Literally just learned this among other things yesterday from a guy I took a lesson with. Thought he was crazy at first but he had a similar body style as mine. Taller and longer arms. I had to search youtube just to find these videos. I wonder why its not taught by some of the more influential youtubers. After the lesson I hit balls higher, further, and straighter than I ever have. It promotes good rotation and a proper follow through

Incredible! I was struggling with contact and a little flippy as well. I’m a 78-83 golfer but not lately…I moved all of my wedges/ irons, up in my stance and absolutely crushing every single shot. I discovered this on my own and later looked this up on KZfaq. You are 100% on the money about this theory. Love the channel and continued success. Rich Z. Orlando, Florida ⛳️🙏

Effective, well presented lesson.

Hi Russell, just wanted to thank you for your fantastic easy to follow coaching. So many other golfing KZfaq channels complicate swing advice. Keep it up 👍

Sorry, I tried it as you showed it and it works, plus added 10-20yds to my 8 iron with more accuracy. I did add a change to look directly in front of the ball instead of behind it. Going to try my 7 irin next since I only hit it 140 yards now and I should be hitting it 150 to 160 yards. We will see and I will report.

Great video, thank you for your knowledge, outstanding!

This video is great, a single handicap player told me this after watching me struggle with my game and the results were fantastic it felt a bit strange at first but after trying it for a few days I soon got used to it, its bought my handicap down to 11 with in a few weeks and hopefully single figures soon. keep up the good work.

Tried this yesterday at the range - played the ball more forward off my left side and tinkered with the club off the ball 1 to 2 inches at address. It worked extremely well for me. Better consistent contact, higher ball flight. It will take some work to get the ball flight down since I play in wind a fair amount due to geography. Also helped me realize that my swing is my swing and what I can repeat is what I should stay with... I am guilty of too much tinkering. Appreciate the video.

Are used to play the ball forward all the time. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved the ball more towards the center of my stance. I’ve also experienced what my instructor calls “body stall.“ It will be interesting to see if moving the ball forward again solves this problem. Thanks very much for your video

Dear Russel I start to Wach your videos a year ago and it’s became my first proper lessons and brings my understanding to biomechanics of swing to another level. Unfortunately in Ukraine’s no coaches at all compère to your level. Many thanks 🙏 I am looking forward one day do coaching face to face and thank u personally .

Hogan in Five Lessons suggested keeping the ball in the same place just behind the front heel for all clubs but also opening stance for clubs shorter than 7 iron and closing for longer ones. Always curious about cause and effect analyzed how changing stance angle affected other variables and discovered that with Hogan’s hip centric, side bending swing style it affects how far the hands are able to swing forward relative to the ball position while hips are kept locked 45° by keeping back heel on ground. Opening the stance allows the hands to swing further forward before lag is released (relative to parallel stance 7 iron swing) and closing stance causes the hands to come down further back (relative to ball position) allowing more room for the longer shafted clubs to swing around the hands and accelerate. Because of the physics striking force of F = 1/2(Mass x Velocity^2) stopping the hands and whipping the club around them can generate exponentially more striking force than the sweep-of-arms swing style used by most recreational golfers and Hogan’s strategy of constant ball position and varying stance to match swing radius around hands to club shaft length was a very brilliant intuitive application of that physics compared the contemporary wisdom of always keeping heels parallel to target line and moving ball back to where the club head makes contact with ground. The wider and more closed stance for longer clubs Hogan advocated also makes it easier to make contact with the ball slightly inside of center (relative to target line) with inside-square-inside path (relative to target line). Having used both techniques I found Hogan’s changing of stance technique easy to implement if just trying to line up and hit straight shots but if changing stance to hit fades it requires a two step process: first needing to adjust stance for shape of shot then for club being used-not complicated but something one must remember to do methodically to hit the shaped shots correctly.

I’m in the process of tinkering with ball position. I’ve found moving the ball position forward helps give me time to close the club face, especially the driver/woods. Too far towards center and I’ll get some pushes/fades. I’ve suspected a stalled rotation, moving the ball forward forces the issue like he explains in the video.

1:58 - And for the more advanced player; Hips, body, chest lead the arms AND THEN in that small frame before impact, the trail elbow synchronizes with the trail hip, for that amazing lag and zip release. A very Hogan-esque technique and extremely powerful.

Only played 9 hole one fairway missed 4 over par ball off my left foot stupid or what for every iron my concentration and strike was awesome but now have a sore back. Worth it. Love it George 💎💎💎

Back in my younger, better days, I played my irons forward. Over the years, I moved the ball towards center. I was probably losing aggressive rotation and proper pressure shifting and replaced it with a more passive turning. Hopefully, this insight will reawaken old ghosts. Well done.

I think you just cured my flipping, thanks.

Just found this. I usted to play the ball in one position and somehow got away from it. Plan to return per your video. My miss is either fat shot or a block. Thanks for the tip.

Great tips are always simple.

Good stuff

These videos are so easy to follow.

That was what Jack Nicholas said where the ball position should be in a normal shot. The width between the feet is different for different clubs.

so i did exactly that, and i even managed to take divets, where i never do. one problem i had was that i had a straight draw or i was hitting the ball thin sometimes. i thought if i change my grip and make it less strong perhaps i wont draw so much? but i will most def be keeping that ball forward.

It works. Been doing this for three weeks or more, all clubs. With the shorts irons, make sure your shoulders don't point left, otherwise you'll get contact issues. For anybody who doesn't shift their weight left naturally, this could instantly save you. Thanks for the tip!

As most of you know, Ben Hogan’s 5 Lessons shows the ball off the left heel for EVERY club. The right foot position is the variable.

Moving the ball forward is transforming my swing for the better. I struggled with all irons until I started moving ball consistantly off my left heel for all clubs. I simply bring my stance in for shorter clubs. I'm hitting greens with consistency again! I was smothering might shots before and was unable to close the clubface fast enough. Ball flight was too low.

Great video..Nick Faldo always played with the ball 2 inches off his left heel for every club.

Question is, once you find a bit more compression and proper balance and rotation, is it time to start moving the ball to(wards) the middle of the stance for shorter irons and wedges? Do you keep the ball forward with all your clubs and simply change stance itself ala Jack Nicklaus?

Did this today and ball striking much more consistent

I dont know if the YT algorithm is watching my golf training, but its weird that this popped up because I'm struggling with this exactly right now. Thanks Russell!

This drill has really helped my ball striking. What I had to pair it with to make it stick though was when I moved the ball back to center I had to look in front of the ball. If I put my focus in front of the ball my body goes where my eyes tell it to. If I bring my eyes back to the ball I lose most of it. For me focus was more key than the drill. But the drill helped me find the feel for it.

Coming from baseball I was always a pull hitter, I would smash the ball when was inside and way in front of me… I started moving forward in sim and what a game changer It’s off my front toe for driver now instead of heel.. Higher flight and nice draws

Intelligent and well communicated instruction.

So I’ve always understood the farther forward the ball the more fade, the farther back the more draw? How do you put the ball forward but still maintain an inside path going back for draw?

Perfect!

Early on, I injured my wrist by hitting steeply down on the ball. I could only swing by having the ball 2 inches forward from my club. It forced me to "sweep" the ball, but I have it in my swing. It certainly has forced me to follow thru.

On it tomorrow at the range and on the course 💎💎💎

For me this is such a underrated drill that more Amateurs need to do including myself and like you say keep it simple. Great video keep it up.

Been watching all male and female professionals recently to see how they set up the ball in their stance. Started to notice that almost 100% they play every wood or iron off the left heel area. Watching this has convinced me to work at this drill to see if it improves my inconsistent ball striking. I’ll report back as soon as I can get a few rounds in. Thanks for the confirmation of ball position the pros seem to use.

How far do you suggest moving ball forward?

Interesting. I am moving back off the ball and head moves back in downswing. I am doing a ball way forward drill to train my head to stay centered or I will never make contact.

Ball is only forwards for the drill? Or are we to actually playing the ball forward in a real round as well

Are we saying to actually play with the ball forward or just doing the drill with the ball forward.

moving the ball forward in the set up encourages you to move forward which is a good thing, I see players falling back after contact with the obvious results great video Russell

The further forward you move ball position, the harder it becomes to hit down on the ball. Which is not really a problem with longer irons as much as it would be for mid and scoring irons. Why not just teach him to swing properly?

it wasn't that clear but on some shots he set up with the club 2 or 3 inches behind the ball. is that the idea?

5

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Well for me I could not see one ball flight, swings are too fast to pick up change in club path. Why is club so far behind ball on iron shots?

This causes me to come across the ball resulting in pushes, hitting off the toe, or slices.

This is my warmup drill before every round

Ball position is not ever to be a one and only. Ball position is an individual case by case evaluation based on a golfers build, age, low point of swing.

How many golf balls do those robo mowers chew up?

I just blade the ball with irons if its that far upfront

Took lesson and coach had me move the ball forward…it took 8 strokes off my score over last 5 rounds!

Skip the jahja ff to 7:10

I had been topping the ball. I watched the video I went to the range and moved the ball forward and used the turn, immediately hit better.

This obviously works for a lot of golfers, mainly pros, for myself and countless others it doesn’t.

My instructor told me years ago, BYT (before KZfaq) , do not buy golf magazines for the tips they have inside, they will only create more problems for you. The only way any of these tips work is if you get lucky and it addresses the specific problem YOU are having, otherwise you're only going to dig a hole for yourself. If I moved the ball that far forward in my stance I would top it all day long. If you want to learn the proper way for rotation, buy Ben Hogans book. Or better yet, find a good pro and take some one on one lessons.

What is that roaming around in the background? Robots?

2:58 - One the hardest attributes for an amateur to learn is the arms, wrists, and hands one the LAST things to come through the impact zone AND this all must start in transition, BEFORE the actual top of the swing. How to convince the population that the golf swing swing is a side-on sport. More than half of the body is sideways to the ball at impact and that CANNOT be accomplished swinging the arms first. The amateur must first convince himself that is ok to leave the clubhead way behind you, out of sight, for most of the downswing, it is LITERALLY lagging WAY behind the hips, torso, even the chest. Just think Annika Sorenstam, with that funny look ahead move BEFORE the ball strike and they start to realize what must happen.

It’s how Jack Nicklaus played all his life

The wrists are in such a bad position.

Got almost, nothing, out of that? What, was, that?

So after a hundred plus years of putting the ball in the middle of your stance...

Rus mate u might know but So boring...why 8.46mins to fix in 30secs....sorry not easy to listen to or watch...good luck

He is manufacturing his balance, it’s not natural and very tense

Complete waste of time watching this video.

Good stuff