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how is your aim/alignment ?

DG_1234

DG_1234

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The other thread about about intermediate vs distance target got me thinking about aim/alignment.
An experienced Ping fitter once told me that most players he observes swing/fits have their club head (and body) aimed well right or well left of their intended target.
Alignment is one of the golf swing's three primary fundamentals (grip-posture-alignment).
For any player wanting to improve the quality of their ball contact and, or, accuracy of their shots, do like the Tour players do and (while at the driving range) lay on the ground a club or alignment stick.
 
It’s always been one of my keys and something I constantly have to pay attention to and work on whenever I’m hitting balls. Even the low single digit to plus index golfers I know sometimes struggle with alignment.
 
Alignment can get a little off the rails if I’m tired or not mentally all there on the course. My common fault is to aim well right of the target.
 
how is your aim/alignment ?

Had a round last year in Palm Springs with the wife. We got paired up with an older gentlemen. Turns out he was a retired golf pro who studied under Harvey Penick. Had some really great stories. Probably one of the most enjoyable rounds of my life.
Anyways, on every shot he would lay down an alignment stick. After a few holes he got me doing it. I haven’t looked back. I play a lot of rounds with the alignment stick to ensure I have proper alignment.
He told me that’s unless it’s a tournament, why not work on my game fundamentals as I play.
He also told my wife to quit choking down on her driver as “we’re not teaching midgets here”. His one liners reminded me of the Penick videos.
 
My alignment became much improved last year and really helped with my accuracy after I made a couple of changes in how I set up for my shots.
 
I was informed I was too closed or right. So alignment will be one of the things I work on this year.
 
I struggle with my feet aligned right of the target line with a wider stance, (Driver). I also struggle with shoulders left of target with irons. I think I naturally pull my shoulders left when I put my right hand on the club.

Definitely up for tips if anyone has them!
 
Tee/Ski said:
I struggle with my feet aligned right of the target line with a wider stance, (Driver). I also struggle with shoulders left of target with irons. I think I naturally pull my shoulders left when I put my right hand on the club.

Definitely up for tips if anyone has them!
Click to expand...

For the driver (or any club), starting your routine by having both feet close together-touching each other, and then widening your stance based on the club, is helpful to both alignment as well as stance width.

Regarding shoulder alignment, you are absolutely correct that your grip technique influences the alignment of the shoulders. Jack Nicklaus favors a player standing tall with arms at the sides and relaxed, facing a mirror , and taking note of how the wrists/hands are naturally angled-positioned. When gripping a golf club Nicklaus believes the player should use this same natural position of the hands/wrists.
 
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When I get lazy, my body starts aligning right of target, with club still on target, which creates chaos. As time has gone, and coaching helps here too, I've been able to recognize it much much faster.
 
Not good at times. I have a swing that comes inside and across (almost like a pull) so I have to set up right of target.
 
Snickerdog said:
Not good at times. I have a swing that comes inside and across (almost like a pull) so I have to set up right of target.
Click to expand...

Remember that address position technique(including alignment) actually promotes-dictates the swing itself.
This is why "swing faults" are usually best cured by improving address technique (grip-posture-alignment).
 
It’s really really bad
 
It's a constant struggle. I can line up effectively to an intermediate target, but my brain will always tell me I'm way left. Way right looks perfect to me, but I know it's going to be OOT if I allow myself to line up that way. Lining up to my spot on the ground is just part of my preshot routine now.
 
I constantly have to work on my alignment my back foot likes to start moving closer to the ball if i don't pay attention basically creating an open stance which can cause problems.
 
I constantly have to work on my alignment with almost every shot, including putting. My usual error is to have a closed stance where I'm looking at the target but swinging/aiming right. So depending on the face angle, it's either a pull hook or a slice. I always envied guys who just go up to the ball and swing.
 
I dont even think I have any sort of alignment to anything. I just set up and try swing at and aim the face at the target.

I'm pretty sure I line up left of target and swing along that path with an open face...but who knows.
 
When my alignment is off, its invariably off to the right. It's mostly a byproduct of playing draw for so many years and although I don't now, for a few seasons, my brain still targets right if I'm not careful.

Putting is opposite as a slightly open stance feels more comfortable to me but a flaw can be misalignment to the left.
 
I spent a couple of years trying to get my son to use the alignment sticks I bought him while practicing for high school golf. He usually would get them out (reluctantly) and see the error of his misalignment without them. I would always try to slow him down, step away from the ball on the range. Start out behind the ball (down the line view) and walk in with his eyes on the target and teach himself to align then check the sticks. He would always remark how much it helped to train his eyes and body to get in the right position.

The summer before his junior season his grandfather started taking him to the range and I warned him about some of grandpa's swing techniques. He's not a bad player but first, he stands on the wrong side of the ball, second he's quite overweight and utilizes no turn whatsoever. His grandfather's thought was "you can't play with them, so learn to play without them". After a couple weeks, my son realized he was on the wrong path (literally) and told me about it. We went out and after he lined up using his grandfather's advice, I would lay the stick across the toes of shoes then have him step back and check where he had been aligned. He couldn't believe it. So bad, so off his intended line...

He got back to using the alignment sticks and ultimately go much better at setting his feet and shoulders to the correct target line. Its certainly not easy and especially when you get contrarian advice from someone you trust.
 
Right handed players typically line-up too far right on all shots. Line-up and then move left slightly.
 
Pretty much always align feet like with a club or stick pointing toward target. However I sometimes catch myself trying to adjust alignment to compensate for previous poor shots!
 
Remember, square alignment is for feet-knees-hips-shoulders (body) to be parallel left of target.
Only the club face is to be aimed at the target.
When laying two alignment sticks on the ground, it is good to have one aimed at target (for the club face). The other one is parallel left of target (for the feet-body ).
The sticks on the ground should be parallel to each other, like railroad tracks.
 
DG_1234 said:
Remember, square alignment is for feet-knees-hips-shoulders (body) to be parallel left of target.
Only the club face is to be aimed at the target.
When laying two alignment sticks on the ground, it is good to have one aimed at target (for the club face). The other one is parallel left of target (for the feet-body ).
The sticks on the ground should be parallel to each other, like railroad tracks.
Click to expand...

Makes perfect sense... never really thought that much about it. I always just aligned with the pin.
Thanks,
 
I never really aim to hit a straight shot, always play a little fade so I'm always open to the target which helps me visualise it a lot more as I can easily see in my peripheral where everything is
 
I am aligned right of the target, so I know to set up to the left.

But it's always best to use sticks and set up from behind with one stick aimed at target. Another trick is to align yourself and have someone place the stick against the rear of your feet - then you move from address and check out the alignment of your heels
 
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