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Freddie: Alignment

Jman

Jman

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Hello my swing Panda.

So, as you know (and everyone else who has played with me at an event or get together) I struggle with alignment in a big way. I've realized it comes back to my eye dominance and what LOOKS right to me at setup is actually literally EXTREMELY RIGHT in direction.

So, I know the alignment sticks are key to ingraining the correct angles here, but do you have any drills or thoughts those who struggle with alignment like me might be able to focus in on?

Thanks brother!
 
Nicklaus credits Deane Beman for telling him to select a spot a couple of feet forward of his ball, along his intended path, then line up to that. I have done this for years, but it is amazing that I will still be aiming right of where I think I'm aiming!
 
Jman said:
Hello my swing Panda.

So, as you know (and everyone else who has played with me at an event or get together) I struggle with alignment in a big way. I've realized it comes back to my eye dominance and what LOOKS right to me at setup is actually literally EXTREMELY RIGHT in direction.

So, I know the alignment sticks are key to ingraining the correct angles here, but do you have any drills or thoughts those who struggle with alignment like me might be able to focus in on?

Thanks brother!
Click to expand...
I just worked on this with DA Points. It's simple but effective. Setup behind the ball, find your intended target and a point a few spots in front of the ball. Now you set up the club head on the point in front of the ball. Then set your feet, knees, hips and shoulders. All of it is perpendicular to the spot you chose in front of the ball.
if you execute the swing properly you will hit it on your intended line. Make sense?
 
Good stuff FK and thanks James for mentioning this, Im guilty as well and nothing stinks more than hitting what feels like a well struck shot and then missing right and having your playing partners alert you that you were aimed there the whole time.
 
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Tadashi70 said:
I just worked on this with DA Points. It's simple but effective. Setup behind the ball, find your intended target and a point a few spots in front of the ball. Now you set up the club head on the point in front of the ball. Then set your feet, knees, hips and shoulders. All of it is perpendicular to the spot you chose in front of the ball.
if you execute the swing properly you will hit it on your intended line. Make sense?
Click to expand...

Makes sense, I've heard this and also the "train track" philosophy before. I think the hardest thing will just be that I've set up right for SO LONG that when I set up correct it feels awkward and in my swing I have a tendency to still be correcting for being right. Cace saw this when we played a couple weeks back, was blocking shots out left and told him I was lined up way too left, he infomred me I was lined up perfect, I was just correcting at the top for my old setup.

Thanks Panda, I appreciate it.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I just worked on this with DA Points. It's simple but effective. Setup behind the ball, find your intended target and a point a few spots in front of the ball. Now you set up the club head on the point in front of the ball. Then set your feet, knees, hips and shoulders. All of it is perpendicular to the spot you chose in front of the ball.
if you execute the swing properly you will hit it on your intended line. Make sense?
Click to expand...

As awesome as this post is, the bolded part is the awesome-est part. To me anyways.
 
Jman said:
Makes sense, I've heard this and also the "train track" philosophy before. I think the hardest thing will just be that I've set up right for SO LONG that when I set up correct it feels awkward and in my swing I have a tendency to still be correcting for being right. Cace saw this when we played a couple weeks back, was blocking shots out left and told him I was lined up way too left, he infomred me I was lined up perfect, I was just correcting at the top for my old setup.

Thanks Panda, I appreciate it.
Click to expand...
It just takes time to train your eyes to accept that you are aligned parallel to the target line. I've always picked a spot in front of the ball and try to align myself to that, but struggle with aligning too far right. Alignment rods ftw.
 
One of the best lessons I ever had was on alignment and it was using the railroad track idea. I do exactly as Freddie says and find a target somewhere in front of my ball no farther than 5-10', square my clubface to that target using one hand, then align my body parallel to that target line. I draw two imaginary lines in my mind that resemble a RR track so my body is always lined up a little left of where my ball is lined up. I don't grip the club with both hands until I'm set up square because your grip will change the direction if you keep moving around. I've been helping my golfing buddy with this because she is ALWAYS aiming right like I used to do and the RR track finally made a light go off in her head this week. Another thing I do once I'm set up is look over my left shoulder once it is square and make sure I see a far away target that is just left of my intended ball target (if that makes sense).
 
For me aligning myself on tee boxes is the toughest. Often times I will get aligned to the tee box markers not even realizing it and lose a ball OB that was hit perfectly. Something I am always working on
 
Since Jman mentioned a dominant eye, what are your (Freddie's) thoughts on eye dominance? I've heard some people say that right handed golfers should turn their head back slightly and focus on the ball with their left eye. I'm left handed and left eye dominant, but golf right handed. It feels awkward for me to look at the ball with my left eye though. But as you've pointed out, I have a tendency to set up with my shoulders open (especially with longer clubs) and wonder if using the left eye and turning the head to do so would help close my shoulders up with longer clubs. I haven't experimented with it on the range, but this thread made me think about it.
 
captaincaution said:
It just takes time to train your eyes to accept that you are aligned parallel to the target line. I've always picked a spot in front of the ball and try to align myself to that, but struggle with aligning too far right. Alignment rods ftw.
Click to expand...
The point is not to look for alignment after you have setup the way I described. If you do, you'll alter what you setup in the preshot routine.

Trying to line up an op ect 100 or 400 yards away is very difficult
 
Tadashi70 said:
The point is not to look for alignment after you have setup the way I described. If you do, you'll alter what you setup in the preshot routine.

Trying to line up an op ect 100 or 400 yards away is very difficult
Click to expand...
Good point, and something I will try to keep in mind.
 
Tadashi70 said:
The point is not to look for alignment after you have setup the way I described. If you do, you'll alter what you setup in the preshot routine.

Trying to line up an op ect 100 or 400 yards away is very difficult
Click to expand...

i struggle with feeling misaligned after i've done something like this, because when i get into my stance and then take a glance or two at the target, i start feeling like my alignment is wrong.
 
Tadashi70 said:
The point is not to look for alignment after you have setup the way I described. If you do, you'll alter what you setup in the preshot routine.

Trying to line up an op ect 100 or 400 yards away is very difficult
Click to expand...


After I line up and pick my shot using this method I worry less about the target. I give it a look for "distance" but only using my close point of reference for direction. My last thought before swing is which side of my intermediate target I'm starting the ball on (for fade or draw).
 
I struggled with it too until I started picking out a spot in front of the ball to aim at. The only thing I will add is that once I aim my club I keep looking down at the ball to line up my body only then will I look again at the target. That way I don't mess up my alignment.
 
I have always struggled with alignment, so, thank you James for this post. I've tried the railroad track approach, and always pick out a spot in front of the ball along my target line. Often, I'll have my playing partner get behind me and check my alignment. Sometimes, when I'm perfectly squared up, I get uncomfortable because I think I'm going to hit the ball left. I think I then unconsciously compensate in my swing and nasty things happen. Practice with alignment rods helps train the eye to "accept" the proper alignment. But, for me it's still a constant struggle.
 
If it feels wrong then it's more than likely correct. Anything new will feel weird.

My dad has great little game but lines up right and comes over the top on everything. He does it so much that he has no clue how to swing down the line. But manages to do so half a dozen times per round. And he says the same thing each time. I expected that ball to cut. I have tried to get him to change but there is no changing a 74 year old's swing.

I tell you this because most golfer line up wrong, including myself.
caeleric said:
i struggle with feeling misaligned after i've done something like this, because when i get into my stance and then take a glance or two at the target, i start feeling like my alignment is wrong.
Click to expand...
 
Tadashi70 said:
If it feels wrong then it's more than likely correct. Anything new will feel weird.

My dad has great little game but lines up right and comes over the top on everything. He does it so much that he has no clue how to swing down the line. But manages to do so half a dozen times per round. And he says the same thing each time. I expected that ball to cut. I have tried to get him to change but there is no changing a 74 year old's swing.

I tell you this because most golfer line up wrong, including myself.
Click to expand...

as always, great stuff freddie! and big kudos to working with a great player like da points.
 
what about not looking back up once you have aligned yourself to that point in front of your ball? Is it worth that extra look, or just trust you aligned properly and go?
 
I've been wondering how bad my alignment is, so last night I pulled a school-of-golf and bungie corded a practice rod to my waist. I'm pointing way left apparently. Upon further inspection, my club face is pointed right.

I am definitely going to use this aiming method next time I go out. Thanks for the good question, and the great tip.
 
Looking back doesn't hurt, I use it as a trigger. I know that my last glance will signal my swinging the club. I try not to fiddle at this point and usually have the club in some type of waggle.
rbarthle17 said:
what about not looking back up once you have aligned yourself to that point in front of your ball? Is it worth that extra look, or just trust you aligned properly and go?
Click to expand...
 
I think alignment is a constant battle for all of us.
 
Early on I used the method I described and still use it when the match means something. It is part of my serious golf routine. That intermediate spot is gem when you are free swinging.
KellyBo said:
I think alignment is a constant battle for all of us.
Click to expand...
 
I'm loving this thread and the convo we have going here!
 
I've figured out for me that I seem to be aiming wherever my right shoulder is pointing. The left tends to mislead since it moves when I swivel my head to look towards the target, it makes me think I'm more left than I thought.
 
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