Steve V

I'm having a hard time making solid contact with my Irons and Wedges, I keep pulling the club into the turf behind the ball much like a bunker shot so the ball flies off in various directions, and not very far I may be using too steep a downswing, but also I think I may have the ball in the wrong place in my stance.

The problem is I've seen different explanations of where the ball should be for long, mid & short irons - I thought I knew to move the ball back in my stance as the clubs get shorter, but I've seen other players keep the ball just off their left heel for everything down to maybe an 8 Iron and I also have an instructional dvd by Bob Toski where he hardly seems to move the ball in his stance either, so is there any kind of rule of thumb for this or do you just 'accidentally' find the right ball placement by trial and error?

stevel1017

a quick way to tell where the ball should be isw take a practice swing, and notice where the divot is, then place the ball so that you will hit the ball 1st and then make the divot. I play mine in the middle of my stance.
In the Toski video, you may notice, while they keep the ball in the same position, they narrow their stance as the loft increases.

As far as hitting it fat, make sure you are not "casting" with your hands on the downswing, and that you are not changing your spine angle

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Foster4

Heres how it should go ..but everyone is different.

Long irons should be more forward in your stand .. Just off your leading foot in your stance . Remember the longer the club the wider the stance so that you have better balance.

As you get to shorter clubs narrow your stance and move the ball back ever so slightly. Usually not past middle stance. If so you will see a result of a lower ball flight and very steep impact angle causing less distance injury prone and less controlled ball flight. I would say middle to leading legs thigh or just off the heel depending on the club

On a regular iron shot the ball is usually place on my leading legs thigh ...

But if you play alot of different shots then the ball position changes regularly .

300Yards

If all that doesn;t work..which it should..then you could give the stack and tilt swing a try..

Steve V

Thanks for the helpful replies, I think it must be my swing rather than the ball position then because I pretty much do what has been suggested. Maybe I'm too concious of 'swinging down' with an Iron rather than 'around' with Woods,should I try and flatten my backswing?

300Yards

Give this a try: Try leaving about 60% of your weight on your front foot at the takeaway, ans tilt left about 30 degrees at the top. This nearly eliminates the weight transfer, and makes you have way crisper contact. Distance should be gained, so they say. This definenlty isn't for everyone..it isn't for me, but it may help you.

See this site:
GolfDigest.com - Stack & Tilt: Try it for yourself

Foster4

umm well irons are usually a little steeper impact cuz of there length while woods are shallower cuz there longer ..but the length makes you swing like that you shouldn't have to alter your swing

cbwheeler

In my stance, the position of the ball never changes relative to my target side foot. The only thing that changes is the width of my stance, to support the longer swing as the club gets longer. Think about it. Ideally for every normal swing, the hands are in the same spot at impact; next to the target side leg. The clubs get longer as they increment, and the stance becomes more upright, so the ball must be more forward in the stance to make crisp contact.

The way I see it, the the ball never moves relative to my target side foot. The only thing that changes is the width of my stance by moving my back foot to create a wider base.

The result is, the ball ends up in the exact middle of my stance for short wedges, and just inside my left heel for the driver, around 2/3 of the way up for a 5 or 6 iron.

It is important to note that ball position can change for specialty shots that involve trajectory and distance control, although this is an advanced technique that should be avoided by less-skilled players

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