I must be mental

[robmypro]

Today I decided I wanted to sort out where the ball should be at address. For example, for 8i through SW the ball needs to be in the center. So I do the 4 ball thing and try to figure out how I can tell on the course (or range) exactly where the ball should be. The 5-7i wasn't too difficult, since it is just one ball over, but the 3i, 4i and fairway woods are two over, and I was struggling a bit with that on the course. The driver is the last ball, and that also was problematic.

So I basically got the 4 balls lined up, and then started devising visual guides. For example, with the Big Bertha, when I line the driver up to the ball, the right edge of the driver head is exactly in the middle of my stance. A pretty similar situation occurred with the fairway woods. As luck would have it, the 3 and 5w are about 1 ball narrower than the driver.

I spent about 30 minutes sorting this out in the living room, and I got a few strange looks from the wife. I must be mental.

 

[Smithfaced]

Today I decided I wanted to sort out where the ball should be at address. For example, for 8i through SW the ball needs to be in the center. So I do the 4 ball thing and try to figure out how I can tell on the course (or range) exactly where the ball should be. The 5-7i wasn't too difficult, since it is just one ball over, but the 3i, 4i and fairway woods are two over, and I was struggling a bit with that on the course. The driver is the last ball, and that also was problematic.

So I basically got the 4 balls lined up, and then started devising visual guides. For example, with the Big Bertha, when I line the driver up to the ball, the right edge of the driver head is exactly in the middle of my stance. A pretty similar situation occurred with the fairway woods. As luck would have it, the 3 and 5w are about 1 ball narrower than tbe driver.

I spent about 30 minutes sorting this out in the living room, and I got a few strange looks from the wife. I must be mental.

It really comes down to what works for you man. If you can create the same setup every time with each club you will be successful.

 

[O'Carroll]

I think we all need to be a little mental to play this game some times. Ball position is something I constantly forget about...and probably not good for my game. I have a long day at the range planned for tomorrow, and now I'm adding ball position to my list of things to work on.

 

[Paladin]

Ball position is a big part of a consistent swing. Probably one of those things we don't pay enough attention to, and then wonder why ball-striking is streaky. Have to be a bit crazy about it.

 

[rollin]

Hey man, if your mental then right now (based on my other thread which you know about) then I should be institutionalized

To tell you the truth (aside from my recent wo's) when I have hit well in the past and also at the range currently I have experimented with this too and from things that have been explained to me and also hearing/seeing/reading about many different versions of ball placement I've come to one conclusion and that is there is no 100% correct way and my instructor agrees and so did that other one I briefly had. Its not that big a deal as long as it meets up with your swing. Moving the ball or bringing in the back leg are different ways of doing similar thing also. When striking well I find its whatever looks and feels most comfy. I always tended to set all balls more forward and then just tighten up the stance a bit as the clubs get shorter. That was Jack's logic also from what I remember reading. When I screw up I do it whether the ball is back or forward just the same and when I hit good I also do it whether or not forward or back too. What looks and feels comfy leads to confidence too imo. Not that I've had that lately as you know but it does work. Hope it helps. And your not mental. At least in comparison to me LOL.

 

[deuce]

Ball position is the same for me on all full swing shots ... one ball back of center. On sand shots I will go back of stance and driver I will go off my front foot, but everything else is the same.

 

[robmypro]

Ball position is a big part of a consistent swing. Probably one of those things we don't pay enough attention to, and then wonder why ball-striking is streaky. Have to be a bit crazy about it.

That's exactly what I am thinking. I need to remove variables, otherwise I wonder what caused a bad shot. I have been eyeballing ball position, and that isn't going to cut it. I want to find the right position for each club, and then do it every time that way. Same with grip. That would be two big variables I can not worry about.

I think we all need to be a little mental to play this game some times. Ball position is something I constantly forget about...and probably not good for my game. I have a long day at the range planned for tomorrow, and now I'm adding ball position to my list of things to work on.

I hope you sort it out dude. One less thing to worry about.

It really comes down to what works for you man. If you can create the same setup every time with each club you will be successful.

I hope you are right!

Hey man, if your mental then right now (based on my other thread which you know about) then I should be institutionalized

To tell you the truth (aside from my recent wo's) when I have hit well in the past and also at the range currently I have experimented with this too and from things that have been explained to me and also hearing/seeing/reading about many different versions of ball placement I've come to one conclusion and that is there is no 100% correct way and my instructor agrees and so did that other one I briefly had. Its not that big a deal as long as it meets up with your swing. Moving the ball or bringing in the back leg are different ways of doing similar thing also. When striking well I find its whatever looks and feels most comfy. I always tended to set all balls more forward and then just tighten up the stance a bit as the clubs get shorter. That was Jack's logic also from what I remember reading. When I screw up I do it whether the ball is back or forward just the same and when I hit good I also do it whether or not forward or back too. What looks and feels comfy leads to confidence too imo. Not that I've had that lately as you know but it does work. Hope it helps. And your not mental. At least in comparison to me LOL.

Yeah, you have had some issues, but I think yours will be behind you before long. I agree that there is no one size fits all ball position, but I need to figure out where mine is. Right now it is too random. So a little ofv with ball position, a little off with grip, and before you know it the whole swing derails. My emphasis will be on a precise preshot routine, so when I hit a bad shot I can look elsewhere. Hey, I am mental! Lol

Ball position is the same for me on all full swing shots ... one ball back of center. On sand shots I will go back of stance and driver I will go off my front foot, but everything else is the same.

One back? Darn!

 

[Mmaynard11]

Ball position is something I definitely focus on during a round. It's amazing after I hit a poor shot to not only look down and notice my set up.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I notice sometimes if i am getting a little thin or fat on my shots if i check ball position i am off by a little bit correcting it helps my shot

 

[russtopher]

Not mental at all. I was playing the ball just in front of center of my stance and was having problems with my weight transfer. So I did the drill where you put the ball WELL forward in your stance, just to force the weight shift. Well, after making really nice contact (but really low ball flight) I moved the ball to a few inches off my left heel, maybe even with a polo shirt logo. Much, much better contact, and I've kept it there since. Never hurts to go over things and figure out that'll work best for you.

 

[robmypro]

Not mental at all. I was playing the ball just in front of center of my stance and was having problems with my weight transfer. So I did the drill where you put the ball WELL forward in your stance, just to force the weight shift. Well, after making really nice contact (but really low ball flight) I moved the ball to a few inches off my left heel, maybe even with a polo shirt logo. Much, much better contact, and I've kept it there since. Never hurts to go over things and figure out that'll work best for you.

That's what I am thinking too, Russ. How am I going to be consistent if the ball is a little forward this time, a little back the next? I will have to compensate for that, and it is just too many moving parts. So today I am going to find the sweet contact spot for my clubs, and then devise a way to know on the course that the ball is exactly in the right position for each club. I will probably get a few more strange looks from the wife, but what the heck! lol

 

[robmypro]

Thinking about how to find the ideal spot for the ball for each club. Maybe I will put some tape down on my mat, and mark it at half ball intervals, along with a center line (picture a "T" with marks going across the top). Then I can precisely locate the best contact point for each club. Once I know that position then I can devise visual aids to help me find that spot on the course.

Of course, this is golf, so the game will figure out how to circumvent all my efforts to bring order to it!

 

[Thedoswells]

Today I decided I wanted to sort out where the ball should be at address. For example, for 8i through SW the ball needs to be in the center. So I do the 4 ball thing and try to figure out how I can tell on the course (or range) exactly where the ball should be. The 5-7i wasn't too difficult, since it is just one ball over, but the 3i, 4i and fairway woods are two over, and I was struggling a bit with that on the course. The driver is the last ball, and that also was problematic.

So I basically got the 4 balls lined up, and then started devising visual guides. For example, with the Big Bertha, when I line the driver up to the ball, the right edge of the driver head is exactly in the middle of my stance. A pretty similar situation occurred with the fairway woods. As luck would have it, the 3 and 5w are about 1 ball narrower than the driver.

I spent about 30 minutes sorting this out in the living room, and I got a few strange looks from the wife. I must be mental.

Ive been thinking about ball position now that I want to play more. Can you tell me what the 4 ball thing is please?
thanks

 

[robmypro]

Ive been thinking about ball position now that I want to play more. Can you tell me what the 4 ball thing is please?
thanks

So you have the virus too? Here is how the 4 ball thing works. Picture a "T". Where the lines intersect you will place your first ball. That would be positioned in the middle of your stance. This is where you hit your SW, PW, 9i and 8i. To the left of that ball is another 3 balls. They pretty much touch each other. So 4 balls lined up, with the one furthest right being lined up in the middle of your stance. The ball position for your 5, 6 and 7i would be the 2nd ball from the right. The 3rd ball from the right would be your 3i, 4i and fairway woods. The last ball (furthest to the left) is for your driver. These are recommended by the PGA, but I think they should be considered good starting points. So the balls line up like this...

0000

The one on the far right would be dead center. This was harder to explain than I thought!

 

[robmypro]

And just to show how mental I am, I have taped off the mat. It is a "T" and I have marks that represent 5 balls. I will practice hitting each club today to see if I can determine the most consistent clean hit for each. Once i sort that out I will verify everything at the range.

Speaking of the range, I don't think I really trust the numbers or results I am seeing from the launch monitors at GolfSmith. Maybe it is the one I go to, but I cannot hit on those worth a darn. Before i buy a club I am always doing the range test. I hit better on the range. I get the see the entire flight of the ball. Honestly I don't think I will even bother with these monitors anymore. Seems pointless to me. For me, the real data is at the range. But that could just be me, and not doing well with others watching under pressure?!?

 

[Thedoswells]

So you have the virus too? Here is how the 4 ball thing works. Picture a "T". Where the lines intersect you will place your first ball. That would be positioned in the middle of your stance. This is where you hit your SW, PW, 9i and 8i. To the left of that ball is another 3 balls. They pretty much touch each other. So 4 balls lined up, with the one furthest right being lined up in the middle of your stance. The ball position for your 5, 6 and 7i would be the 2nd ball from the right. The 3rd ball from the right would be your 3i, 4i and fairway woods. The last ball (furthest to the left) is for your driver. These are recommended by the PGA, but I think they should be considered good starting points. So the balls line up like this...

0000

The one on the far right would be dead center. This was harder to explain than I thought!

Ok ok that's very interesting thanks. I'll have too how that looks in practice. I wonder where that puts the ball for the driver in relation to your left foot..
and I assume this would apply for full shots rather than e.g. chipping with a wedge?
much appreciated...
Steve..

 

[Daddio]

Thanks for the 4 ball description, I too am 'infected'. I devoted a couple range sessions just last week to better optimize my ball position (among a few other variables) with my driver. I'm using my newly acquired VC SC100 monitor to put comparative numbers along with visual ball flight feedback of each swing and find the device invaluable for such endeavors. I focused on the driver as I am shopping for a replacement and was prepping for some demo opps later in the week. I wish I were in your vicinity because I'd let you borrow my SC100 as you ferret out ball position for your set. Having numbers confirm what your eye sees is extremely valuable IMO. Especially if you are 'mental' enough to take notes on each swing and then input all that data into a spreadsheet to best analyze it (guilty). FWIW I learned a ton last week and have to now rethink some assumptions I took as gospel about my own swing and setup. I look forward to using the 4 ball system you described when I work on ball position for the rest of my set. Thanks for the description.

 

[robmypro]

You are welcome guys. This isn't rocket science, but you need to determine two things:

1. What ball position is best for a given club/shot.
2. How can you find that exact position quickly on the course.

Any way you can come up with that will work. Nice equipment, Daddio! Lucky bastard! But as I said above, finding that exact position is only half the battle. You also have to know exactly where the ball should be on the course, without the benefit of whatever aids you are using (i.e. 4 balls, etc.). For me. the club itself is becoming the aid. With my driver, when I line it exactly to the 4th ball (left side), the right edge of the Big Bertha is exactly in the middle of my stance. The fairway woods are almost the same. So you have to sort that out, which may or may not be that easy.

Good luck with it! I hope it helps.

 

[robmypro]

Ok ok that's very interesting thanks. I'll have too how that looks in practice. I wonder where that puts the ball for the driver in relation to your left foot..
and I assume this would apply for full shots rather than e.g. chipping with a wedge?
much appreciated...
Steve..

Regarding your left foot, for me it is an inch or two from my heel. I have no idea if that is right, but I am going to start at the 4th ball position and see where my testing takes me. Maybe it is 4.5 balls, or 5, or even 3.5. I will hit 10 shots at 4, evaluate, adjust, hit 10 more. Should be a fun evening!

 

[Daddio]

You are welcome guys. This isn't rocket science, but you need to determine two things:

1. What ball position is best for a given club/shot.
2. How can you find that exact position quickly on the course.

Any way you can come up with that will work. Nice equipment, Daddio! Lucky bastard! But as I said above, finding that exact position is only half the battle. You also have to know exactly where the ball should be on the course, without the benefit of whatever aids you are using (i.e. 4 balls, etc.). For me. the club itself is becoming the aid. With my driver, when I line it exactly to the 4th ball (left side), the right edge of the Big Bertha is exactly in the middle of my stance. The fairway woods are almost the same. So you have to sort that out, which may or may not be that easy.

Good luck with it! I hope it helps.

Fortunately, I have a pre-shot method that I've used forever that (at least for me) makes that translation pretty reliable and quick. Visualizing 4 balls located precisely within my ingrained setup routine should work great for me. Thank you for describing it so well.

 

[robmypro]

YOu are welcome Daddio. Good luck out there!