A question about Alignment

[ThePuttKing65]

I've been working on my alignment lately and today at the range I tried something different.

I've seen this a few times on instruction video's on Youtube.

I placed a club down aiming at the target. I then placed another one down parallel to it about 2 feet away.

When I set up using this as a guide I was amazed. I have been aiming so far right it's untrue. And hitting the ball right has always been my problem.

I hit some shots and I was impressed with the accuracy.

Question: Is this the right way to align yourself ?

Thanks !

[GregJWillis]

Re: A question about Alignment

Defiantly.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: A question about Alignment

Well I've spent the last 27 years aiming right !

Explains the mystery of me pushing everything !

My Dad hits alot of pushes. On a video of this swing, I noticed his feet were aiming right. I pointed this out to him.

We mess about with our swings and all along it is alignment !

[JohnP]

Re: A question about Alignment

I used to setup with a closed stance with the driver to promote a draw, the trouble is, when you do this, although you are setting up right of the target - your mind still subconciously directs your arms straight towards the target - the result was a tendency to hook drives left a good deal of the time.

This was pointed out to me time and time again without me listening, eventually when the hooks became too much I adjusted my stance square and the ball started coming back into play more often, I then over adjusted and stood a little open - only slightly but the results were fantastic and I am hitting 80% of the short stuff again, its as they say - all in the setup.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: A question about Alignment

People have mentioned to me I aim right for years. I never thought I did.

When I was hitting the ball well I would get this big hook. Otherwise it was a push. Even with wedges.

My short game always saves me. My last round was a 74 (5 over gross).

I only hit 7 greens and used a wedge for 5 of these shots. I had 10 single putts.

I want to hit the ball consistantly straight !

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: A question about Alignment

Hey Puttking:

10 one putts in a round........I guess your name says it all.........

As far as alignment is concerned, you could not be more correct in stating its' importance. When you look at the practice area of any pro golf event, every player will have some type of alignment aid, be it clubs or sticks or whatever. These are used to insure that the proper body alignments are established for every shot. As I've written on this site many times....if it's a good idea for the pros we could probably benefit as well.

Once you get used to swinging within the correct aim and stance during practice, you would do well to also get target oriented. By this, I mean to swivel your head toward your target without losing the correct body alignments you established at address. Make note of where the target is in relation to your body. I use my left shoulder as a reference point because I can see it within my peripheral vision as I look at my target. I know that my target will will be within a certain area in relation to my shoulder when I am lined up correctly and viewing my target.

This is done because, as you know we cannot use alignment aids on the course. It is up to us to figure out a creative and reliable way to make sure we are aligned correctly on the course. This is where the technique of using my left shoulder (which is set parallel to my target line at address as a guideline) comes in handy.

Here is my routine during a round:

1) Pick my target while standing a few yards directly behind my ball.

2) Pick an intermediate target a foot or so in front of my ball that runs directly to my ultimate target. A small divot, or discolored blade of grass will work.

3) Set my clubface so that it aims directly at the intermediate target. This is why I make sure the intermediate is very close to my ball.

4) Using visualization, I envision a line running from the intermediate target back through my ball and extending several feet.

5) I set my feet, hips and shoulders square to this imaginary line to make sure i am set square to my target ultimately. (It is a good idea to practice the technique of visualizing your lines and setting your body square to it on the practice range where you can check the quality using the alignment aids). Practice this without the aids also and have a friend check to see how you are lined up on the range.

6) Swivel my head towards the target being carefull not to move my body out of position which can happen very easily if you are not carefull. Make sure to swivel you head only, not the shoulders or torso. I make sure my view of the target falls within the normal peripheral sight range of my left shoulder which, again, I practice during my preshot routine on the range.

This routine takes about 30 seconds and then I am ready to swing. No second guessing. I know that I am as square to my target as I'm going to be and certainly more so than a player who simply walks up to the ball, stares at it for a minute......or .........so.........and then takes a lash without regards to where it is supposed to go.

Sounds like you are on the right track so to speak. Good luck.

Tim S.

[ThePuttKing65]

Re: A question about Alignment

I played yesterday (Gross 77). My alignment was good but my ball striking was poor especially with the driver.

Today I worked on keeping my head still on the takeaway. I noticed on my golf swing video that I move my head to the right.

Hit the ball great today. I noticed the difference straight away. Scored a 71 with 30 putts this time.

I have that many faults it's time consuming working on them one at a time. I will film my new swing tommorrow and see if I can spot anything else !

[bdbl]

Re: A question about Alignment

Here is my routine during a round:

1) Pick my target while standing a few yards directly behind my ball.

2) Pick an intermediate target a foot or so in front of my ball that runs directly to my ultimate target. A small divot, or discolored blade of grass will work.

3) Set my clubface so that it aims directly at the intermediate target. This is why I make sure the intermediate is very close to my ball.

4) Using visualization, I envision a line running from the intermediate target back through my ball and extending several feet.

5) I set my feet, hips and shoulders square to this imaginary line to make sure i am set square to my target ultimately. (It is a good idea to practice the technique of visualizing your lines and setting your body square to it on the practice range where you can check the quality using the alignment aids). Practice this without the aids also and have a friend check to see how you are lined up on the range.

6) Swivel my head towards the target being carefull not to move my body out of position which can happen very easily if you are not carefull. Make sure to swivel you head only, not the shoulders or torso. I make sure my view of the target falls within the normal peripheral sight range of my left shoulder which, again, I practice during my preshot routine on the range.

Tim S.

Ah interesting.

As I mentioned in Puttking's original alignment post a recent lesson (to see why I was pushing drives) revealed a massive misalignment for which I have been working on the routine you've described to correct, not always successfully.

Yesterday at the range I tried the two parallel clubs approach only to find that, no matter how careful I was, I ended up with the club square to the target line but my body closed to that line - in effect pointing at the target.

I'm wondering now if its that final step (6) of looking at the target that's causing me to move.

Something for me to think about.

[LowPost42]

Re: A question about Alignment

I bought a training gizmo that's designed to work like 2 clubs laid down in a cross - toe line and ball position - but the other thing is that it comes with a mirror.

For me, I was setup really closed for a while, then eventually learned to square my feet to my clubhead (I still have trouble actually setting my aim, but that's a different story.)

This device comes with a moveable mirror - which showed me right away that what I felt were square shoulders were bloody-wide-open shoulders. Once I started squaring my shoulders as well, it was laser after laser after laser.

Grip, posture, alignment. How many times do we read about the importance of these things?!

I believe it was a Nicklaus quote: Having good posture, a good grip, and being properly aligned doesn't guarantee a good shot. But not having them guarantees you won't hit it perfect.

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: A question about Alignment

Hey BDBL:

Many golfers play from a slightly closed or slightly open position. Hogan prefered a slightly closed stance for the driver and moved progressively open with the shorter clubs.

The point is he was aligned correctly for what he wanted to accomplish with his swing. Also, the closed or open position was very slight and very close to square.

Sounds like you are on the right track with getting your clubface square which is a key. Like I wrote in my post on my particular alignment routine, I am carefull to swivel just my head to view my target. Commonly amateurs will lift totally up and turn to the target to view it if at all. Usually they will stare at the ball which breeds tension.

Using the parallel club alignment method you should be able to insure that your feet at least are square to the target line so I'm guessing you are closing your hips and or shoulders. When you get the hips and shoulders aligned square with your feet obviously you are going to feel open so it may take some getting used to the new sight lines. If your ball striking is good from the closed stance you may not need to tweak it too much. Just don't overcook the closed position if you stay with that.


Best of luck.
Tim S,

[rotator]

Re: A question about Alignment

There is a statistic which shows that a very high percentage percent of golfers have the common misalignment problem. Right handers align too much to the right and left handers too much to the left.

If you watch your partners, and others, carefully, you will see this for yourself.

I believe it has to do with the hands gripping one above the other, bringing the front shoulder higher than the other, and you tend to open up. Also, your body, and by extension your head, is bent over at address, and if you look down the line to the target by swivelling your head, your eyes not being level, gives you the incorrect perspective. A tip is to lift your head up and square to the target and level the eyes, while aligning yourself.

Also, people fixate on aligning their body on the target line, whereas as the original poster pointed out, the clubface alignment should be to the target, but the body alignment should be on a parallel track (left of the target line for a right hander).

[bdbl]

Re: A question about Alignment

Hey BDBL:

Many golfers play from a slightly closed or slightly open position. Hogan prefered a slightly closed stance for the driver and moved progressively open with the shorter clubs.

The point is he was aligned correctly for what he wanted to accomplish with his swing. Also, the closed or open position was very slight and very close to square.

Best of luck.
Tim S,

Cheers Tim, slightly would be OK but my problem if that my body is still aimed way, way right, as my club head used to be, so in practice I've just started setting the club head square and then aligning feet and body in what feels to be a very open position but in reality is a better parallel to the the target line. If the results improve then hopefully this will educate my eyes to the correct alignment.