Aiming Practice

[saevel25]

So, I have no idea why I never realized this before. I was at the range and had an alignment stick down, and I was using a range basket about 10 yards away to aim over. When I took my stance and glanced up at the target, I noticed it was off to the right. I thought, if I remember this then I have a final check that I’m aiming correctly.

This might be good practice for people at the range. Set up a club or alignment stick parallel to your target line, aiming at a flag or other object, then glance up to see where your target is at. It is just being mindful of where the target is relative to you. 

 

[dennyjones]

Excellent idea.   Like myself, I'm sure there are times for most golfers alignment is an issue.  

[colin007]

So I can throw an empty basket 30 feet into the range to aim over? 🫠

[boogielicious]

I’ve been practicing this a bunch this spring. For me with wedges and short irons, the target is close to my toe line. For longer clubs and driver, my target is right of my toe line because my launch is a push. I more focus on the club face with respect to the target than my toe line now.

[iacas]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "way off to the right."

Do you aim over a spot (like, your clubface) on the golf course?

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "way off to the right."

Do you aim over a spot (like, your clubface) on the golf course?

My best is when I can align my body to a target line, then set up from there. When I try to aim the club face, I will catch myself with my body closed to the target line. 

This is going to be a bit tricky to explain. When I looked up, I initially looked left of the target. My instincts or habit when I look up is to look left of where the target its. At the range, I noticed the target was on the right side of my vision. It was like, huh that is interesting. 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by saevel25

[iacas]

Parallax is odd. Hockey players learn that the holes look different from the puck’s point of view.

[JetFan1983]

I had a great putting lesson in 2015 where the teacher put an alignment rod down on my start line, directly in front of my ball. I stood behind the ball from DTL and confirmed in my mind the rod was pointed exactly at my target. Then I took my stance over the ball and it felt like the rod was about four degrees left of where I thought the target was. I realized that day I had an aim bias. Putting improved immediately after that. 

[billchao]

6 hours ago, iacas said:

Parallax is odd. Hockey players learn that the holes look different from the puck’s point of view.

Yup. Yet I still see plenty of goals where the goalie is squared up to the man and not the stick blade.

For me, I tell myself I’m aiming left. In reality it’s that I’m aligning my body and my feet parallel left of my target.

[klineka]

I just went through something similar with my driver. Looked at my stats and was missing 49% of my driver tee shots to the right rough, 34% fairways and only 16% left.

At the range I lined up to where I thought I was aimed at a target straight and turns out both my club and my feet were quite a bit right of that intended target.

Now I line up with what feels like a closed clubface and significantly left of my intended target and I'm now hitting more of a pull-fade onto the target rather than a push-cut that starts at or right of the target and misses right.

[GolfLug]

I think I am fairly good about picking a spot 3-4 feet from the ball and square up my toes to the line from it to the ball. I do have to remember to not start presenting my dominant side (trail) to the intended ball flight line. Of course I start drifting my shoulders open when that happens and then things get progressively worse (spinning out, EE, etc.).  

[billchao]

47 minutes ago, klineka said:

Now I line up with what feels like a closed clubface

Yea that’s a good point, I do the same. The club looks closed to me at address but it’s not. I’m just slightly behind it. If it looks square to me, it’s actually open.

That’s been a big part of my clubface control issue - learning what direction it’s actually pointing at vs what I think it’s pointing at.

[colin007]

I thought the whole point of setting up with an alignment stick whilst ranging is so you can get used to the club face looking open or closed and eventually it looks "normal"?

[saevel25]

31 minutes ago, colin007 said:

I thought the whole point of setting up with an alignment stick whilst ranging is so you can get used to the club face looking open or closed and eventually it looks "normal"?

To me, it is more so you know where you are aiming. I've gone to the range, and picked a spot to aim at, used an alignment stick to make sure I am correct. I just never had that aha moment where I noticed my target is in the right side of my view.