Where you place the ball in your golf stance has as much to do with where and how the ball will travel as your swing or club selection does. Using the exact same swing to hit a ball lying closer to your front foot as you do to hit a ball nearer your back foot will produce two different shots. Knowing how ball placement affects your swing will help you set up for the best possible shot and remove one more obstacle to a sound stroke.
Lateral Position
The lateral position of the ball, or the position of the ball relative to your front and back foot, will affect how early or late your club makes contact with the ball.
A ball farther back in your stance (toward your back foot) will not allow you to use as much of your weight because you'll be able to transfer less weight onto your front leg before you hit the ball. Moving the ball back is often referred to as opening up your stance because your back foot moves slightly behind your front foot (front heel even with the middle of your back foot). An open stance is often used on shorter, more precision-oriented shots, such as a pitch or a chip. Hitting the ball incorrectly with the ball farther back in your stance can lead to a slice.
Weight & Mass
A ball placed closer to your front foot allows you to put more weight into your shots and accelerate your club slightly because of the extra distance the club travels to the ball and extra watts of power you can generate using more muscle mass. Hitting the ball incorrectly with the ball farther up in your stance can lead to a hook.
Control
A ball placed equidistant between your front and back foot gives you the most control because your club will naturally be facing the target at impact if you have lined yourself up with the target.
Horizontal Position
The horizontal position of the ball, or the position of the ball's closeness to you, will also affect how you hit the ball.
If the ball is too close, you will create an outside-to-in swing path, creating a slice. If the ball is too far away, you will hit the ball inside to out, creating a hook.
In general, the ball should be placed far enough away from you that you do not have to "stand up" as you make your downswing. The ball placement should also not cause you to have to move forward (toward the ball), during the swing. The path of your club should go from behind the ball to the target, not from inside-to-out or vice versa. In short, you should place the ball to create a natural swing, not one that makes you "chase" or "get out of the way" of the ball during your swing.
Clubs
Because clubs are different lengths, using the same ball position for different clubs will have different results. Longer clubs are played with the ball more forward, with the ball moving back in your stance as clubs get shorter. In general, ball placements not directly centered are moved only inches forward or back, not a foot or more, depending on the club used.
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