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Can someone explain this to me?

Alez367

Alez367

Formerly Carlos C.
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So I was reading through the "preshot routine" thread and noticed a lot of members mentioning that they choose a spot just in front of the ball, usually 1-2' at their target line. Never done this before but might just help with the alignment issues I've been having.


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What do you mean explain it? To me it is easier than focusing on something 250-300 yards down the fairway. Pick a blade of grass, a bare patch, etc. right in front of you and focus your target line on that.
 
a path you want the ball to cross over to ensure you are lined up correctly.
 
^^ Exactly this. Works in many different things. I learned this from bowling when I was 6. You look at the arrows because that target is easier to focus on than the pins 60 feet away from you. It will really help with accuracy once you figure it out.
 
For me, that is where I want the club to strike the ground. So I am not "aiming" at the ball but focusing on where the club and ground make contact.
 
I believe it read about this "tip" from Jack Nicklaus. He also said to pick a secondary target in the background so your eyes had a place to look after you completed your swing. He suggested a tree top or something like that.
 
I do this as well. I pick a blade of grass about a full foot in front of the ball though. Helps with alignment and has the added benefit of making me swing through the ball, instead of swinging at it.


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JD19 said:
I believe it read about this "tip" from Jack Nicklaus. He also said to pick a secondary target in the background so your eyes had a place to look after you completed your swing. He suggested a tree top or something like that.
Click to expand...

I first saw it in the old Golf My Way book by Jack and then again in his Golf My Way DVD's.
1. Stand behind the ball looking down your target line.
2. Pick something that stands out to your eye about 2' to 4' feet in front of the ball on the target line.
3. Draw an imaginary line between your ball and the spot
4. Take your stance, drawing an imaginary line across from your left toes to your right toe, and IMPORTANT, match up that line to parallel the line drawn from spot to ball.

Something I've been doing for over 20 years and is a big help to getting good alignment.
 
cpljohnst said:
I first saw it in the old Golf My Way book by Jack and then again in his Golf My Way DVD's.
1. Stand behind the ball looking down your target line.
2. Pick something that stands out to your eye about 2' to 4' feet in front of the ball on the target line.
3. Draw an imaginary line between your ball and the spot
4. Take your stance, drawing an imaginary line across from your left toes to your right toe, and IMPORTANT, match up that line to parallel the line drawn from spot to ball.

Something I've been doing for over 20 years and is a big help to getting good alignment.
Click to expand...

Can't explain it much better than this.
 
I find my target that is in the fairway, pin, green, etc. then draw a line back from that until a spot just in front of the ball and focus on that spot. This is where i want my ball to crossover on the tee.

I do the samething for putts. i find my line and then pick a spot just in front of the ball that i want the ball to rollover on the way to the hole.
 
this is exactly what I needed. Sorry i know if seems like a simple thing but it's something that will take time to adjust to.
 
alez367 said:
So I was reading through the "preshot routine" thread and noticed a lot of members mentioning that they choose a spot just in front of the ball, usually 1-2' at their target line. Never done this before but might just help with the alignment issues I've been having.


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Click to expand...

Pretty hard to aim at something 200+ yards or more away. Easy to line up behind the ball to that spot so far away, with something much much closer.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
Pretty hard to aim at something 200+ yards or more away. Easy to line up behind the ball to that spot so far away, with something much much closer.
Click to expand...

Normally I would say yes but for my brain, it's harder to line up to a smaller, specific target in front of you by 2 ft then to line up to a larger, more generic target 150-200 yds away. Usually before I would focus so much on being lined up that it would mess with my head. Now with the larger targets I aim in the general area of the green and I have success but I'm trying to improve my GIR and proximity to the hole so now I need to focus in more on specific targets rather than just fwy and greens


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I do what most have already said. I find a spot a foot or so in front of my ball and line up with that. I also do it on putts.
 
alez367 said:
Normally I would say yes but for my brain, it's harder to line up to a smaller, specific target in front of you by 2 ft then to line up to a larger, more generic target 150-200 yds away. Usually before I would focus so much on being lined up that it would mess with my head. Now with the larger targets I aim in the general area of the green and I have success but I'm trying to improve my GIR and proximity to the hole so now I need to focus in more on specific targets rather than just fwy and greens


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Click to expand...

Lining up with something close helps with getting aligned better. A target further away gets the more chances to get misaligned and then end up with a stance that promotes a bad shot
 
From behind my ball, I get my line to my target and pick my intermediate target. When I go to address the ball, I put the club down first and use the ball and intermediate target to align the club face. Then I line myself to the club.
 
tanker337 said:
From behind my ball, I get my line to my target and pick my intermediate target. When I go to address the ball, I put the club down first and use the ball and intermediate target to align the club face. Then I line myself to the club.
Click to expand...

I think my problem is the last part of your process. I completely understand and tried the everything up to the last part. I think, because of my size I'm actually doing a little OTT on the downswing so my body naturally sets up right of target. Definitely need to work on this ASAP


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tanker337 said:
From behind my ball, I get my line to my target and pick my intermediate target. When I go to address the ball, I put the club down first and use the ball and intermediate target to align the club face. Then I line myself to the club.
Click to expand...

This is something I have been doing more lately and it seems to be working for me. I try to get club aligned to target first then adjust my body to be aligned with my target.
 
The easiest way to play good golf is to make sure the basics are taken care of before you swing. Choosing a spot between you and the taglrget will help with alignment. It's not a guarantee but really helps.

A lot will find their target and set the club on that target. 7 out of 10 times (guessing) they are no where near that line with their club head, shoulders, hip or knees. It's almost impossible to line up with something so far away. If add a point (patch of grass, old divot, broken tee) between you and the target, you can set the club square to that. Then make sure your body is square to the club head. This should enable a free swing
 
Another thing to try is to place the club behind the ball with your right hand and then build your stance from that.
 
cpljohnst said:
I first saw it in the old Golf My Way book by Jack and then again in his Golf My Way DVD's.
1. Stand behind the ball looking down your target line.
2. Pick something that stands out to your eye about 2' to 4' feet in front of the ball on the target line.
3. Draw an imaginary line between your ball and the spot
4. Take your stance, drawing an imaginary line across from your left toes to your right toe, and IMPORTANT, match up that line to parallel the line drawn from spot to ball.

Something I've been doing for over 20 years and is a big help to getting good alignment.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do...and what I suggest to players who ask my opinion on pre-shot routines and alignment.
 
When my son was little, I would have him pick out a spot, funny blade of grass, etc. about 8 inches in front of the ball.

Then tell him to connect the dots (from the ball to the spot).

To this day, its part of his routine.

Jack
 
emart2173 said:
Lining up with something close helps with getting aligned better. A target further away gets the more chances to get misaligned and then end up with a stance that promotes a bad shot
Click to expand...

To be more specific, it's really, really hard to line yourself up correctly when looking sideways. In fact, it's nearly impossible. The human eye is not designed to look sideways. We are designed to use our binocular vision when standing behind the ball. So we pick our intermediate point from behind the ball, and line up to that.
 
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