If there was one lesson that golfers kept coming back to in 2025, it was this: ball position matters more than you realize. It affects contact, stability and even trajectory, and can be the difference between hitting the flag and scrambling for bogey.
This is probably why our simple ball position guide became the most read golf tip of the year. It gave golfers quick results without complicating the pace. So let’s revisit that tip—and show you how a small configuration change can lead to immediate improvement.
Perfect your ball position with wedges and short irons
To nail your ball position with shorter clubs to score, Top 100 GOLF Teacher Debbie Doniger recommends starting with your feet together and the ball centered in your stance. From here, Doniger says to follow her two-step process — no pun intended:
1. Take a small step toward the target with your lead foot
2. Take a step back equal in size to your trailing foot
“That will put the ball in the middle almost every time,” Doniger says.
This quick setup method works well for wedges and short irons. It also works great for medium to long irons, but you just have to remember one key adjustment.
For long irons, take a larger step back
When deciding on a longer iron, Doniger says you want to have the same starting position: feet together, in the center of the ball. The key here, she explains, is your second step:
1. Take a small step toward the target with your lead foot
2. With your trailing foot, take a slightly larger step back – this will move the ball forward
“Now the ball is a little further forward,” says Doniger, “often times because we’re swinging, the low point is in front of the golf ball. That will allow us to swing forward.”
As the clubs extend, the ball should continue to move gradually forward. Each time, you are starting from the same position and only changing the size of that footprint.
“You’re doing the same (process) every time,” Doniger says. “You do that every time, maybe you’ll hit the ball a little better.”
