For the sake of simplicity, all advice on swings and drills is provided from a right handed perspective; lefties …. well, you know what to do!
Aiming is a part of the game that is really hyped up for putting, but I feel not mentioned enough as the swing gets longer.
Today I wanted to bring some awareness to getting yourself and your club aimed correctly on different types of shots, and I also wanted to include a few things you can do during practice to check your starting ball flight to see if everything is copacetic.
Aiming Putts
After you have determined your aim line by adjusting for break and speed, step into the ball and set up with precision as follows:
position your right foot
place the putter face behind the ball, square to your intended aim line then position your left foot with a little weight feathered onto it (52% – 48% favoring the left)
note that I’m not mandating a square, open, or closed stance – your putting stance and alignment are very personal for putting, and you need to experiment to find out what works best for you to get the ball started online
make final setup adjustments to your feet
ball placement should be precisely where you can strike the ball on a slightly ascending stroke, which is usually at some point forward of center; find that spot for your setup and make sure the ball placement is there EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU PUTT WITHOUT FAIL
execute a stroke that squares the putter face to the ball the same way it was at setup
You can practice your setup over the winter by setting up in front of a full length mirror and observing that your setup is precisely the same when you do it 10 times in a row.
Here are a couple of drills for visual practice for squaring up the club face.
You can practice setting up with a square club face by aligning a 2 x 4 with your aim line (on the flat side), with the rear end of the 2″x4″ placed where the back of your ball would be. Then practice setting your putter face flush to the back end of the 2×4 to make sure it’s square to your aim line.
If you are practicing in a place where you can make a mark on the floor, draw a straight aim line, put an “X” where the ball would be placed, and draw a line right behind and square to the “X”, perpendicular to the aim line, where the putter face would be. Then simply practice setting up with a putter face square to the perpendicular line behind the “X”.
Most of my students initially set up with either an open or closed club face to their aim line when they set up for a putt, and these simple drills done once or twice a week for 10 or 20 reps can correct that fault and help you make more putts.
Aiming Chips, Pitches, and Full Swing Shots
The first step in aiming your chips, pitches, and full swing shots is simply remembering to do so, and to do it with precision. “Remembering to aim” might sound like strange advice, but if you play a lot at the same course, I can guarantee that there are several times during your round that you take your aim line for granted. This is manifested by making a good swing that ends up wide to either side because you were not precise enough (too casual) with your aim point.
from behind the ball, pick your target aim line, then pick an intermediate target spot two or three feet ahead of the ball
approach the ball and position your right foot
place the clubhead behind the ball with the face square to your intended aimline
then you may or may not feather weight forward depending on your swing method
position your left foot in accordance with the alignment you want for the shot you want to play
make sure that your shoulders, hips, knees, and feet are aligned equally parallel in your stance regardless of the direction of your alignment
make final setup adjustments to your feet
ball placement should be precisely the same every time for the club in hand, which may differ for certain shots and clubs, but nonetheless it needs to be precisely the same for each situation and club you intend to use.
Indoors, you can practice actually seeing and hearing that you are starting the ball on it’s intended path during practice by hanging pieces of cloth or nylon ribbons that correspond with your aim line in front of a practice net or simulator. When you are set up correctly and strike the ball correctly, the ball will hit the cloth or ribbons, giving you audible and visual feedback that your starting line was correct.
Outdoors, you can stick a couple of 48″ fiberglass driveway marker rods in the ground about 6 feet in front of your swing arc and about 2 feet apart for starters, and observe that the ball is starting out between the rods. You can move them closer together for more of a challenge as you gain more control of your ball flight.
You should have noticed that the repeating aiming themes for all swings are
awareness,
identifying your intended aim line,
precision in your setup and ball placement.
Practice like this over the winter and you accuracy will improve, providing of course that you own your swing and can repeat it consistently.
If you are not really sure if you own your swing or not, take action to make it happen. Either do research and get some good DVD’s, or take lessons from an instructor of your choice. The game becomes much more enjoyable and progress is made possible when you have a concept of exactly how you want to swing the club.
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,
Tom
