Why Play The Golf Ball Back In Your Stance Golf Tip Video

Why Play The Golf Ball Back In Your Stance Golf Tip (Video) - by Pete Styles

One of the things that we can move within our set up of position to generate a different golf shot is this ball position. It doesn’t always have to be set in exactly the same place; we can alter the ball position to change the shot. And if we look at moving the ball position back, I am going to keep it on this line here and I'm actually going to move myself. And if I was to hit a shot here, with the ball position this far back in my stance, I have to appreciate the ball will do something quite different. There’s two reasons why we would have the ball back. The first is to get a better contact on the ball. By having the ball back, the club would be coming up and down on a steeper angle. As its coming in steeper, it’s going to get involved in the area behind the ball a lot less. So if you have some long grass or some mud here and a bad lie and you’re playing it off the front foot, that club would come down and get involved in that grass, give you a bad strike. So if the ball is sitting badly, drop it back in your stance, feel like the swing path is a bit steeper down into the back of the ball, you should get a cleaner contact.

The second reason is to put the ball back in the stance is to bring the ball flight down. Simply, if I tilt the shaft ahead of the ball, this angle here from the vertical to the shaft, that angle is going to be minused off the club face loft. So if I’ve got my 56 degree wedge but then I reduce that by 10 degrees, I’ve now got a 46 degree wedge. Do that by another five another 10 degrees that’s just coming off and off and off that loft. So by having the ball back, I then hit lower shots. And I might hit lower shots for a couple of reasons; I might hit a lower because I want to go out from underneath the trees. So I drop it back in my stance, and I squeeze it down and it falls and it shoots out from below the tree back onto the green. But it might be that I am playing into a head wind or a cross wind, and I don’t want to hit the ball high and get it blown in the wind, so I drop it back in my stance and hit ahead of it. So the simple techniques to hit punt shot, play the ball in the back foot but no further back than the big toe. So we don’t want to have it outside the forehead, that’s too far. So big toe would be a limit, back foot is fine. Keep the body weight positioned over that left side and over the front foot. If you start leaning back to get near the ball, then you’re in trouble. So keep the body weight over that front side. Make a nice grip but keep the angle, don’t let the hands slide back this way, keep your angle here. From here, quite a nice tight grip pressure works well. If you squeeze the golf club nice and tightly and then have a good hit down, the golf club is not going to bounce off the floor and change angles, its just going to penetrate through the ground, taking quite a big steep divot but forcing the ball out low and forwards. And that’s a great way of hitting down on the ball, hitting the punt shot, taking it out of a bad lie and keeping the ball flight down. 2014-03-26

Each time you step up to your golf ball to hit a shot, you have a choice as to where in your stance you will place the ball.

Why Play the Golf Ball Back in Your Stance?

The location of the ball in reference to your stance is called ‘ball position’, and it has a lot to do with what type of shot you’ll be able to produce. Ideally, you will have a standard ball position that you will use for most of your swings, and you’ll also have the ability to adjust that ball position as necessary to alter the way your ball flies. Many amateur golfers make the mistake of ignoring the importance of ball position, and those players never quite manage to reach their potential as a result.

In this article, we are going to talk about the strategy of moving the ball back in your stance. When you play the ball back in your stance, you will alter the way the club approaches the ball at the bottom of the swing, and you will alter the characteristics of the shot as a result. While the only way to truly know what this adjustment is going to do to your shots is to experiment for yourself, we are going to provide you with some basic information that will help you understand what to expect.

Before we get started, it is important to emphasize the value of working on your ball position during practice sessions. If you never take the time to work on this fundamental, you’ll always be guessing when you walk up to the ball out on the course. Ball position is one of the biggest keys in the game when it comes to consistency. If you are struggling to produce the same type of ball flight over and over in your game, look to ball position as a way to improve on that issue. Through trial-and-error on the driving range, you should be able to locate the right standard ball position for each of your clubs. This will give you a great deal of confidence when on the course, knowing that you are standing in the right place to produce quality shots. It will also make it easier to make adjustments like moving the ball back in your stance, since you will have a set starting point to use as a guide.

All of the content in this article has been written from the perspective of a right-handed golfer. If you happen to play left-handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary.

What Will Change?

For an experienced golfer, there isn’t much thought that needs to be involved when moving the ball back in the stance. The player will simply see the situation at hand, recognize that the best shot for the job is one played from the back of the stance, and on he or she will go. However, if you are relatively new to the game, or if you haven’t yet experimented with different ball positions, this adjustment might not come so naturally.

With that in mind, we are going to take some time in this section to discuss how your shots will change when you move the ball back in your stance. You may not be an expert by the time you have read through this section, but you should at least have a clearer picture of what will happen when you play the ball closer to your right foot.

The ball will launch lower. The first thing you are going to notice is that the ball will leave your club on a lower trajectory when you move it back in your stance. This makes sense, of course, since you are effectively lowering the loft of the club when you move the ball back. So, for example, if you are hitting a shot with a seven iron while playing the ball toward the back of your stance, the launch angle will probably be closer to what a six iron or five iron would usually produce. As a result of this lower launch, you can expect the ball to fly lower than normal all the way to the target. If you have ever wondered how professional golfers are able to the ball low on command, playing the ball toward the back of their stance is a big part of the technique required.

The ball will fly shorter. You could have probably guessed that these types of shots would fly shorter, even if you don’t have any experience playing them in your own game. The lower launch is certainly part of the reason that you won’t get as much distance from these shots, but there is another factor at play here, as well. Since the ball is back in your stance, you aren’t going to have as much space between the top of the backswing and the point of contact to accelerate the club head. Without as much room to work with, your swing speed will be lower, and the ball won’t launch as quickly as it would otherwise. When you add it all up, you are left with a shot that takes off lower to the ground and doesn’t have as much speed as it would when played from the middle or front of your stance. To use these kinds of shots effectively, you are going to have to learn how to adjust the distance you expect to achieve based on the positioning of the ball in your stance. That might sound like a tall order, but it should get relatively easy after you gain some experience.

You may hit a push. The first two things that come to mind when moving the ball back in your stance are likely to be the lower launch and the reduced distance. However, it is worth noting that you may find a tendency to push the ball out to the right of the target when you alter your ball position in this way. Since you are going to contact the ball at an earlier point along your swing arc, the face will likely be open to the target to some degree. That could result in a bit of a push, which is a problem if you fail to plan for it properly. Of course, practicing this shot on the range will do wonders for helping you learn how to aim for these shots. If you find that you do have a pattern of pushing your shots when the ball is back in your stance, aim slightly to the left of your intended target and let that push work in your favor.

The only way to know for sure how the ball is going to come off your club when you move it back in your stance is to try it out for yourself. Now that you know the basics of what you can expect, give these shots a try during an upcoming practice session and see how it goes. The results may not be perfect at first, but you can keep making progress with consistent effort.

Types of Shots You Can Produce

You should now have a pretty clear picture of how your shots are going to be altered when you move the ball back in your stance. At this point, it is time to start thinking about how you can use those shots to improve the way you move around the course. Despite everything that goes into playing a round of golf, the game itself is pretty simple when all is said and done – you are just trying to get the ball from the tee into the hole in as few strokes as possible. You play this same type of game 18 times within a single round, and then you add up the scores at the end. To help yourself make it through each hole is as few strokes as possible, it’s important to have a diverse collection of shots at your disposal.

Let’s take a moment to walk through some of the kinds of shots you can hit by moving the ball back in your stance.

Knock-down approach shots. This is one of the most useful shots you will be able to develop when you learn how to play the ball back in your stance. You can use this shot to take a bit of distance off of your approach, helping you to handle in-between yardages with greater ease. Basically, the idea here is to use your knock-down shot when you are in-between clubs, in order to dial up the right distance. So, for example, if the shot at hand is stuck between an eight iron and a nine iron, you opt for the eight but hit a knock-down. That will take a few yards off the eight iron distance, hopefully leaving your ball within short range of the cup. Of course, you need to remember that the ball is going to come in lower with this type of shot, so it should only be used when a low and flat trajectory will be appropriate.

Stay out of the wind. Moving the ball back in your stance is a great option when you need to avoid a significant wind. Obviously, sending the ball way up into the sky on a windy day is just asking for trouble, since you can’t be exactly sure what the wind is going to do to your shot. By moving the ball back in your stance and cutting off your follow through, you should be able to hit a lower shot that avoids much of the force of the wind. It needs to be stated also that this is not a shot which will only work when playing into the breeze. It’s just as useful to keep the ball down when hitting cross-wind shots, and even downwind shots. No matter which direction the wind happens to be blowing, your goal should be to minimize the impact that the wind has on your shot, so you can more accurately predict where the ball is going to come down.

Bounce the ball back to the hole. This is not a technique which is used very often in the amateur game, but it can be quite effective nonetheless. When playing an approach shot to a hole cut near the back of a green, consider moving the ball back in your stance to bring the shot in low and bounce it toward the hole. This strategy takes some of the risk out of the shot, since you’ll be bringing the ball down near the middle of the green, rather than trying to carry it all the way to the back. Of course, this plan is really only going to work when the greens are relatively firm, as you won’t get enough bounce when the greens are soft.

Controlled tee shot. When on the tee, most amateur players think first and foremost about hitting the ball as far as possible. That is fine in some situations – such as when you have a big fairway to work with – but other situations will call for placing a premium on accuracy. When that is the case, consider moving the ball back in your stance a bit to favor control. This is a great way to hit a tee shot with a three wood, and you may find that you can hit even the narrowest of fairways when you use this plan. The lower flight will mean the ball doesn’t have as much time to turn off line as it flies, and the slower swing speed (as compared to your driver) will increase your margin for error. It’s great to have a go-to tee shot that you can rely on when facing a narrow fairway, and playing the ball back in your stance a bit will likely need to play a role in that shot.

There are many options to consider when learning how to play the ball back in your stance. As you gain experience on the range, you will gradually come up with more and more shots that you feel comfortable producing. From there, it is a matter of figuring out how to use those shots most effectively on the golf course.

A Practice Method

Nothing comes free in golf, meaning you are going to have to work for any improvements that you do manage to make in your game. Simply deciding during the middle of a round to play one of your shots from the back of your stance would be a bad idea. Instead, you need to work on this on the range and only start to put it to use on the course when you have developed the appropriate confidence in these kinds of shots.

The practice method we are going to recommend here involves moving back and forth between your normal ball position and playing the ball back in your stance. This type of alternating practice is recommended because it closely replicates what you are actually going to do on the course. Unless you are playing on an extremely windy day, it’s unlikely that you are going to play all of your shots from back in your stance. Most likely, you’ll hit the majority of your shots from their normal ball position, while shifting the ball back from time to time as the need arises. Practicing the same way you play will improve your odds of successfully transitioning to the course when the time comes.

For an example of how this type of practice can work, please review the following sequence.

During a visit to the range, you decide that you are going to work on your knock-down approach shots. To do so, you take a seven iron from the bag and set aside 10 golf balls for the task.

Instead of hitting all 10 as knock-down shots, you are going to hit five normally and five as knock-downs. You will pick out a target on the range that is a suitable distance for your full swing with a seven iron. When you hit the knock-down shots, understand that the ball will likely come up a bit short of that target (and that’s okay).

You’ll start by hitting a normal shot, and you will follow that shot with a knock-down. The series will continue until all 10 balls have been struck.

This is a simple practice sequence, but it can be extremely effective. You are going to put yourself to the test by trying to go back and forth between the two types of shots. Once you are able to work through this kind of practice with good success, you’ll be ready to hit knock-down shots on the course.

The main lesson to take away here is this – you need to practice playing the ball back in your stance. This is an important type of shot, but it is not one you can expect to produce automatically without any kind of preparation. Find a way to practice playing the ball back in your stance that works for you and stick with it. Even if the results aren’t great at first, you will likely be happy with what happens over time.

Playing the Ball Back in the Short Game

We think it should be clear by now that you have a lot to gain by learning how to play the ball back in your stance when hitting full shots. You will never use this approach for the majority of your shots but using it from time to time is a big part of making your way around a course. But what about the short game? Is it a good idea to play the ball back in your stance in the short game? Just as is the case with the long game, these kinds of shots can be highly useful, as long as they are used at the right time.

It is important to clarify that we are talking about chip and pitch shots here, and not putts. When putting, you should play the ball from the same spot in your stance time after time. You should always have a good lie when on the greens, and the wind shouldn’t be much of a factor. Since you aren’t planning to get the ball airborne, you don’t have any reason to adjust your ball position. Work on mastering the ability to set up over your putts in the same place time after time, and your performance with the flat stick should improve.

For chip and pitch shots, playing the ball back in your stance is going to do much the same thing that it does when making full swings. The ball will come out lower, it will fly lower, and it will roll out farther after it lands. Right away, you can see how pushing the ball back in your stance will be the perfect option when you want to chase the ball across the green without covering much distance in the air. Also, if you have a questionable lie to deal with, moving the ball back in your stance will let you hit down and you should have an easier time making good contact. By practicing at least a few of these kinds of shots during each of your short game practice sessions, you’ll quickly pick up confidence. Once out on the course, you’ll find that this kind of chip and pitch comes in handy in a variety of situations.

Learning how to play the ball back in your stance is a fundamental skill in golf. Sure, you can play some good rounds without knowing how to play these kinds of shots, but you’ll always be limited in your abilities. Add this option to your repertoire and you will be better prepared to handle a variety of courses and a variety of conditions. Don’t put the task of learning these kinds of shots off any longer – start working on them during your next visit to the range and take a big step forward in your game. Good luck!

So the simple techniques to hit punt shot, play the ball in the back foot but no further back than the big toe. So we don’t want to have it outside the forehead, that’s too far. So big toe would be a limit, back foot is fine. Keep the body weight positioned over that left side and over the front foot. If you start leaning back to get near the ball, then you’re in trouble. So keep the body weight over that front side. Make a nice grip but keep the angle, don’t let the hands slide back this way, keep your angle here. From here, quite a nice tight grip pressure works well. If you squeeze the golf club nice and tightly and then have a good hit down, the golf club is not going to bounce off the floor and change angles, its just going to penetrate through the ground, taking quite a big steep divot but forcing the ball out low and forwards. And that’s a great way of hitting down on the ball, hitting the punt shot, taking it out of a bad lie and keeping the ball flight down.