Golf
All About Alignment
Faulty alignment can ruin your
shot before you swing the club. Aiming the body somewhere other
than parallel to the target makes a good swing bad and a bad swing
worse.
Examples:
- A good player with a solid swing
gets sloppy and starts aiming right of the target. He can't
figure out why his shots tailhook to the right, so he tries
to prevent the clubface from releasing through impact and loses
distance. Good swing gone bad.
- A golfer who cuts across the
ball from outside in and slices begins aiming left of the target
to encourage an inside-out swing and a draw. He pulls the club
inside the target line on the backswing, but then loops it over
the top and cuts across the ball even more, resulting in a bigger
slice. Bad swing becomes worse.
Learning to align yourself properly
doesn't require physical skill or years of experience, just care.
Learn What Square Is
You may know that proper alignment
means setting your feet, knees, hips, shoulders, and clubface
square to the target line. But do you know what it feels like?
Maybe not. It's very common for amateurs (and pros, too) to drift
or twist themselves unknowingly into faulty alignment positions.
That's why it's crucial that your body recognizes how square feels.
Lay a club on the ground and stand with your feet shoulder-width
apart, parallel to the shaft. Take another club and make an imaginary
address position: knees flexed, bent forward slightly from the
hips, back straight, arms hanging from shoulders. Without changing
your body position, lay the club in your hands across your knees.
Is it parallel to the club on the ground? It should be. Do the
same for your hips and shoulders; this will show if your body
has a "feel" for setting up square.
Real Shots
Good alignment starts with the clubface; get that square and the
rest of your body will follow more easily. Begin by standing behind
the ball, on a straight line with the target. To make squaring
the clubface easier, pick a spot-a leaf, divot, whatever-that's
on the target line and no more than a couple feet in front of
the ball. This is your target during the set-up. Walk around and
put the club behind the ball so the clubface is perpendicular
to the target line, facing the intermediate spot you chose.
Take your grip, then align your feet perpendicular to the clubface
and parallel to the target line. Once your feet are square, your
knees, hips, and shoulders should fall into place. Check yourself
against the intermediate target and the actual target, then swing
away.
Private
Lessons 1999 Time4 Media, Inc., used under license by GolfServ
Online, Inc. Instructional information provided by Golf Magazine.
