A Lesson in Alignment
Have you ever hit a shot and thought it was perfect? It felt good coming off the clubface, the height was good and everything indicated it would be perfect, until it landed 20 yards to the right of your target.
All golfers have experienced this problem. It’s called bad alignment. The problem is most golfers don’t practice alignment and many are taught incorrectly.
I was taught at a young age by my father to line my shoulders and feet at the target. After continuing to play poorly, I begged my dad to take me to a PGA professional for a golf lesson.
He finally relented, and the golf professional told me my alignment was awful. What I discovered was eye-opening, and I rushed home to tell my dad that what he told me was wrong.
Listen up, golfers: We do NOT line our shoulders and feet to the target.
Have you ever shot a rifle and aimed your shoulders and feet to the target? No, you aimed your rifle at the target.
It’s the same in golf. We aim our clubs at the target, which places our feet, hips and shoulders parallel left of the target for a right-handed golfer (parallel right for the left-handed golfer).
Another way to explain proper alignment is to think of railroad tracks.
If you are a right-handed golfer, the track on the right is the target line and the club is placed perpendicular (right angle) to the target line; your body is the track on the left.
If left unattended, improper alignment will affect the golf swing.
When hitting balls on the range, I often recommend that golfers place two clubs on the ground with the target directly in the center. You then hit balls between the two clubs. This will ensure you are aiming properly, and if you miss the target, you know it was the swing — not the alignment.
