Golf Tip: Different Ball Placements for Different Clubs

Today’s golf tip will help you get the most out of every shot you take.

Knowing the right ball placements for the different clubs in your bag is useful information. In today’s golf tip, we’ll take a look at these placements.

For most full swings, the shorter clubs should be played in the middle of your stance. The shorter clubs are the 7 iron through the wedges.

Ball placement for the mid-length clubs should be incrementally left of the middle. The 6 iron is just to the left of the middle of your feet (not much different from the 7 iron placement). The 5 iron is a bit to the left of the 6, but hardly discernible.

The hybrids have a range from the middle of your feet to ever so slightly forward of that. They are not as long as fairway woods and should not be played from the same far-forward spot. I see golfers make this mistake on a regular basis. Their swings bottom out behind the ball, resulting in a fat or thin shot.

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The fairway woods are noticeably left of the middle of your feet, but not all the way to the inside of your front foot — that’s reserved for your driver. Overall, most of your swings will have a ball placement ranging from the middle of your feet to the inside of your front foot. This area is only about five to six inches, so several clubs share the same spot, not just the shorter ones mentioned above.

Please note that these ball placements are for full swings. It is necessary to place the ball further back for lower shots into the wind and for bump-and-run shots (check out our golf tip for this shot right here). Also, many very good players place their ball slightly forward for a higher shot if they think one is needed.

The ball placement for a putter is barely to the front of the middle of your stance. This increases your odds of hitting the ball on the upstroke, which will give the ball overspin. Golfers who putt with the ball in the middle of their stance increase the risk of their ball skidding for the first foot or two before it begins to roll.

If you are injured and struggling with the weight transfer, you may have to put the ball further back than the textbook says in order to make good contact. Place the ball where you can get to it. The textbook ball placements are certainly useful, but they may not be for you!

Take practice swings and notice where the bottom of your swing arc is. Pay attention to the divot you take and place your ball at the back end of that divot. This is the spot where you catch the ball on the downswing and continue down and through. Not all ball placements are the same for everybody! Keep this golf tip in mind, and don’t be afraid to make adjustments to find what works for you!

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