The most overlooked aspect of the golf swing, but possibly the easiest to correct. I know you have heard every story out there regarding ball position, but I will simply tell you what works for me and how it can enhance anybody’s game. During this section, I will cover a few of the common mistakes regarding ball position, and how you can correct them. I know there are a million sites and articles out there that claim to be the cure all, but I will give you tips based on what I have been taught in my golfing career… that have actually worked for me as well. If you can devote the time and the focus to the following tips and drills, you will see an improvement in your golf game.

The biggest mistake when looking at ball position is getting the ball too far from the middle of your stance. A lot of golfer’s believe that getting the ball further up in your stance will allow for you to hit a draw because it gives your hands enough time to catch up to the rest of your body. I can strongly attest to this error, which causes much more harm than good. Getting the ball too far up in your stance can cause a world of problems, and actually gives your hands too much time to work. Yes, it is possible to give your hands too much time to do their job… leaving you in a bit if a blunder. What I mean by saying this, is that when the ball is at the front of your stance, it takes longer for your hands to get to the ball… causing the “reaching” motion, or even the typical “over the top” motion that many golfers battle on a daily basis. The key here is to start at the middle of your stance, and move very slightly towards your front foot as you progress through your bag. For example, keep all wedges and even your 9 and 8 irons at the middle of your stance. This will ensure solid contact, and it will also allow for the club to be square during impact. The ideal movement per club, is roughly one inch. As you move through your bag, slowly move the ball about one inch forward, if any at all. I have tweaked around with this concept for years, and to be honest, I have found some strong results by leaving the ball in the middle of your stance for every single club in my bag. The ball flight is much more consistent, and I am left hitting the majority of my shots in the dead center of the club face. This will help counter balance the extra length of the club, which requires more club head speed to reach the square position. Another benefit of keeping the ball near the middle of your stance, is that you will see more consistent and much more solid ball striking, which is everyone’s goal… right? You will be removing the “reaching” motion that comes when the ball is too far forward in your stance, and the ball will begin down the intended target line.

By keeping the ball near the middle of your stance, you will also see the consistent ball flight you work so hard to achieve. A lot of golfers fight the high arcing “balloon” ball, and when the ball is near the middle of your stance, you will be able to overcome this flaw, resulting in added distance – particularly in windy conditions. In all, ball position is a common mistake that gets over looked with all of other common mistakes taking over, but it is also a very simple mistake to overcome. Simply focus on your ball position, and let your body do the rest. I will give you a challenge: Devote an entire week to this drill. Each day that you go to the range during a typical week, I want an entire bucket of balls designated specifically to this. After one week, I want you to hit the course and take note of your ball striking, particularly how solid you are striking the ball. If you need to, go a local golf store and pick up some of the striking tape that goes on your club face. This will help you really track where on the club face you are hitting the ball, and give you quicker feedback as well. Use the drill for every single club in your bag, until you are 100% comfortable with every club. Once the week is complete, then you can take to the course and relish in the results of your hard work. During your first round, take note of two things – where the ball is beginning after impact, and where you are hitting the ball on the club face. If you are seeing more consistency, then the drills were a success.