Alignment Issues, I need help

[dnaygs]

I'm having a lot of trouble aligning consistently on the course.  On the range (and sometimes on the course) I use a club or alignment stick at my feet and everything is totally fine, my ball usually goes roughly where I'm aiming.  But without the aid I seem lost.

I usually pick a spot in front of the ball, aim the clubhead at that, then try to align my feet perpendicular to the clubhead.  But my feet are rarely in line, they're very far off, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right.

Anyone have any tips?  Please?

[32quattro]

The feet are not important. The shoulder is a must. Align the club face to your spot (perfect) than adjust the shoulders to your club gave based on the wing path you decided previously

[Pretzel]

The feet are not important. The shoulder is a must. Align the club face to your spot (perfect) than adjust the shoulders to your club gave based on the wing path you decided previously

The feet are actually pretty important, in that they determine where the rest of your body will naturally point and aim. If you have to adjust your torso to aim correctly, then you probably should just adjust your base so that the torso doesn't need to be adjusted. As to the op, I use the alignment sick on the range to "calibrate" my eyes to see what good aim looks like to me that day when I'm looking at the target. I've found poor success in trying to line my feet up to my clubface, so I actually end up doing the opposite (lining the clubface up to my feet). It's a matter of personal preference and what works for an individual though.

[32quattro]

The feet are actually pretty important, in that they determine where the rest of your body will naturally point and aim. If you have to adjust your torso to aim correctly, then you probably should just adjust your base so that the torso doesn't need to be adjusted.

As to the op, I use the alignment sick on the range to "calibrate" my eyes to see what good aim looks like to me that day when I'm looking at the target. I've found poor success in trying to line my feet up to my clubface, so I actually end up doing the opposite (lining the clubface up to my feet). It's a matter of personal preference and what works for an individual though.

I disagree. Feet are the least important. Not that you can't align starting from your feet or pay attention to them but often are causing more damage than not on set up. Focus on club face and shoulder direction instead.

[dnaygs]

I don't think it's fair to say foot alignment is important or unimportant.  For me, it seems to be very important.  My ball almost always seems to go where my feet are aimed.  On the range, my feet are always aligned properly, and my ball almost always goes in the general direction of my target.  On the course, sometimes I'll hit a ball wildly off target, and often I'll realize afterwards that my feet were aimed right where my crappy shot went.

[MrDC]

I'm having the same challenges, and when you're just a few inches off that can add up to a lot of yards down the field.

IMO this is just another challenge that golfers face where driving ranges offer little help, you can't get better using alignment rods for this, you have to learn how to do it on the grass, with nothing to help you.

This is what I've been doing and it's helped a bit, but I still need to work on it-

Always look behind the ball before address, keep your eyes on the target a lot, stop spending so much time staring at the ball, from behind look at the grass for markers both close and a bit further, walk up to line up straight on, don't walk around wide, line up club face to the markers, then the body, swing towards to hit the ball at the marks.

[boogielicious]

I don't think it's fair to say foot alignment is important or unimportant.  For me, it seems to be very important.  My ball almost always seems to go where my feet are aimed.  On the range, my feet are always aligned properly, and my ball almost always goes in the general direction of my target.  On the course, sometimes I'll hit a ball wildly off target, and often I'll realize afterwards that my feet were aimed right where my crappy shot went.

Practice with a camera.  You will see if you are moving your feet after the initial alignment.  I was doing that and I caught it on film.  It may be happening as you settle your feet after lining up.

[mvmac]

I'm having a lot of trouble aligning consistently on the course.  On the range (and sometimes on the course) I use a club or alignment stick at my feet and everything is totally fine, my ball usually goes roughly where I'm aiming.  But without the aid I seem lost.

I usually pick a spot in front of the ball, aim the clubhead at that, then try to align my feet perpendicular to the clubhead.  But my feet are rarely in line, they're very far off, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right.

Anyone have any tips?  Please?

How do you know your foot/body alignment is off? Does it just look "wrong" when you address the ball or is a buddy seeing you aim all over the place?

[SoundandFury]

On a related note, I've figured out that mis-alignment causes more than just a shot that misses because you hit where you're aiming.  I've always set up closed to play a draw, and realized recently that how I was set up (probably 20 yards right of target) was causing poor swings, specifically path issues.  Not sure why, but I think subconsciously your mind makes you swing towards the target.  When I line up square I constantly get a 2-3 degree in to out path, whereas before my path ranged anywhere from -3 to +6.

So yeah, work on alignment.