Alignment

[SoundandFury]

Been pretty successful playing a draw off the tee for a while now, however to do so I lined up with a very, very closed stance and the ball off my left toe.  I used to always fade/slice it when I lined up square to the target.  Only downside has been that when I lined up closed, the misses were huuuuge.  Either low snap hooks or blocks way OB right.  I also could not hit the ball straight down the fairway, everything was a 10-20 yard draw.

Recently gave the neutral stance a try and also moved the ball back a few inches (I believe Erik and Dave recommend playing the ball a bit back in the stance to promote a left to right shot.  Guess my swing fixed itself a bit over the last few months, because the ball flight was great. Still left to right, but now it was very gentle, 5 yards at the most.  Also realized I could hit it fairly straight if I wanted.  Best part, misses aren't nearly as bad.  No more snap hooks or 50 yard blocks.  Instead my misses were just overcooked left or a straight ball with a bit of fade.

Think I'll be playing from an neutral stance all the time now.  Anyone else keep their alignment the same no matter what shape they're going for?

[Pinseeker81]

I've gotten to where I only close my stance an inch or two to draw. If I close it too much I feel like I'm trying to hit something behind me. Then I'll play the ball 3 or 4 inches back in the stance. The realization that I could change my shot shape with forward/backward ball position was a major "aha" moment.