7 Iron Ball Position (Complete Overview)

In the golf instructional world, there always seems to be various pieces of advice when it comes to some pretty common topics.

Ball position is no different.

With one golf instructor you might hear that every shot should be played forward in your stance off of your left chest area for the right handed golfer.

While the next golf instructor will tell you that the ball position moves around depending on the golf club you are hitting.

So who is right? The reality is that there has been great golf played with both approaches. There are greats in the game that have moved the ball around depending on the shot or the club in the hand and those that have played from a fairly stable ball position.

Where Should A 7 Iron Be In Your Stance?

There are two options. For those that like to move the ball around depending on the club, the golfer will play the ball more in the middle of the stance. For those golfers that prefer one position for all clubs, when hitting the 7 iron the ball will be towards forward in the stance off the front pectoral muscle area.

There are pros and cons for both approaches. I personally prefer to move the ball around in the stance depending on the club, the shot required and the lie for the shot.

Playing in windy conditions requires the golfer to play a lower shot. Moving the ball back in the stance can help with this shot!

Why Play The Ball From One Location In Your Stance?

The people in this camp believe the consistency comes from hitting from the same spot regardless of the club. They believe this leads to being able to control the low point on a consistent basis. The stance will wide with the longer clubs and narrow with the shorter club.

The ball is not played in relation to the stance, but more relative to the sternum or the front pectoral muscle at setup. This helps the ball stand more constant, leading to consistent ball striking.

Jack Nicklaus is a great example and maybe the greatest champion of all time and he has been known to play the ball from a more permanent location in the stance. He predominantly played a high fade and dominated courses with his speed, power and the ability to hit the high fade.

This is one reason why this forward ball position might have been great for his game. His swing speed was phenomenal and he could dominate a golf course with his power.

Why Play The Ball From Multiple Locations In Your Stance?

The golfer that is more the artist than engineer will want to move the ball around to be able to produce the different shots required. Think of the shots that might be required with a 7 iron, they include:

High Draw
Medium
Low Draw

High Fade
Medium Fade
Low Fade

High Straight
Medium Straight
Low Straight

Right there the golfer has nine potential shots he or she may want to hit with a 7 iron. The best golfers are able to control their ball flight and hit the shot that is required to get as close to the pin as possible.

While there are many golf instructors that will promote one common swing shape, there are others that will want the golfer to work the ball both ways, especially when they reach a certain level and want to maximize their potential and shoot the lowest possible score.

Playing the ball from different positions makes it easier to work the ball in different directions and to control the total height of the shot.

If you have ever played in significant wind, you will understand the importance of being able to flight the ball and keep it under the wind as much as possible.

Also, when a golfer gets to a 160 yard par 3 and there are bunkers or hazards in certain locations, the ability to work the ball left to right and right to left might be the only chance of truly getting the ball close to the hole or eliminating the big number.

Many times, being able to work the ball both ways, is more about eliminating the big number by being able to play the ball more towards the middle and work it towards the pin without over curving the shot.

Low point control is vital. This is one way to assess what ball position is best for your game!

How To Measure What Is Best For Your Game?

I have experimented with many different swings, swing thoughts, grips, ball locations and all of the factors that influence the outcome of the shot. If you are debating what is best for you, the key is to try out the different options and to collect data. I prefer to use a more scientific approach to truly measure what is best for my game.

Several years ago, I built a golf simulator setup in my garage and have been able to collect plenty of data over the years on what is best for my game. Using my SkyTrak Launch Monitor, I am able to have instance access to the following data:

Carry and Total Distance

Ball Speed
Spin Rate
Spin Axis

Launch Angle

These pieces of data are very important in having the data at my fingertips to understand what different adjustments have on the outcome of hte shot. Not only can I see the shot pattern, but I have key data.

While not everyone will decide to go all out and build the golf simulator, getting setup with a golf mat and a net and then adding a launch monitor can help save you plenty of shots int he coming golf seasons and throughout your journey with the game of golf.

Here are my top 3 recommend affordable golf launch monitors:

My number one choice is the SkyTrak. It has been a game changer!

Mevo Launch Monitor

If you don’t have the data to collect because you don’t have a launch monitor and don’t plan on purchasing one, I would recommend going back to the three fundamentals to measure your success with the various options for ball location with the 7 iron.

The key is to have consistency in your golf game. This starts with the three fundamentals in golf:

Controlling the low point of your golf swing

Controlling the start line and the curve of your golf ball
Having enough distance to play the golf course.

Try out the different ball positions and rank yourself or your success in each of the three categories above.

When did you strike the ball best? (low point control)

How were your start lines and curve of the ball
Which provided the most ball speed or distance

The SkyTrak and TGC software are a great combination. To learn more about golf simulators and your options, see the links at the bottom of this post.

7 Iron Ball Position: What Is the Best Option?

If I was teaching someone brand new to the game, I would have them working on moving the ball around. The difficulty of the courses today with the significant undulations built on many courses requires the best golfers to be able to work the ball high and low and in both directions. The ability to be the artist and ensure proper ball striking can be helped by moving the ball around in the stance.

The 7 iron is a great first club to learn to hit as it is easy to get in the air and doesn’t require a significant amount of swing speed.

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: