Alignment Problems

[spin]

can you help clear this up in my head please... i read that your feet should be parallel to the ball to target line, but have also read that your feet should be on a line to the target as is the clubface (for example, train tracks image).

Which one to believe?

[GregJWillis]

Re: Alignment Problems

Train tracks are the right alignment. Just imagine a 1 foot putt...would you really stand with your feet in alignment to the hole? You would be facing 45 degrees closed to your club face. You want them in parallel paths with your face pointing to the hole (target) only.

It's just that when you are aligning to a point 200 yards away, you really don't notice that much of a difference.

[spin]

Re: Alignment Problems

thanks Greg that makes sense

[dagosa]

Re: Alignment Problems

can you help clear this up in my head please... i read that your feet should be parallel to the ball to target line, but have also read that your feet should be on a line to the target as is the clubface (for example, train tracks image).

Which one to believe?

Also, being humanoids, having the lead foot toe out a little helps take the strain off the knee and back as well as encouraging better rotation.

[rogue]

Re: Alignment Problems

I wouldnt worry too much about aligment. As long as you are not way off you can use either or. Hardly any top pro aligns perfectly, and most poor alignment issues are the subconsciouses way of dealing with poor control. most slicers naturally aim left to try to compensate for the slice, and vice versa for drawers of the ball. to get a slicer to aim straight would make them feel awful and that something is wrong before they hit the ball.

I personally think that it is better to learn how to control the ball first and then alignment will follow naturally. But there are plenty of good players who do not align their feet to the standard norm yet play excellent golf (trevino, couples, Tiger in 2001) as they have good control of the ball.

Every book will tell you to have great alignment, but great alignment is only beneficial when combined with a perfect swing, and no one has one of those. The real secret is to match up your swing path and clubface to the target. A bit of a 'going against the grain' comment but i know what im talking about.