Alignment... how crucial?

[Hobbit]

2012 wasn't my most consistent year, in fact it was one of my worst. Towards the end of 2012 I had a lesson - only my 7th/8th in 45 yrs. The pro quickly identified poor alignment as the obvious fault in my set up. After doing a little work on my set up and alignment good scores started to return - sorry GM northeast.

One of the positives down the years has always been a .... hot short game, especially the putting. Putting average for the last year, up to the beginning of May, was a shade over 28 but the last month has seen a putting average of 32.

A brief visit to the pro shop at Notts GC with Captainron, and a go on the putting mirror, revealed that my putting alignment had also wandered off line.

So what difference can a poor alignment make? A crude measurement suggests approx 3 or 4 shots tee to green and about the same around the green. 8 shots off the low 80's I was shooting will give a score in the mid 70's.

Buy some alignment sticks and a putting mirror. You might just be surprised at the difference they make.

 

[Stuey01]

I can believe it. I suffer from poor alignment. What use is hitting it straight if you weren't even pointing where you thought... I usually aim way right of where I intended, it's something I struggle with a lot.

 

[Andy808]

I have to agree alignment makes so much difference, especially when you have the club face pointing to the target but your not then it's a recipe for disaster.
Personally I'm not a fan of alignment sticks but I do have a roll of gaffer tape that I take to put down on the mat before I start a range session on alignment and ball position. It takes a little setting up but I have a box of balls or two and it feels much better again.

 

[Hobbit]

I can believe it. I suffer from poor alignment. What use is hitting it straight if you weren't even pointing where you thought... I usually aim way right of where I intended, it's something I struggle with a lot.

A typical alignment issue I was taught many moons ago is amatuers align their feet to the target line, or there abouts but their upper body is aligned to the flag. In reality their feet should be left of the flag(right handed). The conflict between upper and lower body alignment is enough to cause an amatuer to swing enough off plane that the ball will be dragged/pushed, especially with short irons...

 

[Foxholer]

Over the years, I've found that if I line up 'perfectly', I feel very cramped at impact and the resultant shot tends to be less than optimum.

So I line up with feet slightly open (then open the left foot some more) which pulls my hips at least square (that's the real problem, but a dodgy left hip/lower back causes that). Does encourage a slight fade, but that's predictable. I like to be perfectly square putting - (hopefully) no hip movement involved.

Key, to me, is balance and consistency, not necessarily perfection.

It needs to be checked every now and then.

 

[CMAC]

I have to agree alignment makes so much difference, especially when you have the club face pointing to the target but your not then it's a recipe for disaster.
Personally I'm not a fan of alignment sticks but I do have a roll of gaffer tape that I take to put down on the mat before I start a range session on alignment and ball position. It takes a little setting up but I have a box of balls or two and it feels much better again.

use another club for feet and a club parallel outside the ball , takes about 5 seconds to set up

 

[rikkitikk]

I bought a piece of wooden dowel from b&q and cut in half for less than a pound for my alignment sticks

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

I've been meaning to get some alignment sticks for ages but have never got round to it. Daft thing is the range don't have them in when I head down

 

[bobmac]

I know another way of checking your alignment which is Very Easy

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

The putting mirror really does exposé any misalignment, I don't have one but after reading your post I might invest.

 

[tsped83]

The putting mirror really does exposé any misalignment, I don't have one but after reading your post I might invest.

Excuse my ignorance, having never used a putting mirror, but how do they work? I'm curious as putting is holding me back at the moment. Is it not distracting looking down in a mirror whilst addressing the ball?

 

[Hobbit]

Excuse my ignorance, having never used a putting mirror, but how do they work? I'm curious as putting is holding me back at the moment. Is it not distracting looking down in a mirror whilst addressing the ball?

As you look in the mirror you should see a reflection of yourself directly over the ball, i.e. your eyes should be over the ball. There are lines on the mirror which give you a good indication of how far out you might be.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

My alignment was fixed earlier in the year. I still feel like my shoulders are closed to the target but it's working so I'm sticking with it.

 

[Snelly]

Alignment, grip and tempo are the essential components of golf. Without them being half decent, you have no chance. Players like Lee Trevino are the exceptions that prove the rule of course.

Not sure about having your feet aim left of the target though. I have never done that and have never heard of it before. Common sense says to me that if I want to hit a target, then my feet, hips and shoulders need to be aligned with it. But I am no expert and can only comment on what has worked for me.

 

[Snelly]

use another club for feet and a club parallel outside the ball , takes about 5 seconds to set up

This forum board needs a like button for posts.

I like this one!

 

[upsidedown]

Has to be a reason why all the pro's good amateurs use alignment aids eh?

Once i get swinging again, it will be practice ground and 4 and 5 iron as my sticks.

Well done keep those scores coming

 

[Rooter]

so basic isnt it. i had a playing lesson last week, hit a right sided green side bunker from 160 odd yards, got the arse with my self. turn round to face my pro, he says "great strike, that went exactly where you aimed it"

 

[mcbroon]

Played with my old man at the weekend, who was a scratch golfer in his day, but he's been having a tough time of it recently. I stood behind him on the 3rd tee and asked him where he was aiming. "Left side of the fairway." So I took a photo and his feet, knees and shoulders were pointing at the right hand rough. He was completely unable to swing through the ball because he was standing so closed.

So he opened up the stance and hey presto, he hit the best drive he's hit for a couple of years. He couldn't believe how closed he was. It had just crept into his setup over the last few years to the point where he'd thought about jacking it in a couple of times, so badly was he hitting the ball.

Alignment and grip are the two absolute fundamentals, for me. If they're not right, you're making life a lot harder for yourself than it needs to be.

 

[Khamelion]

After doing a little work on my set up and alignment good scores started to return - sorry GM northeast.

Good scores indeed, but when Señor Kraxx (AKA Zorro , the man with the mask) pips you by 2 points, what can you do?

 

[duncan mackie]

knowing where you are aiming the various elements is a lot more important that where they are aimed!

however, the nearer things are to square/alligned, the easier the game becomes (although I understand the need to 'pre-clear' the his at times when mobility is against you