How Far To Stand From The Golf Ball

Knowing how far to stand from the golf ball and then repeating it, every time you hit a shot will undoubtedly help the consistency and accuracy of your ball striking. It is one of the most important fundamentals in the game. My tips in the video and article below will provide you with a routine you can use, from 9-iron to driver, so you get this key aspect right every time.

Start by setting the ball on the ground, a couple of metres in front of you. Stand upright with your back straight and your feet around shoulder width apart. Then take your normal golf grip with your arms out in front of you so the shaft of the club is running parallel to the ground (the video with this article reveals exactly how it is done). 

Keeping your legs straight, tilt forwards from the hips so that your upper body is set into the correct golf swing posture. Then slightly bend your knees - the sole of the club should naturally sit on the ground now and your arms should be hanging straight down from your shoulders. From here, keeping your hands the same distance from your thighs, simply shuffle yourself forwards until the club is behind the ball. I find this simple routine really helps golfers get into the right position.

Of course, there are some other checkpoints you can use as well. At address, are your armpits over your toes and is your bum over your heels?

You can run through this same process with every club from 9-iron to driver. Of course your ball position changes for the different clubs and so does your stance width (so remember to factor those elements in) but the distance between your hands and your body remains constant. It is the length of the club shaft that determines how far you are stood from the ball - the longer shafts in your driver and woods will mean that you are stood further from the ball at address.