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"It
goes without
saying that
it is no good
having a perfect
setup, perfect
grip and perfect
golf swing
if the whole
thing is misaligned.
It sounds
obvious but
many players
simply do
not spend
enough time
getting themselves
on target."
Nick
Faldo
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How
you align your body
is critical for
your long game consistency
and success. And
unlike what others
have probably taught
you, I believe your
alignment should
be a fraction left
with all parts of
your body instead
of aligning everything
parallel to your
target line.
So,
how much left and
why?
Well
for starters, your
feet should be aligned
to the left by about
an inch with all
clubs in your bag.
Why?
Because
this feet positioning
restricts the turn
of your hips and
body rotation on
the backswing. And
this builds up torque
and power so you
can then explode
down and through
the ball.
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Important
Note: Some
people see
my advice
of aligning
fractionally
open to the
target and
get worried
that they're
going to start
slicing everything.
And if you're
thinking that
I want to
put your mind
at rest because
that's not
going to happen...we'll
not because
of your alignment
anyway  .
Remember,
I'm only getting
you to align
an inch open.
That's not
a lot open
and most people
will not even
notice it.
But it
is very important
that you do
this so please
practice and
perfect that.
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So
to practice and
perfect the correct
alignment I want
you to setup on
your vinyl with
a driver. And make
sure all parts of
your body are aligned
parallel to your
target line.
Then
from this position
I then want you
to move your left
foot back to the
left by an inch
and mark this position....
Then
setup to the ball
again. And you'll
find that by aligning
your feet an inch
back to the left
it will naturally
open up your entire
body to the left
by about an inch
-- and don't fight
this. You should
have your knees,
hips and shoulders
a fraction open
to the target.
But
do check this yourself
and if possible
get someone else
to check this, because
often what we feel
is a lot different
than what is actually
happening.
Once
you've done this
with your driver
then do the same
thing with your
5-iron...
Then
do the same thing
with your 9-iron...
Then
do the same thing
with all the other
clubs in your bag.
So here is how your
vinyl should look
with these left
foot marks on them.
OK,
now here is some
very valuable and
important instructions
on what you must
do with your arms.
And I didn't include
this advice in the
posture section
because this arm
position relates
very closely to
the alignment position
of your shoulders.
As
I said, your shoulders
should be slightly
aligned to the left
(open). And your
left arm should
hang down from the
club and be relaxed
but virtually straight.
Whereas your right
arm on the other
hand (no pun intended
)
should be flexed
slightly at the
elbow.
And
from the down the
line view like this
you should be able
to see some of your
left arm. If you
can't that means
you haven't flexed
your right arm enough
at the elbow.
Now
the reason your
left arm should
be straight and
your right arm should
be flexed at the
elbow is because
your left arm will
remain fairly straight
throughout the backswing
to help you maintain
a very wide arc.
But your right arm
bends a lot at the
elbow during the
backswing and downswing
so it's best to
give it a head start
when you setup.
And
the final point
I want to raise
about alignment
is the clubhead.
Your clubhead should
be positioned directly
at your target.
And the lines on
your vinyl will
help you to do this
automatically every
time you setup to
a golf shot. So
just keep an eye
on your clubface
alignment every
setup you do.
If
you've made it to
here, congratulations!
Because that's all
the important pieces
of the setup you
need to know. And
to put this final
piece into practice
here are your....
Task
1
-
Follow
the instructions
in this
alignment
lesson and
draw lines
on your
vinyl so
that you
know where
exactly
to position
your left
foot for
all clubs
in your
bag.
Task
2
- Then
after doing
this, practice
every day
for at least
10 minutes
the posture
exercise
I gave you
in Lesson
3a.
Also,
when doing
this change
cubs every
few setups
and make
sure your
ball is
positioned
perfectly
for the
club you're
using
and make
sure your
grip is
correct
and your
hands are
positioned
correctly
as I taught
you in Lesson
3d.
Total
Practice
Time = Approximately
10 Minutes
Per Practice
Session
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OK,
next you need to
create a physical
pre-shot routine
and practice setting
up perfectly over
and over again for
amazing long game
golfing consistency
and success. So
that's what you're
going to be finding
out next week when
you come back to
the
index page for The
Long Game Improvement
Program in 7
days time.
