A Little Help From A Friend With My Alignment
From time to time, every golfer needs some help with their game. Whether it is from a professional (preferable method) or a friend (upon request only), outside assistance can generally improve our game. Recently, I inadvertently receive assistance from my friend, Charlie. It was very helpful and demonstrated several things that I can use going forward with my game.
There are two kinds of help that golfers need from time to time. First is advice or solutions on how to fix their golf swing. The list is endless, but for today’s article we will focus on alignment. The process of aligning our golf shot is not really difficult if you follow a process. I wrote about the one I use back in March; you can read it here. It is a process I continue to use for every golf shot. It is simple, easy and repeatable. Additionally, it does not take my time which is another important factor. So, if I do not need help with my process, then how did Charlie help with my alignment? Great question!
Charlie helped confirm that the process of my alignment was working properly. During our Men’s night scramble, Charlie would stand directly behind me (out of my field of vision) and watch my ball fly on my intended ball line. He knew what I was aiming at because I would tell him for every shot. For example, I would say I was hitting over the red stake – 100 yard marker. Or I was aiming at a particular tree. Or I would say just left of the tree line. It is important to note that my target was always stationary, in the distance and very specific. Aim small miss small, right?
After my hit, Charlie would only tell me about my feet alignment if I missed the shot. He would tell me if my feet were open or closed. This important piece of information would be my key to a successful hit or unsuccessful miss. If I followed my pre-shot routine properly, I generally was on target. If I rushed my process, that is when challenges would arise. It was that little bit of help from Charlie watching my ball flight after I told him exactly what I was aiming to hit. Sometimes, the simple process of confirmation is as important as trying make a swing change.
Aligning our golf shots is not as challenging as on may think. We all swing differently, hence our alignment process will vary from player to player. And sometimes, a little help from our friends is all we need.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
