You're Correct!

Ball position seems like the easiest aspect of the fundamentals but it is something vastly overlooked by most golfers. If a player is continuously fatting shots, they are very quick to dissect areas of the swing which could cause the heavy shots, whilst overlooking the simple fix.

The fundamentals in golf are the basis of a good golf swing and scores. Always check the set up before making unnecessary swing changes.

If the ball position is too far forward in the stance then the fat shots will be due to the club landing before the ball and the loss of distance will be extreme. If the ball position is too far back in the stance then the angle of attack into the ball will be steepened. Although the ball could be struck first, the descending blow will be too heavy with very deep divots causing a loss of distance.

So what are the correct ball positions with the irons? As a generic rule, the pitching wedge to 8 iron should be positioned in the middle of a shoulder width stance, and from the 7 iron up to 3 or 4 iron, the ball position should move half an inch per club towards the inside of left heel but shouldnt reach the point of the left heel where you would expect to see the driver.

This is important because the longer clubs need a shallower angle of attack and the club face needs time to rotate into a square position. For example, a 4 iron being played from the middle of the stance will cause fat shots, or even on a good strike will encourage the ball to push right.

The grip has a direct influence on the direction of the golf ball rather than the strike, however, it can have a small impact due to the wrists hinging in a different way and therefore steepening the clubs angle of attack, but a strengthened grip will send the ball further left of where the ball normally goes with your original grip.

Trying to hit down on the ball will cause a steepened angle of attack, therefore creating more chance for the player to catch the ball fat. The divot sizes will increase and the ball will travel less distance. A good angle of attack will produce a small divot. Its important for the divot to have what we call an entrance and an exit, rather than the club stopping in the ground and hindering any chance of following through the shot fully.

Although the wider stance can aid the swing to come in shallower, too wide can cause the club to be too shallow and land before the ball and potentially hit it fatter than before. If this is an aspect that should be changed, do so carefully and check other fundamentals.