How Important is Ball Position When Putting? Turns Out, a Lot!
When it comes to putting, many amateur and beginner golfers think only about stroke mechanics and tempo - which are obviously important for success, but not the only factors.
One overlooked fundamental actually happens before you ever take the putter back: Your setup!
And just like in the full swing, where your ball position is when putting plays a major role in how consistently you strike your putts, which help you with both distance control, direction, and how the ball rolls.
So how can you dial in your setup and make sure your ball position when putting is in the right spot? I previously tapped top golf teacher Jim Murphy to get his thoughts.
Where Should the Ball Position Be When Putting?
As mentioned above, if your ball position when putting isn't consistently in the same place, you open up the risk of mishits and poor contact - which can cause the ball to skid or bounce rather than roll smoothly across a green.
So where's the optimal ball position when putting then?
According to Murphy, a simple checkpoint should be having it just slightly forward of center in your stance. By having the ball here, it allows a golfer to strike the ball at the bottom of the arc to slightly on the upswing, giving them the possibility of the best roll.
Why Ball Position in Putting Matters
Ball position in golf is always a fluid dynamic of the golf swing. For instance, when you're playing with severe headwind, most golf coach's would suggest a lower-flight ball - meaning the ball is towards the back of the stance.
But the ball position when putting is a little different, mainly because the ball never gets in the air - so it won't be greatly impacted by outside conditions, nor does it require a specific ball-flight.
That's why ball position on the greens is so important.
When Murphy sees a player with the ball too far forward, they tend to open their shoulders, open the hips, change the aim more to the left, and the player often moves their body on the forward stroke to try and move the bottom of their arc more forward.
On the flip side, if a player has their ball position too far back in the stance, they typically close their shoulders, close their hips relative to the target, their aim moves more to the right, and they get too steep and narrow in the stroke.
Remember, the goal when putting is to develop predictablecontact - meaning the putter's face meets the ball squarely with a consistent loft and roll with each stroke. So when your ball position's consistently near the middle of your setup, you won't need to compensate when you start to move the putter.
The best putters in the world don't just have great strokes, they have repeatable setups that allow their stroke to work without manipulation - and proper ball position when putting is a major part of the equation.
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 2:42 PM.