Your First Golf Lesson

Aiming yourself in the right direction may sound an easy task, so easy in fact that many players become careless about it, but in an instruction school in the United States the coaches found that 9 out of 10 players aimed, or setup incorrectly, with 8 of them aiming their clubface or body to the right. Consequently what tends to happen is that you start to build compensation into the swing.

The best way to line up correctly is first to understand that the body and the clubface are not aimed at the same point. Whilst the clubface points towards the target, your body should aim parallel but left of this spot. This is best illustrated perhaps by imagining a railway track. While the clubface and the ball are on one rail, you are standing on the other.

To achieve the correct alignment, first stand behind the ball and look towards the target. Now pick out a spot 15 to 30 inches ahead of the ball on the target line. Walk around to the side of the ball and place the club head down so that it aims from the ball over your immediate target. To should draw a mental picture of a line from a mark back to the ball and then set your body parallel to this. First get your shoulders positioned correctly, then work downward to the forearms, hips, knees and finally your feet. It is also important to have your eyes on the same parallel line, or visual distortion will make lining up more difficult. If aiming correctly is a problem, you will find that using an intermediate target will benefit your short game and putting as well, although with these shots you may wish to have your hips and feet slightly open. One of the best ways to practice your lining-up is to put your clubs on the ground. When out on the course use an intermediate target since it is easier to aim over a yard, rather than 150 yards.