Golf Alignment
Golf Alignment is an all too often overlooked part of a great golf swing. You can’t hit the golf ball properly if you aren’t aligned to your target. Here are some quick pointers to get your golf alignment straightened out.
Before we dig in I want to make a distinction between alignment and pre-shot routine. Alignment is part of the pre-shot routine but the pre-shot routine included how you approach your golf ball and how you quiet your mind and nerves to create a consistent repeatable golf swing.
Golf Alignment really comes down to your stance…how you set up your feet before every shot. Many golfers think their golf stance is aiming their shot at the target when in reality it isn’t. There is a quick and easy “reality check” for your alignment.
Golf Stance & Golf Alignment Check:
Next time you are out on the range pick one of the pins to aim at, get in your stance aligning yourself to the target then take your club and carefully without moving your feet place the club behind your heels. Or have a friend do this.
Once the golf club is in place behind your heels step away and see how well the club is aimed at your target.
If golf club is pointing right at your target you have good alignment. However most of us will find that we are off by some degree.
Once you realize that you are off you can start to fix this problem. One major Problem is that people often aim using their toes as a reference point. Your toes don’t always point straight forward when you get into your golf swing stance. So your toes may line up to your target but your shot won’t.
Instead use your heels to align your shot. Next time you line up a shot take a moment to lean back and look at your heels (visualize a straight line going from your heels into the distance) are they aimed at the target?
If you really want to dial in your golf alignment I recommend watching Billy McKinney’s Golf Alignment Workstation Video. This is a bit more involved but well worth it.
Align Your Golf Shots By Turning Your Head Not Your Body:
Another trick to perfect golf alignment is to turn your head to look at the target instead of your shoulders and torso.
Many golfers have a tendency to align properly then once they are down in their stance they look at the target one last time and shuffle their feet a bit thinking they are refining their alignment. In reality they are simply opening up their stance.
Also straightening up and looking at your target means that you are aiming from where you are standing not from where the ball is. This might seem like a minor detail, but thinking about these things is how pro golfers wind up five feet from the pin from 150 yards out.
So once you have your alignment trust it, and when you look at your target simply rotate your neck don’t rotate your torso or shuffle your feet.
Why Aiming A Little Bit Off Is A Big Problem In Golf:
You might find that your alignment is just a bit off and think, “I’m not going to worry about fixing such a small problem.”
That is not a wise choice. Even small errors in alignment are magnified in your golf shot. Let’s say your feet are aiming your golf shot 5 or 10 yards to the right of the pin, and you occasionally hit a slight slice or push (10 yards or so). When you add those two together it can mean the difference between landing on the green and winding up in a hazard.
And let’s face it even the most consistent golfers occasionally push or draw a shot a bit too much. We cannot be perfect but you can have perfect alignment every time you make a golf shot.
The key is fixing the problems that are totally within your control. So make sure your golf alignment is perfect every time.