Golf Aim and Alignment

What is aim and alignment? Aim is the direction of the clubface; ideally the leading edge of the golf club will be aimed at 90 degrees to your intended target at address. The leading edge of the golf club is the bottom edge of the golf club Alignment is the positioning of the body relative to the target.

Common error with aim and alignment! A common error that we see is someone setting the club down in somewhat correct aim. Then placing the golf club across the shoulders so that the shoulders are pointing straight at the target, sound familiar? You are actually aligning yourself right of target Try This: Pick a spot on the ground. Now pick a spot one foot in front of it. If those were golf balls and you wanted to his the first to the second you would have to stand next to them. If you were standing so that your shoulders were aligned at the second spot you would be aiming out to the right. Same thing happens out on the golf course, however we exaggerated the effect.

So how can we practice golf aim and golf alignment? The easiest way to practice is to use something that we have easy access to, get two golf clubs, two broom sticks or even two straight pieces of wood. Place the guides down on the ground so that the first club is pointing directly at your target. Place the second club down parallel to the first club on the left side of it the same distance away from it that you stand away from the ball.

An important note on visual perception! If I was a nomadic tribesman or had to hunt for my food and I sighted a gun from side on, I would go hungry! Why? Because my visual perception from here is distorted! I must sight my club looking straight down my target line to get a very accurate sight to my target! This is true for golfers as well. Please sight your aim club face first from directly down the line of target, maybe even with your dominant eye to be more precise and if you see a bewildered skinny nomadic tribesman in your travels please pass on this message.

If you are going to the driving range please put a guide down to help your practice. Tour professionals constantly work on the simple fundamentals such as alignment. If Aim and Alignment are not correct you would need to compensate during the swing causing manipulation of the club face and steering which we avoid at all costs. If you use golf clubs, place the ball at least 5 inches inside your aiming club to avoid hitting your club shaft. Grip end of the club will be pointing to the target keeping the club head out of the line of fire. Work on this even at home align yourself to a select target it may be the corner of the coffee table or the bookshelf get used to the feel of your set up with clubface aimed body parallel left. Thank your for your time today