Alignment

[Imurg]

I'm not totally happy with my iron accuracy, even though I'm playing pretty well at the moment.
So, at the range yesterday, I focussed on making sure I was aligned properly.
I always struggle a bit at the range because there are these blooming great right angles in your eyeline, so aiming at a target that's not in line with the mat messes with my eyes!
A shaft on the mat to get the feet in line, another to get the ball in line and a coin 2 feet in front of the ball to get the club in line - all carefully aligned.
I take a stance and glance at the target.
It looks like I'm aiming 20 yards left of where I'm actually aiming....if I trust the alignment, the ball goes more or less where its supposed to but its hard to trust that I have to "feel" like I'm aiming well left to be aiming at the target.
Is this my dodgy eyesight or does any else get this..?

Going to be working on this regularly from now on.

 

[chellie]

I can have the same problem and it's something I'm working on. I try and blame wearing glasses as it's when I get nearer the green that it's the problem A low handicapper I joined up with last week pointed it out to me when I was aiming at a greenside bunker instead of the green He suggested I pick something between the green and it front of me to align to.

 

[One Planer]

This is something I've been working on for the last few weeks.

My bad shot, that was becoming more regular was a block/push out to the right.

During a group session, my pro advised me that my feet, knees and hips were parallel to target but my shoulders were closed.

Killer situation and the cause of my issue.

I've spent a lot of time focusing on getting my shoulder line square and have now changed my PSR with a motion suggested by my pro to help get my shoulders square.

It feels like my shoulders are miles open, when they are actually square!

Perhaps you have something similar where you are, at the range, having correct alignment due to setting up square to the clubs.

Perhaps without the visual aids, your set up isn't as aligned as you think?

 

[Junior]

I 100% get it. Especially if im on the left side of a fairway hitting to a 1 o'clock/2 o'clock positioned green (so slightly to the right). I always end up aligned 30 yards right in such cases.

What you are doing is the best way to get through it ......im on a similar journey !!!!

Good luck!!

 

[Maninblack4612]

Same here, but I always feel I'm aiming right. A fairly foolproof technique I use is to put the club down behind the ball, pointing at the target with my feet together as square to the line as I can get them. Then move the left foot a bit to the left & the right a bit more to the right, depending on the club I'm using. Then I put the clubs down to check my alignment. Nine time out of ten it's OK & I find this more useful than lining myself up & hitting short after shot. You can't do that out on the course.

 

[SteveJay]

I have had similar issues lately. Since starting to play maybe 10 yrs ago I was fighting a slice. Gradually corrected that to a slight fade but now my irons are a draw, but occasionally a hook.
Recently most bad irons go left, usually a draw but odd one wayward.

i have taken time aligning and interestingly on a final par 3 last night took my normal stance and hit a draw ending up 10 yards left of the green (150 yds). Took another ball and same stance, but moved my left foot back away from the ball 4-5 inches, so opening my stance, and hit one perfectly straight to within 6 feet.

Need to get to the range to try this again, but accept this maybe compensating wrongly and not addressing the real issue, so may book a few lessons to check.

 

[the_coach]

I'm not totally happy with my iron accuracy, even though I'm playing pretty well at the moment.
So, at the range yesterday, I focussed on making sure I was aligned properly.
I always struggle a bit at the range because there are these blooming great right angles in your eyeline, so aiming at a target that's not in line with the mat messes with my eyes!
A shaft on the mat to get the feet in line, another to get the ball in line and a coin 2 feet in front of the ball to get the club in line - all carefully aligned.
I take a stance and glance at the target.
It looks like I'm aiming 20 yards left of where I'm actually aiming....if I trust the alignment, the ball goes more or less where its supposed to but its hard to trust that I have to "feel" like I'm aiming well left to be aiming at the target.
Is this my dodgy eyesight or does any else get this..?

Going to be working on this regularly from now on.

often times easy for folks who are little ways better players (having not gone through any or too much sliceville so counterintuitively started to aim well left) particularly during play without the range mat lines - (why it's a good idea to spend sometime on a mat deliberately aiming at some diagonal angles across the mat both left & right of square) - to fall into more aiming the body, upper chest/shoulders first, & then the tendency plus doin this from the side of the ball has the aim of the upper body/shoulders wrongly directly to target, then set hips feet followed by arms & club face which then puts the leading edge aimed off to parallel right of the target not parallel left.

why it's a ways important to pick the target & ball target line always from some feet directly behind the ball - then both eyes are equidistant from target so there's little angled perspective distortion going on (as would be aiming from side on & twisting the head) - that happens when trying to do this at the side of the ball

from behind & with that 3rd 'point' of reference foot or so in front of the ball to the aimline to target it's a ways easier to keep that straight line in vision as you walk from back of ball to side to set-up

easier in set-up with the club in the right hand to put right foot level with back of ball & keep the body 'open' to target line

then first off align the leading edge of the club at 90º to the 3 point target line

then step in with the left foot the correct distance so the ball will be opposite the correct part of the chest

& then start to shuffle the shoulder alignment square to that 3 point line

last of all move the right foot to give the correct stance width for whichever club
then all body lines pretty much will, if the above been carefully done, always be aimed parallel left of the ball/target line as it should be & not parallel right to body aimed at target.

 

[drdel]

Me too.

I've cock-eyed eyes (only about 10*) so I need Varifocal lenses which means, on the green, there's an apparent curve. I can sort of compensate but the aim for longer shots is an issue if I'm not concentrating 100% since the back swing appears to be laid off far more than in reality leading to an out-to-in return resulting in a long but graceful bloody slice.