My Style of Alignment

• Posted on Grant
• in Golf Fundamentals, My Journey
• on February 24, 2014
• Comments Off on My Style of Alignment

Over the years, all great golfers have set up with their shoulders square to the target line (the target line is the line on which they want the ball to start.) Some of these golfers set up with their feet a little open or closed, but all great golfers know the importance of setting up square to the target line with their shoulders.I have my own unique style when I play. If you were to stand behind me while I’m playing a tournament, you would notice that my feet are always slightly open while my shoulders are square to the target on all of my shots. I have two main reasons for playing with open feet at address:

1. Having open feet keeps my backswing under control: I used to have a tendency to swing too far back on the backswing which would cause me to lose control. With slightly open feet, I don’t over-swing anymore.

2. With open feet it is easier to drive and rotate my hips first on the downswing: Before I began setting up with an open stance, I had trouble starting my hips early enough on the downswing. Sometimes, my arms would race ahead and I would pull-hook the ball to the left out of bounds. Over the last few years I have built my game around the fact that I never miss left anymore.

The variations of how all great golfers play golf is one of the things that makes this game so interesting. If everyone swung the club the exact same way, it would not be nearly as interesting to watch, and players would not have nearly as much confidence if they didn’t identify themselves with a certain style of play.

The structure of fundamentals that all great golfers share also makes the game fun to watch. For example, if the great golfers decided to not use square shoulder alignment at address, they would start hitting bad shots and it would not be fun to watch them play anymore.

Have fun developing your style of play and solidifying your fundamentals. Always keep in mind that golf is a balance of your personal style and structured fundamentals!

GB