Golf Ball Position With A Putter (Video) - by Pete Styles
Golf Ball Position With A Putter (Video) - by Pete Styles

So the one last element of ball position we could now consider comes down to the shortest club in the bag. We’ve understood where the driver go, where the wedge go, where the mid irons go. We now look at the putter and it’s probably an area that not many people really consider. They probably just slop a ball down somewhere in the middle of the feet and whack it. But actually the ball position can make quite a big difference to the distance and the roll that you got on the putt, but predominantly on the line that you got on the putt.

And if you have a consistent miss, whether it’s to the left side or the right side, the ball position can be that concern. So as I would suggest, when you set up to the putt, we’d like to position the ball very slightly ahead of center. It would like to be slightly towards the front side just so we feel as the club comes down to the ball, it doesn’t hit down on the ball quite so much but it more just sweeps the ball along as it goes through. So we’d like the ball for a right handed golfer anyway slightly left of center. And I would position it somewhere where I position my 6 or 7 iron. So it’s slightly ahead of center. Yes, it’s a narrower stance but it’s definitely that front side. Now if we consider what your faults might be if the ball is too far one way or another. If the ball is too far forwards in the stance, there’s a chance the arc of the stroke has started to close, it started to go more to the left. So I make my stroke but I’m coming more to the left hand side as I hit it, I’m going to pulling a lot of putts. So if you fault when you’re putting is that you missed putts down on the left hand side, consider how you’re pulling across the ball as you do so and you might have the ball too far forwards in your stance, if that’s the case. Shuffle it back, move to 6 or 7 or even if that’s still a problem pulling it left, put in the middle of your stance and see what effect that has. Chances are, it will be straighter because you’d be more on the straight part of your stroke. Likewise, if you fault is hitting putts too far to the right of the hole, we might consider the ball is too far back in the stroke. So in the stance if the ball is too far back, we hit the ball too early on in the arc and the ball shoots off to the right hand side. So if I was in this position and I’m hitting the putt from here too far back in the stance, that face is too open. And if it’s too far forward in the stance and I pull across it, that face is too far close, too far left. That obviously for the right handed golfer. The left handed just need to reverse that tip I’m afraid. But hopefully if you can get this ball position so it settles just slightly ahead of center like a 6 or 7 iron ball positions for your putter, that should give you the best quality of strike and the best quality of accuracy and consistency of accuracy with your putting stroke. 2016-04-19

So the one last element of ball position we could now consider comes down to the shortest club in the bag. We’ve understood where the driver go, where the wedge go, where the mid irons go. We now look at the putter and it’s probably an area that not many people really consider. They probably just slop a ball down somewhere in the middle of the feet and whack it. But actually the ball position can make quite a big difference to the distance and the roll that you got on the putt, but predominantly on the line that you got on the putt.

And if you have a consistent miss, whether it’s to the left side or the right side, the ball position can be that concern. So as I would suggest, when you set up to the putt, we’d like to position the ball very slightly ahead of center. It would like to be slightly towards the front side just so we feel as the club comes down to the ball, it doesn’t hit down on the ball quite so much but it more just sweeps the ball along as it goes through. So we’d like the ball for a right handed golfer anyway slightly left of center. And I would position it somewhere where I position my 6 or 7 iron. So it’s slightly ahead of center. Yes, it’s a narrower stance but it’s definitely that front side.

Now if we consider what your faults might be if the ball is too far one way or another. If the ball is too far forwards in the stance, there’s a chance the arc of the stroke has started to close, it started to go more to the left. So I make my stroke but I’m coming more to the left hand side as I hit it, I’m going to pulling a lot of putts. So if you fault when you’re putting is that you missed putts down on the left hand side, consider how you’re pulling across the ball as you do so and you might have the ball too far forwards in your stance, if that’s the case. Shuffle it back, move to 6 or 7 or even if that’s still a problem pulling it left, put in the middle of your stance and see what effect that has.

Chances are, it will be straighter because you’d be more on the straight part of your stroke. Likewise, if you fault is hitting putts too far to the right of the hole, we might consider the ball is too far back in the stroke. So in the stance if the ball is too far back, we hit the ball too early on in the arc and the ball shoots off to the right hand side. So if I was in this position and I’m hitting the putt from here too far back in the stance, that face is too open. And if it’s too far forward in the stance and I pull across it, that face is too far close, too far left. That obviously for the right handed golfer. The left handed just need to reverse that tip I’m afraid.

But hopefully if you can get this ball position so it settles just slightly ahead of center like a 6 or 7 iron ball positions for your putter, that should give you the best quality of strike and the best quality of accuracy and consistency of accuracy with your putting stroke.