Where Should I Aim?

Many may have seen me write about how I am not a big believer in using alignment sticks on the ground as an alignment tool...let me explain why I believe they aren't all that important or beneficial.

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The main problem with the obsession with address alignments is that NOTHING looks the same at impact......

 At address the feet are flat but at impact the right heel is off the ground.... At address the knees are square but at impact the knees are not where they were......At address the hips are square or near square yet at impact the hips are normally (or should be) open...At address the shoulders are square or near square but at impact the shoulders are normally open.....At address the head is in one place yet at impact the head is usually lower- because of ALL the above.

Hands- Arms- Club...ALL different. At address no pressure...yet at impact there are tons of pressures (hopefully!!!!)....... EVERYTHING CHANGES.

Take a look at the photo above. Two great golfers... Lee Trevino and Bobby Locke. One aimed way left and the other aimed way right....so why do we insist on trying to aim straight? Our alignment needs to match our swing......So where should we aim?

Well start of by taking divots. If you can get the divot to be relatively square and consistent looking then put a ball down and strike it... just concentrate on striking the divot out and letting the ball get in the way. If the ball was hit solid and flush then look and see where the ball went....If it was straight and felt good then guess what?...that is probably where you need to be aiming!!!

So now if we think backwards from what would be considered a proper inside entry path into the strike- how are we going to get the club there from the top of the swing?

Are we going to come in flat around our body? Are we going to drop it down with high hands on the backswing? ..Once this is established in our mind and what position at the top feels best to us to enter the strike properly then what kind of backswing will help piece this together?..... Loop it up and then in?....Or bring it inside and then out?...... What feels right for you?????

The only imperative is that you TURN the shoulders and not just lift or flap the arms back.

Once you define your backswing, your top position and how that will help you move the club into the entry slot.....then we can be worried about our address and how that will co-incide with our feel and intention.

How will your ADDRESS actually ADDRESS these issues?.....Well if I am going to pull the clubhead in lower and around me on the backswing like George Knudson or Sam Snead or others then I would have a setup that would suggest for that and it would probably include an aim right of target. If you are going to pick it up and drop it down like Jim Furyk, Lee Trevino or Fred Couples then there is a way to set up for that and it normally encourages a more open stance at address.

EVERYONE will have their own unique alignment. Everyone's swing is unique and therefore so will be their alignment. The better the striker you become the more intuition comes into play also... One's ability to curve the ball in the air can also make up for or adjust a lot of 'bad' alignments.

Just make sure you don't lose sight of the big picture...WHERE does the ball go when you strike it flush and solid. Lee Trevino did exactly this...he figured out where the ball went when he flushed it and it was going 40 yards right of where others felt he should be aiming!!!! Find FLUSH first!!!! .. Then look to see where flush goes and aim accordingly...and all this can and will change and alter over time as the swing changes in improvement factors.

This is why I teach the golf swing in the manner I do.... Find flush first and then we learn to aim and utilize a ball position that suits US...that way we are not restricted by trying to be perfect in alignment or ball position or even the grip as golf instruction manuals will try have us believe as important.

We are UNIQUE... Allow that individuality to shine through and have a better understanding of yourself and your swing.....not what the norm suggests of you....