Tips and Strategies



Lining up first step to perfect shot

By Jon Ebert
Scripps Howard News Service

Question:

My problem is that I hit the ball consistently to the right. To counteract this, I tend to line up to the left. This helps some, but I know it's not the right thing to do. I'd like to learn to line up in a square position on every shot. Do you have any tips that will help me get into the correct position?

Answer:

Imagine a railroad track, with two rails and the wood ties in the middle. The ball is on the rail that goes toward the target. That's called the "target line."

Your feet should be positioned on the other rail, which runs parallel and to the left of the target line. Here's a good pre-shot routine you should follow each time you hit a golf shot:

1. Begin with your feet together and the ball in the middle, with your body parallel to the target line.
2. Line up the club face square to the target.
3. Separate your feet on a parallel line to the target line.
4. Relax and get comfortable, without changing your position.


The pre-shot routine is the most important part of the golf swing and is often the most overlooked. It does no good to make a "perfect" swing if you are not lined up to the target.

In fact, if you do not line up properly, you will almost always compensate in your swing to make up for your poor alignment. Two wrongs don't make a right. Never bypass this step. Once you're properly aligned, you can work on correcting the swing flaw that makes the ball go to the right.

Jon Ebert, a teaching pro and consultant, writes golf tips for the Naples Daily News in Naples, Fla.