HIT IT STRAIGHT MORE OFTEN

Ball position and alignment are two of the most important basic fundamentals for any golf swing. Being crooked with one greatly impacts the other and what follows.

Get one wrong (pics 1, 2, 3 & 4) and you will have to make significant compensations during the swing to hit the ball on the correct line. But there is a way to get both right and hit straight shots more often.

The best way to set yourself to hit, with both alignment and ball position correct, is to put the club in behind the ball first during your pre-shot routine. This establishes better aim straight away.

Too many people create their set up by walking into the ball and establishing their body position first. They think they are aiming where they are looking but with head tilts and twists then following, they are often aiming a long way left or right of where they think.

By setting the club first you are more easily able to aim straight provided you know what a square clubface looks like.

When you practice, I thoroughly recommend you use alignment sticks (or even clubs) laid on the ground to help guide you.

Lay them in a cross – one for alignment guiding your feet into the correct position parallel to the stick. A second stick laid at 90 degrees across the first stick guides you to the correct ball position. For the driver, this stick will sit just next to your left heel (for righthanders) and will point to the teed ball.

Use this simple training guide to train your muscle memory and build your confidence that straight shots are easier when you’re aiming in the right direction (pics 5 & 6).