Golf alignment is probably one of the most understated aspects of the golf swing, but in some ways it is one of the most important. After all, if you aren’t aiming at the target correctly then it doesn’t matter how good the subsequent swing is – you are still going to miss the target. Fortunately, alignment is a relatively simple thing to fix, with the help of a few drills.
The first thing you need to determine is where you should actually be aiming. This isn’t as simple as it sounds, as most golfers don’t hit the ball straight, instead hitting with a slight (or maybe not so slight…) fade or draw. This means the golfer’s alignment will have to adjust to allow for this. Another thing to consider is that the longer the club, the more accentuated the fade or draw will be. This means you will have to allow for greater side movement in the air the longer the club you are hitting. One good drill is to go to the range and hit lots of seven iron shots, aiming at a specific target. You will soon get an idea how much of a fade or draw you have with that club, then you can simple adjust for the longer and shorter clubs. From this drill we can gauge our target line, based on the amount of side movement in the air.
Some amateur golfers can have poor alignment without even realising it. A reason for this is that they feel they are aiming in a different direction to that which their body is actually aiming to. A good drill to correct this is to line up the target line and place a golf club on the ground between your feet and the ball. The club should be aiming along the target line. Address the ball, and make sure your feet are lined up so that they are parallel to the golf club on the ground. This will get the golfer used to lining up his/her alignment correctly. To further enhance this drill, the golfer’s friend could stand behind the golfer, and use another club to line the shoulders up along the target line. Plenty of practises of this drill, and the golf alignment will definitely improve.
Another good tip for improving the alignment is to stand behind the shot, and pick a spot on the ground twenty feet from the golfer, and in line with the target. Instead of aiming at the distant flag, line the body up to hit a shot to the spot on the ground. Some people find it easier to aim for a target which is a lot closer, and this technique can help the alignment.
A drill to take out on the course is to incorporate the following into your pre-shot routine: Address the ball, and first make sure the clubface is pointing in the correct direction. Then, check your feet are aligned to the target line. Also check your shoulders are pointing in the right direction. Then you are good to swing. This is a simple drill, but checking your alignment is correct is the first step towards hitting a good golf shot.
