How to make sure you’re standing the correct distance from the golf ball

rory mcilroy addresses the ball

Standing too close or too far from the ball creates all sorts of negative reactions in your swing.

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Standing too close or too far from the ball creates all sorts of negative reactions in your swing, but how do you check to make sure you’re the perfect distance away from the ball? Hamilton Farms GC director of instruction Nick Bova has a simple solution. 

illustration
Illustrations by Ben Mounsey-Wood

Take your setup and then drop your trail hand off the club. If your hand swings away from the grip and toward your body, it means you’re standing too far away. If it moves away from you, it means you’re standing too close. When your hand hangs level with the grip after letting go, you’re perfect.

Go through this checklist if you think your setup is off and you’re bound to fix all sorts of problems.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

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Luke Kerr-Dineen

Golf.com Contributor

Luke Kerr-Dineen is the Game Improvement Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. In his role he oversees the brand’s game improvement content spanning instruction, equipment, health and fitness, across all of GOLF’s multimedia platforms.

An alumni of the International Junior Golf Academy and the University of South Carolina–Beaufort golf team, where he helped them to No. 1 in the national NAIA rankings, Luke moved to New York in 2012 to pursue his Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. His work has also appeared in USA Today, Golf Digest, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.