Learning how far to stand from the golf ball is a fundamental aspect of the golf swing setup, and is one of the most important golf tips for amateur golfers, as it can have a huge impact on the consistency of your ball striking.
Standing too close or too far from the golf ball can cause many common swing faults, so we asked Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott to share his top tips for this crucial element of your pre-shot preparation...
How Far To Stand From The Golf Ball: Step-By-Step Guide
Start by placing the ball on the ground a few metres in front of you. Take your driver and stand upright with you back straight and feet separated at around shoulder width.
Start by taking your normal golf grip, and hold your arms out in front of you so the shaft is running parallel to the ground. If you are unsure how to achieve this, check out the video above for a great demonstration.
Stand upright in this position, with your back straight and your feet shoulders width apart
Maintain the straightness in your legs, tilt forwards at the hips and allow your upper body to take on the correct golf swing posture. Bend your knees, with the sole of the club sitting naturally on the ground and your arms hanging down in front of you.
Keeping you hands roughly the same distance from your thighs, shuffle yourself forwards until your club sits behind the golf ball. This is a great routine to ensure you can replicate the correct posture and position.
How Far To Stand From The Golf Ball: Driver v Iron
You can run through this same process with every club from 9-iron to driver. Of course your ball position changes for the different clubs and so does your stance width (so remember to factor those elements in) but the distance between your hands and your body remains constant.
It's important to note that the length of the club shaft determines how far you are stood from the ball - as the longer shaft in your driver and woods will automatically mean that you are stood further from the ball at address.
The higher the iron, the shorter the shaft... Importantly, the distance between your arms and thighs should remain constant
What Happens If You Stand Too Far From The Golf Ball?
Of the two ways to get this wrong, this one is the most common. Take a photo of yourself at address and if it looks as if you are reaching for the ball (with your hands further stretched out beyond the line of your armpits), you are likely standing too far from it. The negative impact on your swing will almost certainly be seen as soon as you take the club back.
In the takeaway, you'll be forced to whip the club away on the inside. From here, you'll be left with no choice but to come over the top in the downswing and for most golfers, this causes a slice. If you stand too far from the ball, you will also likely hit more distance-sapping toe strikes.
What Happens If You Stand Too Close To The Golf Ball?
Standing too close to the ball will see your hands too tucked to your thighs at address, creating a feeling that you are cramped. As with anything in the golf swing, it's all a chain reaction and if you stand too close, the club is likely to move away on the outside. This can then throw your swing path out or, even more damagingly, can be one of the main shank causes.
This simple step-by-step approach should help you to feel more comfortable over the ball, and more importantly see the consistency of your ball-striking improve.
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