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Aim, alignment and ball position - the start point of any swing |
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Open or closed shoulders are instantly visible |
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Practising with alignment feedback will save you hours of frustration |
Feedback - the key to consistent alignment
Alex Nicolson PGA
One of the things you don't see the tour pros do very often is aim off-target, and if they do, it's corrected pretty quickly. Apart from the hours of practice and abundance of natural talent, the pros do have another advantage over their amateur counterparts - easily accesible feedback.
As a tour pro, with a coach and caddy at your side, it's a lot harder to be consistently aiming twenty yards off-line before either you, your entourage or Bruce Critchley notices it. That problem of aiming your shoulders a little open which caused an annoying cut, is nipped in the bud, c'est histoire, and you the tour pro can happily continue shooting 12 under par. So us lesser mortals need to find another solution.
When coaching I use a variety of tools to help my pupils check their aim, alignment and ball position - ranging from a simple golf club on the ground to the Eyeline Practice tee featured here. Whatever you choose, follow these fundamentals in your set-up:
Aim
Aim the club first, and get the leading edge (the bottom of the club) at right angles to your target line. Check it.
Alignment
You will be familiar with the railway track analogy to get your feet, hips and shoulders parallel with the target line. The principle behind this is sound, but applied literally it is too hazardous a means to practice - especially during peak times. Instead, I recommend a couple of clubs on the ground or a practice aid such as the one opposite.
Shoulder alignment is crucial and one of the most common causes for slices in particular. The cause of this problem sometimes stems from how you look at the target. Instinctively, we turn our shoulders slightly to get a better view - but this sets us up to swing across the ball. The solution is again feedback. Regular getting into set-up position and checking the lines is essential. The mirror in the second picture is one of the innovative ways golfers can keep tabs on where they point their shoulders as they are hitting balls.
Swivel don't lift
Having acheived parallel lines in your set up, preserve them by swivelling your head for that last look at the target, rather than lifting it.
The simplest answer is more often than not the correct one
When you are out on the course and start spraying it sideways, remember the above axim. Quite simply, if you hit the ball into a neighbouring field, make sure the first question is "Was I aimed there?". It could save you a lot of effort.
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