Aim and alignment, the simple way
Many misses start before the swing. If your body points right of the target, a good swing sends the ball right, and your swing slowly learns to fight it.
Written for right-handed golfers. Left-handed: swap left and right.
Clubface first, body second
Aim the clubface at the target first. Then set your feet, hips and shoulders parallel to that line. Parallel means your body lines point slightly left of the target, like the inside rail of a railway track while the ball sits on the outside rail.
Pick a spot
Stand behind the ball and find a mark a foot or so in front of it, on the line to your target: a leaf, an old divot, a darker patch of grass. Aiming the face at something close is much easier than aiming at a flag far away.
The routine
- Stand behind the ball and choose a small target.
- Pick a spot on that line just in front of the ball.
- Walk in and set the clubface square to the spot.
- Set your feet parallel to that line, then your hips and shoulders.
- Look at the target once, then swing.
The usual mistake
A common one is aiming right of the target without knowing it. The swing then pulls across the ball to bring it back, which can turn into a pull or a slice. Fixing the swing without fixing the aim rarely lasts.
Check it on the range
Lay one stick along your toes, step back and look from behind. If the stick points right of the target, so did you. A second stick just beyond the ball, pointing at the target, gives you the railway track.
Put down two sticks pointing at your target and hit 10 balls. Then take the sticks away and hit 10 more. If more balls start off line without the sticks, your aim drifts: use the spot routine on every shot.
Take it to the range
Tenball logs your 10 balls in two taps each, shows your misses on a chart and tells you when a fix is working.
