Alignment or aiming is one of golf’s most important fundamentals. Strangely enough, it takes the least amount of natural talent but it requires the greatest amount of attention. You may have a consistent swing but without a good alignment you will never hit the ball where you hope. In other words if you have a poor alignment you will have to make a poor swing to hit the ball on the intended target line. The men and women who make their living playing golf consistently check their alignment for any flaws. They are very aware that without a good alignment they can’t even begin to work on their swings.

The reason that aiming is so difficult is that unlike shooting a gun or a bow and arrow where your eyes are over the barrel of the fun or shaft of the arrow, in golf your eyes are anywhere from several inches to a couple of feet inside the target. This in itself makes aiming very difficult.

When you setup to hit a shot you want your feet, hips, and shoulders all in the same line. If you imagine yourself standing on a railroad track, you are on one track the ball is on the other, the track runs at your target. This is the image that you want to have in your mind when you are setting up to the golf ball.

Now since you can’t go stand on a railroad track to practice your alignment you need to get some visual aids. The best and simplest ones we have found are golf clubs. Lay two clubs on the ground between the ball and your feet. Put them about a foot apart and point them at your target. This will give you the visual aids you need to work on your alignment.

When you setup to the ball you want your feet, hips, and shoulders to be parallel to the clubs on the ground. While the clubs remain on the ground you can now hit balls and work on your alignment. As you work on your alignment using the clubs, you will start to realize that your body and mind will setup to the clubs on the ground almost unconsciously. Making this drill one of the best alignment drills we have found.

Since it is very easy to fall into a bad alignment we would suggest that you use this drill every time you go out to practice. When you do you will accomplish two things.
You will improve your alignment dramatically.
You will eliminate alignment as a possible problem in your game.

One last closing tip. Although alignment is very important to all areas of the game and on all lengths of shots. As the length of the shots increase alignment becomes more critical. For example, if your feet are a few degrees left on a 100 yard shot the ball may wind up 10 yards or so left of the pin. But on a 250 yard drive those few degrees could add up to 20 or 30 yards.

So take your time and work on your alignment. Study the pictures and review this CD until you have a good understanding of alignment.

Then go out and have some fun!

A good posture begins with a good solid base. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Now lets stop here and say that the width of your feet will vary depending on the club and shot you choose to play. But for now lets put your feet at shoulder width apart, your knees will be slightly flexed, they’re not bent, this is where we see a lot of problems with amateur golfers. When you bend your knees too much you cause tension in the lower body so knees are flexed not bent.

Your upper body will bend forward slightly at the waist while keeping your lower back flat, this is very important because if your back is in a slouched position you will not be able to swing the club around your body properly, resulting in a poor shot. From this position let your arms hang down, not out, you never want to reach for the ball. This is where you grip the club.

Golfers all over have always asked, “How far should I stand from the ball?”

The answer is fairly simple: You get in a good body posture, where your arms hang down, the length of the club will dictate how far you stand from the ball. The length of the club will change but your posture will basically stay the same.

One last thing on posture, when you take your stance, keep your head up. Don’t bury your chin in your chest; you won’t be able to turn your shoulders properly with your head in that position.

Possible problems that can arise from bad posture are:

Back injuries. Remember, if you have back problems, a good posture can relieve a lot of pressure on your back.

…Lack of Distance.
A bad posture can restrict the back swing, which can decrease club head speed. Your shoulders need to be able to turn freely to increase the length of your back swing. Good posture will help you achieve this.

…and Accuracy.
This happens simply because with bad posture the swing becomes less repeatable, therefore you become less consistent. These are just a few of the things that can happen as a result of bad posture. So, practice these positions using a mirror and study these pictures on this CD until you have a good understanding of what a good stance and body posture look like, then just grip it and rip it.