Tips on lining up with the flag on the approach?

[localhawaii]

Aloha,

Since I started playing again, I have found it very difficult lining up with the flag and hitting the green, especially on shots longer than 140 yards and out.  My ball flight is straight with only a very small draw if any at all, however, I find myself time and time again hitting a good ten yards or so to the right of the green.  I use the train tracks method to line myself up with the flag, but when i lay a club to down and step back or have a playing partner watch my alignment, its always drastically off to the right.

Any tips conventional or non-conventional to help me get back on track (haha, yes pun intended)  Thanks!

[JetFan1983]

Welcome back to the game!

Here's your first tip: Stop aiming at the flag.

Aim at the center of the green every time.

As far as how to pick an aiming point, Jack Nicklaus often talked about picking an intermediate target some 4-5 feet front of you like a divot, twig, leaf, whatever, and then aiming at that. Stand behind the ball right before you address it and make sure that intermediate target is directly in line with the center of the green.

When it's time to swing, people who struggling using an intermediate target often say that they end up focusing too much on that and not the shot itself or the actual target, so if that's you, try to just trust that you're aligned correctly and focus solely on what you need to focus on.

[Harmonious]

Go to the range and use a couple of clubs or driveway markers, laid on the ground parallel to your target line.  Then hit balls, lining up from behind the ball through an intermediate target as JetsFan said. Ingrain the feeling of a square alignment.  It will probably feel funny at first, but keep at i. I sometimes set up closed, and need to remind myself what square feels like. I will sometimes eye down my lead shoulder to make sure it is pointed just a little left of the target, and not pointed directly at the target, which would then be closed.

If it works for just about every tour player, chances are it will work for you.

[Zeph]

http://thesandtrap.com/t/39871/fixing-target-line-alignment

[Mr. Desmond]

What I find that works is picking the spot 6-12 inches (as stated above) in front of the club in this manner: Stand 6-8 feet behind the ball with the club in your right hand against the right side of your body with feet perpendicular to the line you want and lift and lower your club along your line - get your spot 6 inches ahead and also look carefully as the club waives down your line. Believe it or not, by waiving the club in this way, you will see a straight line forming in your eye to make it easier to pick the spot and see the line.

Now walk around to your line in an address position with the club in your right hand and line up the face to your spot (and line), and at the same time (with your feet close together) make your right foot perpendicular to your line, then adjust your feet. Practice. Good luck.

[localhawaii]

Thanks guys for the tips!  I'll hopefully be hitting the greens this weekend to test out the tips if this rain goes away!  Thanks again!

[rustyredcab]

I have a big problem when the lie is not level. The correct line often feels wrong -- way wrong. I pick that spot in front of the ball and when I set up to the ball, I feel the line is way off. I found myself questioning the line and even changing it while setting up. So, I have a new routine.

1. Stand behind ball and pick a spot in front of the ball on the line I want. I hold up my club shaft in line with the ball and the end target to help confirm the line. I'm color blind so the spot needs to be something that will not become invisible when I shift the light by setting up. A little spot of different grass often does not work. Divots are best.

2. Setup for a practice swing on that line I just picked and take a practice swing. This is often when I feel my initial lineup is way off even when it is not.

3. Back off and confirm the line. Say to myself, "That was correct even though it felt too far left."

4. Setup using the original point for line. Hit the ball.

[JetFan1983]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

Say to myself, "That was correct even though it felt too far left."

My problem as well. I have a weird bias to aim way too to the right for some reason. On the putting green its reduced but when I'm hitting full shots, this bias becomes really noticeable. I have to trust the intermediate target too.

Edited side-note: A thousand posts!! A proud milestone.

[Zeph]

I had similar issues. Don't recall if I was aiming left or right, but it surely wasn't straight. A playing partner stared puzzled at me as I was lining up a yard wrong on a 20 foot putt. After I started using the intermediate target, my problems with alignment were all gone. I can aim straight, left or right. As long as I use an intermediate target to aim with, the sight from my alignment doesn't matter. After having done this for some time, I've gotten used to the new visual of a proper alignment.

[saevel25]

For me, if i have a hard time visualizinga  line, i will bring my club up and point it at the line i want, then lower it slowly till i find a mark about 2-3 feet infront of the ball. Thats what i line myself up to. I tend ot visualize a line running through that mark as i line up, going from behind the ball to the side of the ball. I really keep my vision on that line the whole time until i get my club line up.

[TN94z]

I'm in the intermediate target group.  I just stand behind the ball, pick out where I want it to land, and follow that back to a point a little in front of the ball.  After that, I focus on that point only for alignment

[mdl]

My routine is similar to others, but with one difference that really helps me.

1) Stand behind the ball.  Follow line from target (center of the green) to ball.  Pick something on that line just ~8" in front of the ball.

2) Step up to the ball and align club face to point exactly at the spot you picked on your line ~8" in front of the ball.  Take your stance to be perpendicular to the face of your club.

3) Step back the same amount with both feet, take a practice swing.

4) Step forward the same amount with both feet, look back at your target to confirm you haven't shifted your alignment.

5) Swing.

I like the picking of an intermediate target just inches in front of the ball, rather than 4-5 feet.  I find it's really easy then to exactly align the club face to be pointing down the target line, and with the club face aligned right I find it fairly easy (except on side hill lies) to align my feet right.  Always setting up an alignment stick or club shaft at the range to ingrain what standing square feels like helps with that as well, as others have said.

I like to set up with the club face aligned how I want to strike the ball.  So you'll notice that if I succeed in that then any draw or fade I hit is going to start straight and then move off the initial line.  So when I'm trying to, say, draw the ball, I'll line up with this procedure aiming at the right side of the green, then try to draw the ball starting on that line and ending left of my target line.  I just note this cause if you also like to set up the club face at the angle you want to strike the ball but are going for a push-draw instead of a straight-draw, then your mileage may vary.

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by mdl

I like to set up with the club face aligned how I want to strike the ball.  So you'll notice that if I succeed in that then any draw or fade I hit is going to start straight and then move off the initial line.  So when I'm trying to, say, draw the ball, I'll line up with this procedure aiming at the right side of the green, then try to draw the ball starting on that line and ending left of my target line.  I just note this cause if you also like to set up the club face at the angle you want to strike the ball but are going for a push-draw instead of a straight-draw, then your mileage may vary.

That would mess me all up...HAHA!  If I were to line up to the right of the target to draw it back to the target, there is no way I "feel" like I could get consistency (not saying that I couldn't).  I am one that lines up straight with the target, the ball starts to the right of that target line, and draws back to the target.

[WUTiger]

As others have said, focus on a point 5 feet in front of you, in line with the flag. When people look sideways down range through the human eye, there's a tendancy to line up to the right because of visual distortion. The aiming point 5 feet ahead will help you overcome this.