You're Correct!

The distance a player has to stand away from the ball is something which must be adapted to suit the club and particular shot.

Because of the way loft and club length works, players will stand further away from the ball when hitting a 3 iron than they will when striking a wedge shot. From the putter to the driver, golfers will have to stand further away as the club length increases. There are, however, a few checkpoints golfers can use to see if their set up is correct. Firstly, a solid posture is critical.

First go through this routine:

• Hold the club out in front of the belly button. Keep the legs straight to begin with.
• Stand tall with the chest out and shoulders pulled back, the arms should be extended in front of the body.
• Tilt forward, pushing the hips back. Keep the lower back flat and the chest pushed back.
• As the club touches the ground, flex the knees slightly. There should be a bounce in the knees not a bend.

If the posture has been executed correctly then the body will be in a good position. To ensure you are stood the correct distance from a ball, use a mirror and look at your reflection from a side on view. The arms should hang straight down from the shoulders and sit in space the created by the hips pushing backward.

If the posture and arms are hanging correctly there should be a hands width in between the left thigh and the butt end of the club. This can be tested by getting into a posture and set up position before removing the right hand from the grip and placing it (palm facing towards the target) between the left thigh and the butt end of the grip.

The body weight should not be forced towards the toes or heels but resting on the balls of the feet. All of these things are assuming the lie is relatively flat! If the ball is sitting on an uphill or downhill lie then things will be slightly different.

Although some players like to feel they have lots of room from the ball at address, in reality this can cause problems with finding the centre of the club face.

Because golf is rarely played on a flat surface with the same club, the distance a golfer needs to stand from the ball is always changing. There is no set measurement about how far a player should stand from the ball.

Although standing too far from the ball is a problem, standing too close can also throw up multiple difficulties. Only a few players such as Jim Furyk have successfully grooved this set up position. Go through a correct posture drill and set up checkpoints to allow a correct distance from the ball at set up.