Driver BALL POSITION Is Critical To Hitting Straight and Long Drives.
Every year during the second week of August my brother Harry travels from Las Vegas to Oak Ridge to play our Member-Guest tournament with me. We have been pretty competitive in this event over the years, and always enjoy the time together.
As we were warming up to play in the tournament he was hitting drives for a Long Drive Contest. I noticed that he was playing his drives from the middle of his stance rather than off the left toe of his stance. Getting to be the "older brother" I suggested to him that he would get better results if he played the ball much more forward in his stance. He drove the ball very well most of the time during the tournament (we all miss some shots don't we?) and this was an important element of us doing well this year, winning our flight and getting to the final 6 teams in the end-of-tournament shootout.
Driver ball position has a huge impact on a golfer's ability to hit good drives. I do not think I have ever seen a player who was playing the ball too far forward in his stance, but many times I see players playing the ball to far back in their stance. There are a number of reasons playing the ball forward in your stance can help you to hit your best drives:
1. When you play your driver back in your stance, it keeps you from being able to shift your weight forward as you should, and you are more likely to hit the ball to the right;
2. When you play your driver back in your stance, you are likely to hit down on the ball too much – sometimes this can lead to ballooning your drives to high, and this can also create too much spin and too little roll on your shots.
It is VERY EASY to play your drives too far back in your stance. Constant attention to this in your setup pays Big Divendends to your driving.
How about you? – Please comment if you have noticed that you have been letting the ball creep back in your stance, and what your results have been when you have started playing the ball forward.
The Fit Is IT!!
Tony