Where should the ball really be in your stance? Top 100 teacher has system

You need a golfer and a golf ball. 

Along with two alignment sticks. 

And Cameron McCormick’s formula. 

And with those, he says, you can figure out the correct stance width and ball positioning.

The insight comes via an Instagram video the GOLF Top 100 Teacher posted this week —  and it could potentially clear up your ball-striking. Set your feet too close together or too far apart, and you’ll mishit. Set the ball too far forward or far backward in your stance, and you’ll mishit. 

Below is the video. Below that are some notes. 

In the video, Jordan Spieth’s longtime coach has put a ball down, placed an alignment stick just to the right of it and perpendicular to him, and set down another stick parallel to him. The former alignment stick acts as a bookend; his feet serve as the other. The latter alignment stick helps measure. 

With that set up, McCormick’s formula is this (for a right-handed player):

— For the driver, the left foot should be 7 inches from the ball, and the right foot 18 inches away. 

— For the 4-iron, the left foot should be 10 inches from the ball, and the right foot 12 inches away. 

— For the 8-iron, the left foot should be 10 inches from the ball, and the right foot 10.5 inches away.  

— For the lob wedge, the left foot should be 10 inches from the ball, and the right foot 8.5 inches away. 

Good stuff. Now, are the measurements universal? No, of course not; players are different. But McCormick’s alignment stick set-up could be used to create your own formula. 

Let’s keep the ball-position conversation going. Last December, GOLF’s Jessica Marksbury wrote a story headlined “A foolproof way to figure out your ball position for every club,” and you can read that story by clicking here, or scrolling below. 

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Bad ball position is one of the easiest ways to get yourself on the wrong track on the course.

I know this from experience: For some reason, I tend to naturally play the ball too far back in my stance. The first time I was alerted to the issue, I was shocked. Consciously moving the ball up a smidge worked wonders for my shot quality, without making any changes to my swing.

That’s why I was interested to ask Top 100 Teacher Kellie Stenzel for her best advice on how to create a foolproof ball-position system that can work all the way through the bag.

“Everybody’s different,” Stenzel said. “So I think the easiest way is to just take a practice swing with whatever club you’re hitting and see where the club hits the ground.”

A golfer’s pivot and weight transfer can vary, depending on the player, Stenzel said, so that’s why paying attention to your own practice swing is so helpful.

“If your club wants to hit the ground in the middle of your stance on your practice swing, your ball position should be just slightly forward of center,” Stenzel said.

Another way to decide where to place the ball is by paying attention to your misses.

“If you’re hitting it fat, you may be hitting the ground where the ball should be,” Stenzel said. “Try moving the ball to where you’re hitting the ground, back or more center.”

This method is also helpful when you encounter an uneven lie, Stenzel said.

“If you have an uphill lie and take a practice swing, you may see a divot a little back of center for a right-handed golfer, and if that’s the case, move the ball back,” she said. “Put the ball in the position of the stance where the practice swing tells you to.”