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Most mechanics I know try to tell you youāre gonna need to replace everything haha
I like your concept on this. I suppose it depends on what you see with any person. For me first he fixed my grip and ball position. By the end he had me in impact position; hitting 20 yard chip shots with the impact – forward shaft – that was it. For those who expect a "fix" after one lesson, they will be disappointed – if you learn piano, it is one scale per week.
I would go after ball position. Ball position influences impact, ball flight, trajectory, the release, etc. It has go be ball position!
Ball position is critical, above everything. Who cares if the low point in the swing is toward the back foot or front foot? It doesn't really matter if you aren't a tour player.
IMPACT!!!!!
Here at Bend-over insurance thereās only one position
I find that, if I take 2-3 practice swings and see where the club impacts the ground, it seems to be behind the center of my stance. Because Iāve always been told that center of stance is the correct ball position for irons, I have to try to make contact with the ground after the ball. I can do it, but itās not my natural swing tendency. If I donāt do this, Iāll hit a fat shot. I think figuring this out would be most important for me.
What would indicate a ball position being to far back as compared to being to far forward when it comes to irons?
Great video Tony. Three years ago, I purchased a putting rail. Feel free to grill me on that. Anyway, on the other side of the rail, there is a ball position guide for all clubs and I know for a fact, working on that fundamental has been extremely helpful. I use it every time I am at the range and have developed a routine when I set my feet so the ball is roughly, as close as it can be in the same place relative to the club I have in my hands. Highly recommend working on ball position/placement for your swing.
Everyone I play with flips at the ball, and theyāre all terrible. There seems to be an assumption among amateurs that impact position and address position are the same.
I literally wasnāt able to play golf with any enjoyment until I learned that I was casting, and spent 2-3 years trying to stop, but I swear by delofting and shaft lean now.
I used a tour striker 7 iron and a DST compressor 8 iron combined with a thousand hours of practice and video study. I find it hard to believe that my handicap went from 16 to 6 in 2 years by chance, after spending 20 years with minimal improvement. It had to be the cast killing me.
I truly believe the cast or āflipā is to be the most common fundamental flaw in the overwhelming majority of amateur golfersā swings. Even more so than an over the top or steep swing fault. The average amateur has no idea how low the good players are actually launching the ball.
BeBetterGolf did an independent study on this after the U.S. open using data gathered from the driving range at shinnecock that week. He found that on average the pros were launching the ball at an angle that was less than half of the loft of the club they were swinging. This means, if they were hitting a 60 degree, they were launching it at 30 degrees. If they were hitting say a 5 iron with around 30 degrees of loft, they were launching it around 15 degrees.
The average amateur, I suspect just assumes the ball is supposed to launch at or around the loft of the club used. This is an absolutely fatal understanding of the physics of ball striking, and very few instructors talk about it.
Sorry for the long winded comment Iām kind of a golf autist.
Plane All hackers are over the top. Some hackers are strong on grip some weak. Some choppers have the ball back too far some hackers have it to far forward. But ALL hackers come over the top.š
The answer is impact. Lol
Agree 1000%. Ball position is so nuanced and heavily influenced by the perception of a golfer at address. Take Bryson DeChambeau for example who seems to have the ball waaaay back in his stance for his irons and wedges. I often wonder if that's actually the case or he sees his ball position as centred for his swing.
My initial thought was grip. But that changes everything. Including ball position. I would change their setup routine to include a practice swing that is specifically designed to figure out club impact position. Sweep the ground and watch where the impact is then setup around that position when addressing the ball. So I agree āļø itās the ball positionā¦
This is superb advice. I wish I had just teeād it lower and moved the ball back w driver and forced a reaction versus having driver snap hook yips for 2 years
Take half swings at best than experiment with half swings or even less, then try different angles and approaches till you like what you see, then take the club a little further back and see if the results are acceptable, if they are continue until things go haywire. Try different approaches till one sticks, then remember it.
Golf is a game of misses no matter where the ball is in your stance, you can hit great shots with the ball in the wrong position and bad shots with the ball in the right position, that's the beauty of the game, she'll never be caught, she'll never surrender to you, a more cruel and mercurial mistress there never was.
95% of amateurs extend too early and cannot turn properly. It leads to slices, steep impact, etc. etc. The main cause: they don`t lower their trail hip before they turn. Learning how to stretch the lead side before rotating the upper body would be so beneficial. Unfortunately, it is something PGA coaches never mention.
not watched video yet but out of your list would be face control My list would have hand eye co ordination/sporting skill drills Top
Iām in the setup camp. Is that only one thing? Thatās for yāall to decide. I feel most donāt know how to setup properly to the ball. Ball position would have been number 2 for me. At least thatās how I started with any lessons I did. Check those two first and see what happens.
I saw my comment! š
Learn how to think..
Tony, have you seen this old classic from Leslie neilson? How to make bad golf fun. https://youtu.be/mCmD82I_7II?is=cAxDoEH5mVc5eYh1
I love it Tony! I always go by low point first. Golf instruction is a funny business. 1 thing (variable) can set other variables off kilter. Then its a chase šš
As always Tony, great insight! Since watching your channel I've realised, if i change anything, what's going to be the effect.
Hi. Ball position. I think that is an excellent "only one change" answer. For me at least, it has two parts…First, forward to backward in my stance and second, my proximity to the ball. In other words, am I reaching for the ball or am I crowding close to the ball?
I think of it as two yard sticks on the ground forming an, an X and a Y axis. Where they intersect is where the ball is in relation to where I am in a neutral, relaxed, sort of "goldielocks" position. Of course, different length clubs are going to necessarily affect where I am in relation to my position relative to the ball. However, I am trying to retain that "neutral" "feel" so that my swing remains the same whether I am swinging a PW or a driver. I am just finding a comfortable swing. Whichever club I'm swinging is responsible for the distance and trajectory.
Do I try to swing harder or softer? That's tempting. I try to avoid the temptation by just shortening the length of the swing by what "feels like" half or what people call 90 degree when I need to. I don't try to lengthen it…I call that "over-swinging". Bad things result.
This works for me. It seems to work better than "trying" to swing harder or faster.
I'm playing golf for entertainment and some exercise.
At my ability level, I'm not going to hit a 7 iron a 175 yards unless I hit a cart path…which probably isn't going to leave me in the best position for the next shot.
Tony, do you have some general recommendations for ball position that have been successful for your students? (FW woods, hybrids, mid irons, short irons)
I actually think moving the ball around during practice is a good thing even with the same club
I would never say ball position to be honest, it's not that it isn't important but changing ball position changes what the player percieves and can lead to repeating the mistake. Impact is a great answer but too complex because it involves too many factors, low point control is another one because it can lead to never fatting again.
My answer would be "intention", it changes the mechanic of your swing without thinking about any single movement. Someone with the intention to scoop the ball will have a terrible swing while someone thinking about brushing the geound in fron of the ball will strike the ball decently.
How do I find proper ball position. Im right handed and my right arm is 3" shorter because I cant straighten my elbow. Just a ball park starting point please
Player here since 1972. I learned golf by studying Nicklausā book āGolf My Wayā. I still have it. Jack played the ball just inside the left heel with every club, moving the right foot closer to the left as the clubs got shorter. I improved quickly as a young teenager and shot in the low to mid 70ās as a junior and high school golfer and on into my 50ās. Now as a senior golfer that method no longer works. My body has become weaker and my swing speed is slower and Iāve moved into regular shafts. Iāve had to move the ball back a little further with my irons now to have any chance of delivering a compressive strike, otherwise Iām adding loft to the iron face and almost hitting up on the ball, losing a lot of distance. My teaching pro is desperately trying to move it further back but I donāt feel like I ever have a chance to develop optimum swing speed now that my backswing has become shorter. Iām so frustrated with my iron play at this point Iām thinking about going to a full set of hybrids because theyāre so much more enjoyable to play with. Iron play used to be the strength of my game but the ball position issue is something weāve been unable to solve. In my opinion it just seems like irons are really difficult clubs to hit properly for most senior golfers. I have a nine metal in my bag thatās become my best friend on the course. I can choke down on the shaft and hit all kinds of good shots. Golf needs to be fun for me to continue to play into my elderly years.
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