Top 100 GOLF teacher Mark Blackburn explains why calling your ball position is so important when trying to shape your golf swing.
YouTube/Title
Earlier this year during a golf lesson with GOLF Top 100 Teachers Jamie Mulligan, he had me do a fun “Simon Says” workout with former professional golfer Veronica Felibertwhere she had hit a shot and then I had to try and execute the same.
While she was so much better than me, it was a fun way to test my skills and boost my confidence, with Mulligan’s master plan to put me at ease with the uncomfortable.
Of course, I can do it with driver strips every now and then, or hit a fresh wedge shot every now and then, but he asked me to call things like my remote control and shaping golf shots – which was one of the most intimidating things I’ve ever had to do as a golfer.
How different ball positions affect your swing path, for the master teacher
Tom Stickney
At one point I turned to my producer, Tiffani, and whispered, “there’s no way in hell I’m going to be able to do this, just FYI.”
But with Mulligan’s help and a few words of encouragement, I made it hit high pars with my 9-iron to perfection, placing them nicely and gently on the placement surface.
Since golf swing shaping is an advanced skill, it shouldn’t be surprising to hear a disabled person like myself cringe when asked to practice it. But there are some fundamentals to understand when it comes to shaping your shot, and another Top 100 GOLF teacher, Mark Blackburn, explains why one element is most important.
Focus on ball position when shaping golf swings
“There’s no substitute for the fundamentals in your golf game, and the one that needs the most attention is your ball position,” Blackburn says in the video above (courtesy of Titleist’s YouTube channel). “Your ball position should correlate with your preferred shot form. If your ball position matches what you want your golf ball to do in terms of trajectory and form, you will have much more success.”
How to form an equation
“When we start talking about pulling the golf ball, we want the ball to be further back in our bow so that the club is approaching the ball from the inside,” Blackburn said.
Using a 7-iron, Blackburn explains how the club face should look at impact when trying to achieve a draw.
“This is in the middle of my stance and I have a 7-iron, so if I were to draw this shot, I might prefer a middle to slightly back (ball position), which will allow me to get the line of beginning. more to the right of the target,” he adds. “Then I have to close my face to the lane and I’ll make a draw.”
Blackburn then dropped two golf balls on the ground and placed them in different positions to explain how the outcome of the shot can change.
“If I put (another) ball more toward my back foot and a little inside the center ball, you can see that’s where the club will come from for a draw,” he said.
How to form a fade
So where should the ball position be if you’re looking to hit a fade? Blackburn addresses this question next.
“If I want to fade the ball, I need to get the ball higher in my stance so the club travels more outside-in, which will make it easier to start the ball left of the target before cutting,” says Blackburn.
But just because the ball is forward in your stance doesn’t mean you’ll naturally achieve the fade you’re hoping for, as it requires you to maintain control of the clubface coming through impact.
“Assuming I can arrange my arms and hands in the swing to keep the clubface open to the fairway,” Blackburn recalls.
So when you’re trying to shape your golf swing, first work on positioning your ball correctly and then manage your club path for the desired type of shot. By doing so, you’ll expand your hitting range and hopefully see lower scores as a result.
“Simply arranging the position of the ball in relation to the desired flight of the ball will help you increase your success rate and become a better hitter of the ball,” adds Blackburn.
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