Than there must be 106K still looking for their ball😅 Jokes aside, fixing my grip, and swing around my left leg beeing planted to the ground, Finally saved my driver swing..and im so happy!!😇Also very informative vid about ball position mate, and it makes so much sense when having a Fixed low point all the time..Cheers from the fairway😁
You are such an outstanding instructor, Rob, and you don’t know how grateful I am for the many valuable videos that you have provided to us. Like the other videos, I think this one will help me a lot. Thank you!!!
I’ve heard in front of your lead armpit. One ball position. Your trail foot gets closer your lead foot as the clubs get shorter, but the ball doesn’t move relative to the lead armpit.
Do you lead arm pit or lead shoulder? Seems to me it is the lead arm pit where the lead shoulder begins. Lead shoulder is at least four inches in width so what d o you mean?
I often make the mistake of watching RU-vid videos and then heading out to play. I watched this video last night and let it sink in. I hit a few balls at the range before went out and played and noticed a difference. Then went out and shot the best nine holes of my life. I think this tip is a game changer.
A follow-up thought to this as well.. The whole issue of Axis Tilt has always aggravated me. It's never worked to try and drop my left shoulder and always created issues with hitting the ball "fat or thin". If I keep my left shoulder as the "radius of the circle" and keep my left shoulder in line with the ball (vs. shifting to the right), I believe I was hitting the ball WITH axis tilt much more accurately and straighter. I need to get out again and see if it was a fluke (as golf can often do to you), but again - best score of my life today - 10 pars in a row, almost every single GIR (or just 5-10 feet off the green), no lost balls, etc.
My dad at 79 years old has been “teaching” this for almost his entire life. However you need to have a great repetitive swing for it to work to perfection. You need to grip the club correctly, don’t change the position of the club face, if you do it WON’T work. Nothing like a tip from watching you tub then at the end they are selling a book. Learn to be a teacher of the game and not sell books.
I’ve never heard anyone break this down how you have. Pretty much every PGA Pro I’ve had lessons from, say to lean back to add more distance and power when you use driver. I won’t be doing that ever again! And no more foot reference setup. Had no ideal that it’s the front shoulder that is the center of the entire swing! Incredible, thank you sir! I subscribed just now!🫡
He did not say directly to NOT lean back. Leaning back is to increat launch angle which many Ams need. He said leaning back changes your shoulder position so just be aware that the positon needs to be noticed accordingly. His method is for club path and face position. The lean is Launch angle. They are complimentary of each other and takes some practice to train your eyes and feels to a new world order.
He did not say directly to NOT lean back. Leaning back is to increat launch angle which many Ams need. He said leaning back changes your shoulder position so just be aware that the positon needs to be noticed accordingly. His method is for club path and face position. The lean is Launch angle. They are complimentary of each other and takes some practice to train your eyes and feels to a new world order.
Since lining up the ball with my left armpit or shoulder & not inside the left heel, my driving has been a joy. I would encourage everyone to follow your advice, Rob.
It's basically the same thing isn't it - if your feet are spaced appropriately to optimally hit a driver? Or does lining it up with armpit put the ball further forward?
Good Lord, lost me when started using words like ‘geometry’ and the ‘grid line’. Way too technical for me. My ADHD prevented me from listening more than 3 minutes Probably my problem
THIS! Having struggled with ball positioning for a few decades ... I recently threw that out and said Forget it! My lead shoulder is my new reference point, feet be damned. And the results have been phenomenal. Thanks for such a great video overview AND confirmation... Outstanding teaching.
Thanks Rob!! Very helpful. I have adopted the S & T philosophy for the past few months and it has really helped me 'bring together' so many different swing thoughts and practice techniques. I was able to break 80 for the first time yesterday and as I hopped on the struggle bus for the last few holes I was able to tap back in to my S & T principles and your teachings and bring it home hahaha. Thanks for so freely sharing your passion and knowledge.
Rob, you do such a great job on your videos. I run 2 golf leagues and a golf tour in Florida, and I've recommended your channel to lots of my 750+ players. Hopefully we can help grow your reach! I have been struggling mightily with my driver, and heading to play now. I think part of my issue is ball too far forward, as I've topped several lately or hit them thin and weak to the right. Trying to not stand up in the downswing, but I think ball position might also be too far forward.
Thank you for this video Rob. Quick question, would you line the ball from your arm pit (as animated in your video), or would you line the ball from the outside leading arm? Sorry, I just started golfing this year and I am dealing with a nasty slice at the moment! TIA
I'm hoping you can help diagnose an issue. In an attempt to figure out my swing, I just had a swing evaluation. Trying to hit driver with the stack and tilt swing, I hit a couple degrees in to out, a couple degrees up, but the face was 6 degrees open, giving me a push or push fade. Can I manipulate ball position or grip to get rid of the push, or do I need something else to control the face?
Brilliant! I’ve seen many things/lessons on hitting driver but never like this. Nor have I seen any as detailed and explained so well. Thank you so much Rob
HOLY SHIT....I'm not sure what else to say. I've never seen this explained this clearly or in this detail. I think you just explained to me why I'm struggling with pulling the driver. I really like your videos. You get to the point. Too many instructors on the site spend 15 minutes on background and chatter. Love your style. THANK YOU!
If I could post a GIF here it would be the Tim & Eric 'Mind Blown' one, you just described every problem I have with my game. The longer the club the more it fades / slices, and no matter what I try with my wrists I keep hitting booming slices or hooks and my best drives are fades. I definitely haven't been paying attention to where my lead shoulder is, just where my feet are and how wide my stance is.
Wow, I'm going to say it, You are the man! I just came from the driving range and this is exactly what I needed. I kept shifting around trying to get my ball position in the best place for me, and now voila', this was in my recommended videos. I am now going to watch your other driver videos. Thanks a million, you now have a new Subscriber.
At last, someone that explanes an easy way to hit the driver. Always struggling to know why sometimes I hit right and others left and very little straight.
Impeccable timing…, a few of your lessons have coincided with the exact problems I have been experiencing…, my last trips to the driving range have revealed a severe hook to the right, after hitting my irons relatively straight…, I noticed when I move the ball back in my stance with the driver I was able to correct the problem but didn’t understand why…, this lesson reveals my problem👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
How does this translate to irons though. I generally obtain a big draw (when say blocked by trees) by placing the ball forward (which is the opposite of the instruction here with the driver.
I had been having problems with consistent strikes with driver and irons. As Blackcoud stated below, I have been told to add a back tilt to strike the ball with power. The problem was I was hitting solid shots about 75% of the time and the other 25% consisted of topping my driver and fat shots with the irons. By focusing on ball placement in relation to the leading arm instead of the feet, I experiences more solid contact with all my clubs. Thanks Rob!
Rob, I tried this yesterday on the course, had a hard time lining up the lead shoulder in front of the ball for a draw. My problem was once I set my shoulder in front of the ball, the ball was lined up more almost center of my feet? Any suggestions? Bill
Great stuff. I’m going to be more cognizant of my lead shoulder in the future. I personally (thru trial/ error and watching many videos) am able to shape the ball with my stance. Fade = right (trail) foot slightly forward of lead foot and vice versa for a draw. For more dramatic results I move the ball forward (fade/slice) or aft (draw/ hook)i n my stance.
Straightforward presentation, subbed. Forgot about the lead shoulder alignment and been putting the ball so far forward. Major slice city. Club path also clearly explained.
He did not say directly to NOT lean back. Leaning back is to increat launch angle which many Ams need. He said leaning back changes your shoulder position so just be aware that the positon needs to be noticed accordingly. His method is for club path and face position. The lean is Launch angle. They are complimentary of each other and takes some practice to train your eyes and feels to a new world order.
Thanks Rob. so position the ball opposite the heel; the amount of body lean back determines position of ball, relative to shoulder, at IMPACT? If I want a positive angle of attack, say 5 degrees, and lean back, will that not put ball ahead of shoulder and lead to a slice? what if I want a positive angle of attack draw? Thanks for the video, I subscribed and liked.
I spent years trying to follow this type of instruction , i fully understand the relationship of in to out and vice versa , i also understand the consequence of hitting up or down and face angle . It took a long long time though to understand how my body creates power through the hitting area and the difference this creates between how i address and actual outcome , without an understanding of low point AT impact this instruction is at best food for thought , unless you swing at 12 mph you are going to create a very different position through impact than at address and your centre of gravity / low point WILL change , suss this out , suss out how your wrists fire and suss out how you best create speed repeatably through impact , this will give you your shape for each club with one swing motion . From there its just tinkering to gain the most control and best tempo / speed for you . I dont contradict any of the facts stated but its generic iron byron stuff and will only suit 50% at best . Faders fade , and drawers draw . I fade ( or right spin ) wedges , draw irons (unless tee’d up)and fade woods , hybrids i get to choose shape 🤷🏻♂️ I do enjoy your content though .
The ball position for the driver is no diffcerence than hitting a baseball, why do instructors have to make thing complicated? So they can sell you a lesson. Liars and cheats. You have to be pretty to not figure this on your own. It's call practice. If you don't experment on your own, that's your fault. No lesson needed, it's call practice and drive to get better. Stupid. All these people want to do is make money off your lack understanding and drive to achieve greatness.
Rob is one of the best golf instructors on the planet. I’m SO tired of seeing these other “instructors”, who post videos of swings, then ask the public what they see. How is that helpful to the golfing public at large?!? There are a small handful of amazing teachers, who provide clear and concise explanations for helping the average player. Rob is one of them. Tom Saguto and Dan Grieve are a couple others…👍
When referencing your own swing, you draw the line down from the very INSIDE of you shoulder. When setting up for a fade, you say the ball is well forward - it is more like the outside of your shoulder. But then you show Rory, seemingly to back up your theory, but the line to the ball is on the outside of Rory's shoulder, a position you are arguing leads to a natural fade, which is not what Rory is setting up for. On the whole I am unconvinced, but nevertheless will give it a try next time I hit the range, especially since so many commenters had good results. I'm also curious about your foot alignment - seems closed / well right of target and I wonder how that interacts with your ball position. I do wonder if maybe this is good advice for high handicappers but not helpful for people who already understand the swing pretty well.
Rob, Great video, never seen it broke down so simple before. I actually used this technique last night and it worked for my driver and woods. Where would the lead shoulder be for irons? Is is different for each set of irons (high irons to mid, to wedges)? Thanks, Bill
I had a problem with my driver ,I used to crunch my drive. I would set up with the ball more toward the center then tee a bit low and if you master this every drive will carry 275+ ,After some time down I could not hit my driver, I then set up like this, Then I would normally line the head up with the ball and keep my eye on the ball, I missed the sweet spot every time !! Now I set up like this guy but I line my head up 2 inches behind the ball , I never look at the ball but focus on the low spot 2-2 1/2 inches behind the ball. Every drive was 250+ even if you topped it ! but I'm hitting them well over 250-280 now ,no effort !
You never mentioned attack angle? What is the angle of attack with ball position behind lead shoulder or even directly under? Don't we need a positive angle of attack with driver? How is that achieved with ball position back?
Rob, Manipulating your setup while referencing your mat appears fairly simple, but how do you ensure proper alignment when you're in the tee box? What's the best way to align the ball with your lead shoulder during your on course set up?
Your demonstration uses verbiage based on static positions to determine ball position, but ignores the fact that each golfer has unique rotational and lateral movements during the swing that would demand different ball positions than what you are demonstrating. Maybe it is specific to stack and tilt, but the vast majority of golfers do not use this method, likely because it does not work for everyone or everyone would use it. I love that it works for you, but it definitely does not work for me or anyone I know.
Are there any tips you can give to tell if the ball is under your lead shoulder? Standing over the ball it’s hard tell if it’s directly under my lead shoulder or to far forward/back.
I hate watching all these videos. Your body position is different than most. Most videos tell you to have your body on an angle but you seem to be way more level and square.
Excellent lesson, but it is more difficult to place the ball in relation to the shoulder than in relation to the heel. We would need a plumb line that runs from a hook on the t-shirt at the shoulder to the ground 🤔🙂
This makes a lot of sense and will definitely try it out. How does it work with hitting up on the ball? A lot of instructors say the ball is forward to hit up on it. If you're hitting up then you've gone past the pivot of your shoulder and that must mean you're starting to swing out to in. So how do you hit square and up at the same time?
Thinking more of this, to conform to the grid, not only does the ball need to be positioned away from the target, it also probably needs to be 1/2 inch closer to the golfer because of the angle of the clubhead. Is that correct ?
I can see how you can accurately place the ball using the grid, but what would you suggest to use on the course? In addition, how do you assume the correct stance with?
Great explanation of ball position. Just going down the S&T path. Already more compression. But getting sloppy with my ball position is hurting me. Crazy that your slice swing didn’t look that bad, but how much position affected the result
Thank you so so much. This makes so much sense. I have been going absolutely crazy, trying to figure out my stinking problem. I've tried 100 exaggerated swings, trying to get a positive attack angle & couldn't figure it out. Tomorrow, I will try this. Wish me luck.
Thanks Rob. This is brilliant and I just got my draw back with the driver. Combo of ball forward and top tilt away means ball is WAY forward. Impossible to draw.... unless it's s duck hook.... or fade to keep it in the fairway. Tried dropping the ball back a little an aiming right. Bingo.... my controlled draw is back. Brilliant explanation of why in this video.
Hi Rob, interesting video, which I shall be testing out over the weekend. I say interesting as no one has ever said anything about that, I mean that you should use your lead shoulder as a reference, and I have been playing the game since I was eight and now I'm 71 so it should be, as I said, interesting. Watch this space lol, and thank you for your video
I just can't get this to work. Whenever I have the ball on my shoulder like you recommend, I pop the ball way in the air. Only way to hit on the up swing for me is to have it in front of the shoulder
Thanks so much Rob - I watched this video yesterday morning, went to the range for a little warm up before my round and I hit my driver the best I ever have. This video along with your bowler video have changed my game so dramatically . Shot a personal best yesterday by 5 strokes
This video has been an eye opener for me. I struggle with back injuries and have noticed I often have to change my ball alignment on different days to hit my driver straight. I assumed it was due to my changing body position depending on how sore my back was, the shoulder alignment explains this perfectly. Now I’ve got something to be more conscious of when playing, may help to get a more consistent alignment overall too. Thank you!
