One of the key fundamentals in the game of golf is being able to start your golf shot on the intended start line.
The best golfers are able to have a consistent ball flight down a consistent start line, resulting in the ability to eliminate really bad shots and increase their chances of quality shots.
Over the course of 18 holes, they plot their way around the course, eliminating the big miss and giving themselves numerous birdie opportunities.
Much of this success starts with proper alignment.
We will dive in and help you get your ball started on the right start line a high percentage of the time by utilizing some of the key concepts, tips and drills you will find below!
5 Golf Alignment Tips
- Utilize alignment sticks in practice
- Utilize your smartphone to record your swings
- Pick a target way off in the distance
- Study some of the great golfers of today and the past
- Play your shot that day – Adjust throughout the round
Before we dive into detail on the 5 tips above. Let’s quickly point out the 3 key fundamentals in golf:
- Low Point Control – The best golfers are able to control their low point a high percentage of the time, which impacts ball striking, distance and distance control.
- Start Line and Curve – The best golfers are able to control their start line and have a predictable curve on their golf ball.
- Speed – The best golfers have enough swing speed, resulting in enough distance to play the golf course they are playing.
All of the tips below help support the #2 fundamental in golf, controlling your start line and creating a predictable curve on your golf ball.
Tip #1: Utilize alignment sticks in practice
When you first get to a driving range or to a golf course, go ahead and hit some wedges to get loose and get yourself hitting the ball crisp. Next, make sure you have a target and start hitting some simple wedge shots towards those targets to get your swing headed in a direction.
Finally, make sure you use alignment sticks to ensure you are aimed where you think you are. The biggest mistake among the highest handicap golfers is the belief they are aiming at one spot, when in reality they are aimed 20-30 yards right or left.
Are you aiming where you think you are? If not, make some simple adjustments and test it out.
Tip #2: Utilize your smartphone to record your swings
Set up your smartphone 5-6 yards behind you aiming out towards your target. Without your alignment sticks in place, determine a target and then line up to hit the shot. Are you still aiming where you want to without the alignment sticks? The problem often becomes is golfers become too reliant on their alignment sticks and can’t execute or aim properly without the alignment stick.
Make sure you spend time in your practice sessions, using alignment sticks at time, but then hitting as realistic of shots as possible without alignment sticks or other aids.
Keep the smartphone running through much of your session to keep an eye on your alignment and ensure you are aiming where you want to.
Tip #3: Pick a target way off in the distance
I have found two key aim points for when you get out on the course and can’t rely on your alignment sticks any longer. Here is the process:
- After selecting the club and shot shape you want to hit, look well beyond the area on the course where you want the ball to land.
- Is there a tree, cell phone tower, building, street light, etc. that happens to be on the same line that you want to hit your shot? Some golfers will get specific and pick a specific branch on a tree. Go ahead and find what works for this shot.
- Next, draw an imaginary line from that target, throughout the initial start line and back through your golf ball and identify something 2-3 feet in front of your golf ball that can ensure you are aiming where you need to be when you approach your golf shot.
- Commit to that target, step up to the ball, look through your intermediate target and your target well off in the distance and hit a confident shot at your far away target.
Why is this so important? Check out this video from Kyle Morris on how your eyes can deceive you!
Tip #4: Study some of the great golfers of today and the past
Did you know that Lee Trevino and Freddie Couples often aimed well to the left of their target? Did you know that Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer often aimed to the right? Lee and Freddie would hit a push fade towards their target. Sam and Arnold would hit slight pull draws towards their target.
They are all great golfers and have swings most of us would take!
For many years the advice often was to set it up like a railroad track. I am not sure that is great advice based on the aim points of many of the greatest golfers to ever play the game. They were artists and hit the shot they were best at. They didn’t set up perfectly square and hit perfectly straight shots all day. Instead, they played the hole for what they were and hit the shot to keep their ball and play and put them in a good position.
Tip #5: Play your shot that day – Adjust throughout the round
One of the issues that many golfers face is that they play golf swing vs golf. They spend all day trying to hit the perfect shot, instead of a shot that keeps the ball in play and puts them in a quality position. Using your alignment and ability to start the ball on the right target line, play the course and play the shot needed at that time.
Golf becomes much more fun and you can enjoy the challenge of hitting a quality shot for that hole instead of trying to hit the perfect shot all day.
We want to help you with your alignment and building skill in the 3 fundamentals discussed above. Here are 3 drills or training activities to help take your game to the next level. If you build these skills along with the 5 tips above for alignment, you will be on your way to playing quality golf!
Drill #1
The Low Point Control Drill
- Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
- Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
- Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!
- Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
- You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.
If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keeping your head still to help control the low point in the swing.
Drill #2
Stock Shot Drill
- At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
- If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
- Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.
- The goal is to eventually complete this successfully 7 out of 10 times!
Drill #3
Speed Training Drill With SuperSpeed Golf
The game of golf has evolved to where speed is important in the game of golf. The faster your swing, the further the ball flies and the more shorter irons or wedges you have into a green.
Training for speed is a great idea and one worth exploring!
If you are going to train for speed, I would highly recommend the SuperSpeed Training System.
Gone are the days of simply being content with the distance you currently hit your golf ball. Many older golfers have proven over the past several years that an increase in swing speed is possible.
There are training systems to help you get your game to the next level and distance is arguably the fastest way to make this happen!
My number one recommendation is to check out SuperSpeed Golf and their protocols to help you find a safe way to increase your swing speed.
I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed. When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available. Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!
At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.
Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible. While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.
Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session? This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.
The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!
Following their prescribed protocols the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress.
The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.
The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.
For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.
My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!
Phil Mickelson (a senior golfer now) has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!
Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!
| Original Swing Speed | After 4-6 Weeks | New Carry Distance | Total Distance |
| 95 | 102 | 245 | 265 |
| 100 | 108 | 259 | 279 |
| 105 | 113 | 271 | 291 |
| 110 | 118 | 283 | 303 |
Next Steps: Take Action
How are you going to get better this season or this winter? Starting with your ball striking, a stock shot and speed training is a great place to start! You can take your game to the next level by building these skills and then taking your skills to the course!
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.