Set-up - Ball Position
The correct ball position in a golfer’s setup is often overlooked and commonly misconstrued. This aspect of the setup directly influences a number of ball flight laws.
Path – the direction the club is moving through the ball
Clubface – whether the clubface is square, closed or open at impact
Centeredness of hit - Was the shot struck sweetly
Irons
There was once a common belief that you must start with the ball in the middle of your stance with a short iron and gradually move the ball towards your front foot as the iron gets longer. This is wrong as you are moving the ball further away from the Apex of your swing. The ball must always be positioned at the apex with any iron in order to achieve the correct compression of the shot and also produce a flight relative to the irons loft.
This can also affect the path and angle of the clubface as the club is more than likely to have rotated past square and now moving back inside (across the ball) on an “out to in” path with a closed face.
Driver
The ball position must now be positioned just inside the left heel (forward of the apex) in order to achieve an ascending blow from the club head. This again is to maximise the loft of the driver whilst limiting the spin off the club face.
Fairway metals
Position the ball for these shots right in between the suggestions for irons and drivers. Not as far back as an iron as we still want to compress the ball but achieve a stronger more penetrating ball flight.
Check out the link and watch Phil Trouno from the Jim McLean golf school demonstrate.
