So you address the ball on the tee or fairway, you know the distance,
you have the perfect club and hit it right out of the sweet spot.The
golf ball goes the perfect distance with the perfect amount of spin but
instead of being glued to the hole it's glued to the bunker on the right
of the green.As amateur golfers we have a lot to think about on every
shot.We spend so much time getting the correct grip, perfect back swing,
club set in position at the top of the back swing, club back in
position at the point of impact, head still and not following the ball
and continue through to a smooth finish.Yet so many golfers forget the
basic Rule 101 - Aiming at the target.
Alignment to the target is
key and poor alignment can have more than of an effect on your game
than the obvious result of hitting the ball off line.Most amateur
golfers will try to compensate and get back online in the down swing
resulting in everything from snap hooks to the dreaded socket.
I
have seen countless videos, magazine articles and pro tutorials on the
Golf Channel about achieving the perfect alignment to the target.But by
chance while watching a past winners clinic before the USPGA
championship some years back the great Jack Nicklaus had a tip that
would shave shots from my handicap and make the entire game of golf
easier and more fun.
The fact that The Golden Bear used such a
simple method of alignment shocked me, you would think the most
successful golfer of all time (18 Majors) would use maths and science to
determine his line.In fact they way Jack lined up was inventive yet
simple.
So how did Jack Nicklaus align himself before every shot ?
You will be surprised how simple his method is and how easily you can
implement it to your game.
Lets look at it in five steps.
Five
Steps To Perfect Golf Alignment
Step 1. Once you have selected
your club stand directly behind the golf ball and pick your target in
the distance.
Step 2. In your mind draw a virtual line from the
target in the distance back to the ball.
Step 3. Now on the
virtual line you have drawn pick a point between 5 - 10 feet from the
ball just in front of you.
Step 4. The point you picked is now
your target.Address the ball aiming at the point you picked just in
front of you, your club aims at that point while your feet and shoulders
are square to the left of that target (For right hand players).
Step
5. Once you have lined to the target in front of you look back to the
original target you picked in the distance, visualise the shot and let
rip.
The beauty of this method of lining your self to a golf shot
is you are simplifying the aiming process.Even for the top professional
golfers lining up to a target 150 yards away is not easy.Jacks method
of lining up to a target 10 feet away but on the same line is genius.Try
the technique on the driving range for half an hour, then bring it to
the course and you will see the results of not only more shots at the
target but with the added confidence and simplified aiming technique the
rest of your game will improve.
