How far should you stand from the golf ball? For most initiated golf players, this can be a question that comes up now and then as they solidify their basics. For complete beginners, this question is at the top of their mind.
How far you stand away from the golf ball will have a major impact on your shot performance, so it is quintessential to nail it down. In case it was not clear, do not nail the ball to the ground; nail the technique.
When you get the correct ball distance from your body on every shot, you will greatly increase your consistency. Read down below to figure out the absolute best ball distance from your feet.
How Far Should You Stand from the Golf Ball?
When you set yourself up before taking a shot, you want to strike the ideal balance between standing too close and far from the golf ball.
If you are too close to the golf ball, you will have to pull your golf club in to hit the ball, and you will lose your balance. This will result in a poor shot that will feel constrained and uncomfortable.
If you stand too far away from the golf ball, you will have to reach to hit the golf ball, throwing your body off balance, and reducing the efficiency of your muscles to drive the golf ball far away. Your shot will lose a lot of power if you are reaching out for the golf ball because your body generates the most power when it is solidly rooted in the ground, in a stable configuration. Repeatedly reaching for the golf ball will cause you to hunch too much over and will result in back pain.
Additionally, if you adopt the correct golf posture, your hands and golf club should naturally lie along the ground, and the position of the club head will tell you exactly where the golf ball should be. Your knees should be slightly bent, your back straight and hunched over at a little less than 45 degrees relative to the vertical; your arms should hold the golf club with the correct technique and you should be looking down at the golf ball.
THE BOTTOM LINE: To determine how far away the golf ball should be from your feet, simply adopt the correct golf posture, then look at where the club head is along the ground. The golf ball should be placed in the middle of the face of the club head.
Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Your Distance from the Golf Ball
1. Incorrect golf posture or stance
Issues Caused:
-Having incorrect golf posture will reduce the efficiency of your golf swing, resulting in less power, less accuracy.
-Incorrect golf posture will cause your body to overcompensate in some ways, making some of your muscles work harder than they should, and setting you up for injuries.
-Incorrect golf stance will throw off your balance, reducing the consistency of your shots.
Solution: Adopt correct golf posture.
2. Standing too close to the ball
Issues Caused:
-Standing too close to the golf ball will make you feel like your body is in the way of your swing.
-Standing too close to the golf ball will heavily throw off your balance, and make it very hard to generate adequate power, or hit consistent shots.
-Standing too close to the golf ball will cause you to twist your knees to hit the ball, and highly increase the likelihood of injuries.
Solution: Stand further away from the golf ball, while adopting correct golf stance.
3. Standing too far away from the ball
Issues Caused:
-Standing too far away from the golf ball will cause you to reach for the ball, thus throwing off your balance. This off-balance configuration will ruin your kinetic chain (the smooth chain of movements your body makes during a golf swing), killing your shot consistency and lowering your shot efficiency.
-Standing too far from the golf ball will cause you to overly hunch over, making some muscles work harder than they need to. This sets you up for injuries, on top of making shots harder to make than they need to be.
Solution: Stand closer to the golf ball, while adopting correct golf stance.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you now have a great understanding of the ideal golf ball placement relative to your feet. The ideal distance of the golf ball from you is much more simple than beginners may think it is. Simply adopt the correct golf stance or posture, and the position of the club head will tell you where the ball should be. Place the golf ball in the middle of the golf club head’s face.
You are now ready to improve your shot consistency and general golf performance! Practice hard, and you will undoubtedly get better! We are rooting for you!
How far or close do you typically like to stand from the golf ball? Let us know in the comments down below!
