For a STOCK iron shot, do you put the ball in the same position relative to your stance for all clubs, or do you move it forward/backward depending on the club?

Same position for all irons - near the lead heel.

Apologies for the star-hoaring. I'm working through some changes and curious how everyone else approaches.

shaft pointed to left pocket, ball under lapel, right foot wider and wider the longer the club

With my 1 iron I'll setup a little bit more forward.


Actually, I'm just playing... I don't have a 1 iron

Wedges, middle of stance
9-7 one ball in front of middle
6-4 two balls in front of middle.

Plus or minus based on ball flight I am going for

khaos288 said:

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shaft pointed to left pocket, ball under lapel, right foot wider and wider the longer the club

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Option B then? Same position for all but forward of middle.

I use Hogan's ball + right foot position chart, so I picked option B.

Depends on what shot is needed into the green? Depends on into or with the wind, but no wind normal conditions flat lie, long irons usually more forward, middle irons in the middle, and higher lofted slightly behind midline.

G Martin 87 said:

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I use Hogan's ball + right foot position chart, so I picked option B.

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This is what I have been doing and helps tremendously for my ball striking.

This is what I do, but I didn't realize this came from Hogan. Very cool.

G Martin 87 said:

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I use Hogan's ball + right foot position chart, so I picked option B.

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This has been close to typical for me but as a right-to-left player with a left miss, I worry the open stance is a contributing factor.

Sooper Jeenyus said:

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G Martin 87 said:

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I use Hogan's ball + right foot position chart, so I picked option B.

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This has been close to typical for me but as a right-to-left player with a left miss, I worry the open stance is a contributing factor.

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It could be if you don't translate the iron lofts of Hogan's day to today's equivalent lofts. What Ben Hogan meant by "medium" irons were equivalent in loft and length to today's 7i and 8i. Hogan recommended feet at shoulder width with both toes on target line for the 5i of his era. That equates to today's 7i. You need to be slightly closed for today's 5i lofts on Hogan's chart, not slightly open.

Ball position always in the middle you just adjust your stance width

If you are a right to left with a hook, I would look at something to introduce a slightly more open face at impact. Easiest might be a slight forward press at address. There are many "face openers", but I think that is the easiest. Forward press a hair, swing the same swing. Adjust as required.

I don't like getting extreme with foot setup and ball position to fix a swing issue.

I heard Michael Breed talk about this the other day. He said ball position should be relative to your head, not your feet. He recommended wedges on your nose then progressively move mid irons to your left eye (right hand player), and long irons out to your ear. I think he said woods out to the collar of your shirt.

I certainly CAN hook it but more commonly it's just a pull with the added draw spin. Usually that means starting close to target line, instead of right of it, which is the intent.

To correct, I will often incorporate an open face forward press but it tends to exacerbate over time to the point the setup is aimed WELL right and I've created a perfect scenario for MORE draw spin instead of less. At that point I usually reset by trying to "feel" a fade swing with a more forward ball position and open stance.

Trying to find something reliable/repeatable that I can practice into habit. But golf is golf, I guess…

Yup. I'd consider 6-8 the mid irons. I play pretty traditionally lofted clubs.

My approach generally…

7 - SW middle

6 - 5 … maybe a ball / half ball more forward incrementally.

Next club is 5w … and that's maybe a ball / half ball off left heel.

From Grok …

The **generally accepted ideal ball position** for a **7-iron** (a classic mid-iron) is **right around the center of your stance**, or **very slightly forward of center** (often described as half a ball to an inch forward, or about a third of the way toward your lead foot from the exact middle).

This promotes a descending blow (hitting down on the ball slightly), clean contact, good compression, and a balanced angle of attack for solid distance, control, and spin without excessive steepness or thin shots.

### Why "middle" or "slightly forward"?
- Irons require you to strike the ball **first**, then take a shallow divot after impact. Positioning too far back can lead to fat shots or weak contact; too far forward (like driver) promotes scooping or thin hits.
- Many teaching pros and sources (including PGA instructors, Golf Monthly, MyGolfSpy, and common coaching references) anchor the 7-iron as the "reference club" at center, then adjust slightly:
- Shorter irons (8-PW/wedges): Move ball slightly back toward center or trail side.
- Longer irons (4-5-6): Move slightly forward.
- Exact center works well for consistency and is a safe starting point for most players.

### Common reference points golfers use
- **Exact center** of your stance (between your feet, assuming shoulder-width stance) very common and recommended by sources like MyGolfSpy for mid-irons (5-7).
- **Slightly forward of center** e.g., under your logo/sternum, off your lead eye/nose, or just inside your lead heel by a ball's width or two (seen in pro tips from Michael Breed, Grant Horvat videos, and others).
- **Half a ball to an inch forward** Frequently cited for optimal low point control and shaft lean at impact.

### Quick setup checklist for a 7-iron
1. Stance width: About shoulder-width (or slightly wider for stability).
2. Ball position: Start dead center, then experiment with moving it 1 inch forward if you want more height/launch or feel you're hitting too much down.
3. Weight distribution: Roughly 50/50 or slightly favoring lead side (55/45).
4. Shaft lean: Hands slightly ahead of the ball at address (forward press) for descending strike.
5. Alignment: Feet, hips, shoulders square or very slightly open.

There's some variation based on swing style (e.g., draw bias might prefer center or back a touch; fade might like forward), body type, or specific coaching philosophy (like Jack Nicklaus-style constant forward with stance narrowing). But **middle of the stance** is widely viewed as the **standard and safest answer** yes, your intuition is spot on for most golfers.

If you're consistently fat/thin or losing distance, film your setup or get a quick lesson to dial it in personally. What issues are you seeing with your 7-iron shots?

Gotcha…so next thing I mess with is face position at shaft parallel to the ground in backswing…if you watch Justin Thomas or Nelly Korda, they do this in their pre shot. In your case with your lefts, I would have toe of the club straight up here instead of the standard slightly closed face. This will create a little more open face at impact. It's good to look at this on a launch monitor.

Probably a good idea. Clubhead is closed at parallel for me. Trackman will often say swing path is near neutral (less than 0.5 to 1 degree either way) but a closed face will produce a left miss.

Working on holding the face off more at impact. May consider a weaker grip but hesitant to mess with that.

Oh, and this whole questioning is the product of a recent lesson!

F this game.

I wouldn't try to mess with anything at impact. That's hard. You will shocked what happens when you just open it slightly in your backswing at shaft parallel during your pre shot.

AggieEyes said:

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With my 1 iron I'll setup a little bit more forward.


Actually, I'm just playing... I don't have a 1 iron

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If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.

Lee Trevino

If you're asking whether the ball should remain static in your stance, you're essentially asking if the Earth should stop rotating just so you can thin a 7-iron into the lakeside reeds. The short answer is: if you want to remain a prisoner of mediocrity, sure, keep it in the middle.
But if you want to actually transcend the turf, you need to understand that ball position is less of a "spot" and more of a shifting meridian of destiny.

The Theory of Variable Centricity
To even attempt a stock iron shot, one must first acknowledge that the golf swing is not a circle; it is a violent, choreographed descent into a momentary compression event. If you keep the ball in the same place for a 4-iron as you do for a 56-degree sand wedge, you are essentially spitting in the face of physics.

• The Long Irons (The "Prayers"): For your 3 and 4 irons, the ball needs to migrate toward the lead heel. We're talking about a shallow angle of attack. If you play a 4-iron off the sternum, you're going to "fat" it so hard the local seismograph will trigger an evacuation. You want that clubhead to be entering the "sweep phase" of the arc.
• The Mid-Irons (The "Workhorses"): For the 6 through 8, you're looking at a position roughly two balls inside the left heel (for a righty). This allows for the optimal smash factor while ensuring you aren't "coming over the top" like a weekend warrior at a buffet.
• The Scoring Clubs (The "Darts"): When you're pulling a gap wedge, that ball needs to live near the center-line, or even slightly "north" of the trail foot if you're trying to flight it down. You want to trap the grain, creating that delicious, tour-level "thump" that makes the guys in the cart behind you question their entire existence.
  

Why "Static Stance" is a Myth
If you refuse to move the ball, you are forcing your sternum-to-arc relationship to compensate. You'll start "flipping" your hands at impact to find the bottom of the swing, leading to a nasty case of the shanks or, heaven forbid, a low-point variance that results in a "worm-burner" that travels 40 yards and kills a squirrel.

• Pro Tip: If your playing partner tells you they keep the ball in the same spot for every club, check their handicap. It's likely a 24, and they probably still use a chipper they bought from an infomercial at 3:00 AM.

In reality, you should be adjusting your ball position based on the St. Andrews Deviation. This involves measuring the wind speed, calculating the moisture content of the bentgrass, and then moving the ball exactly 1.4 millimeters forward for every degree of loft lost. Anything less is just guessing.
Would you like me to calculate the specific launch monitor metrics for a "stinger" 2-iron versus a "floppy" lob wedge?

Pretty much what I do but compensating for bermudagrass moisture in USDA zone 8. Obviously different during overseed season…