The purpose of the swing is to produce a golf shot with a desired ball flight. Where the ball is placed in your stance will help dictate how you strike it and give you the flight you desire. The idea of ball position as it relates to ball flight can be somewhat complicated and difficult to comprehend but let's think of it this way. The golf swing exists on somewhat of a circle (some may call it a "plane") and near or at the bottom of that golf circle is where the ball should be placed. As you move the ball forward or back of the center (remember, at the bottom of that circle) it will tend to fly left or right of your intended target line. We are assuming that the clubface is also "square" or in a good position when you strike the ball at the bottom of your swing circle here.

Are you gaining some sort of feel for the club in your hands? This position is one the fundamentals to the pro swing. It may be hard to control for beginners at this point because you are only trying to hit ball and not thinking about any club positions. There will be a point where you'll understand that golf is a game of distance AND direction. The direction piece is where you'll start to think about how you handle your club to swing.

The is one important lever in the golf swing that is misunderstood for its multiple uses. It is far too often broken in the downswing.