Understanding Proper Golf Swing Alignment – How to Aim in Golf

One of the most important golf tips for any beginner has to do with understanding the perfect setup position for accurately aiming the golf ball. In this article we’ll discuss good golf swing alignment and help beginner and intermediate golfers hit more accurate golf shots.

Proper Golf Swing Alignment

The main idea is to keep your shoulders, chest, arms, and knees aligned parallel to the target line at address. To help better view the target line, beginning golfers should get used to practicing with two golf clubs lying flat on the ground. One club should be parallel to their feet and another along and just outside the tee or where the golf ball is positioned on the ground. Notice the frame in the video below prior to clicking ‘play.’

When positioning the golf clubs on the ground during your practice session, visualize that you are standing along railroad tracks and position the club closest to you (parallel to your feet and along your toes) where the inside track would be and the outer club just past the ball (or tee) where the outside track would be. And just like railroad tracks, these clubs should be be parallel to each other. The instructor in the video above adds a club directly behind the golf ball to indicate the direction the golf ball will take.

Ball Position

At address, the golf ball should be positioned directly between the front and back foot. While conventional golf advice suggests keeping the ball farther back in your stance when using one of the shorter clubs (8-iron, 9-iron, pitching wedge), I prefer to simply stand a comfortable distance away from the ball. Depending on the club, this will become second nature as the shorter clubs necessitate a closer stance and the long clubs force you to stand farther away. You can get additional tips regarding ball position when viewing the video above.

The Golf Swing

When learning how to aim in golf, one of the things that can hinder beginners is over complicating the golf swing. Even with proper golf swing alignment, an incorrect swing can totally destroy any chance for an accurate golf shot. That’s why it is very important to understand and master a simple golf swing before even attempting these alignment drills.

Difference Between Aim and Alignment

Aiming the golf ball and aligning your stance go hand-in-hand. Once a golfer understands how to aim in golf, then having proper alignment at address – as well as a consistent golf swing – will enable the ball flight to travel along the target line and ultimately end up where the golfer was aiming.