your ball all the time.
Make sense? The other thing you might be doing is hitting your ball fat all the time.
That is hitting behind the ball.
Therefore as well as finding where your club head becomes square to the target during your down swing, you need to see at which point you reach the bottom of your swing.
This will also dictate where your ball should be placed in your stance.
Use these two measurements to find where you should put your ball.
It makes sense then to place your ball at this point in your stance and take no notice of the orthodoxy above.
When I finally woke up to the fact that orthodoxy is merely a good stating point and not necessarily for me, I found I was able to let go and relax.
I began to try different things until I found what I was looking for.
In this case it was placing my ball further back in my stance.
When I did this, I found I could hit the ball crisply, and take a divot as I had never done before.
I could also hit down on the ball with much greater skill and ease.
Herein could lie a lesson for you.
Perhaps you are having difficulty hitting your ball crisply.
Perhaps you are hitting your ball fat.
I certainly was.
If you are, then your ball is too far forward.
Bring it back.
How far you ask? As far as you like.
Even as far back as just inside the right foot.
Now the experts will criticize me here.
They will point out that by bringing the ball back so far, the loft of the club used is being taken away and a nine iron will play like a seven iron for example.
Actually, it doesn't play like a seven iron.
It does play differently from a nine iron that is played just inside the left heel, but when you get used to playing from this ball position, you will adapt.
Because you are hitting your ball so well, your confidence will grow and you will get to know how the ball will behave from this further back position.
Using a pitching wedge, you will certainly lose some loft and you will probably not be able to get the ball as high as you would like.
This results in more of a running shot and difficulty in stopping the ball on the green.
This brings me to the next part of this article.
The width of the stance varies for each club.
If you are hitting your wedge from just off the green and you want it to fly high and stop, then close your stance to almost feet together.
One method that is great is to have your heels together and the toes flared to the left and right.
This will allow you to play the ball from mid stance and it will travel with the required loft and land softly.
Using a wedge from say 50 yards out, use a very narrow stance and hit your ball from a point mid way between the feet.
This is just inside your right foot and your left too.
So you will achieve the required loft.
You will be able to hit down on the ball with ease take a divot without trying and stop your ball after it has landed.
As you go from the wedge to the driver, widen your stance a little bit for each club.
Be careful not to have too wide a stance as this will cause you to sway.
What you want is the right amount of width to allow total balance and to allow you to utilize your whole body during the swing.
The widest stance is that used for the driver.
Make sure that this widest stance is no wider than the width of your shoulders.
Try a wider stance to see what I mean.
You will find that your legs restrict your swing if your stance is too wide.
So find what is best for you Always keep in your mind that orthodoxy is a guide only.
Never be backward in thinking outside the square and trying something new.
However, be sure you start trying your new ideas on the practice fairway and not during a game.
Practice your new idea diligently and once you have a good result, give it a go on the course.
If it doesn't work after a couple of rounds, give it a miss and go back to your original method.
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