Full swing target alignment - just in front of you vs off in the distance

[getitdaily]

I've always been an "off in the distance" guy. But my long game practice shifted to a mat in my backyard last year. For that practice, I setup an alignment stick about 15 feet in front of the ball. On course I still use a target in the distance.

 

Are there any advantages/disadvantages of either method. Is it simply personal preference? 

[skim4]

I was just thinking about this as my set up is similar to yours. On course I do intermediary target to the target. And on my mat set up I do intermediate target to stick infront of net. 

I’m not sure but I tend to focus less on the stick infront of the net opposed to an actually target. 

 

I’m trying to get myself to focus more on the target when hitting into net. 

[Kuuuch]

I’ve always picked a spot in front of the ball, feet together while setting up club head to that spot and then while I’m getting comfy I visualize my shot going over the intermediary target to my actual target then I pull the trigger 

[stryper]

Both…I pick a small target off in the distance, then let my eye line fall back to  a spot several inches in front of the ball.  Set up square to that, then go.  
 

To my thinking, if you only use a far target, it’s easy to lose orientation with respect to your overall alignment.  In my case, my body position tends to drift left if I’m not careful.  

[KD1]

Standing behind the ball I pick a spot within a few inches in front of the ball, square the face to that, then stance. Then look down range to bring the actual target and ball flight back into mind. Then I like to hossel it over the adjacent fairway.

[getitdaily]

46 minutes ago, stryper said:

 

To my thinking, if you only use a far target, it’s easy to lose orientation with respect to your overall alignment.  In my case, my body position tends to drift left if I’m not careful.  

This is exactly what prompted this thread. 

[jj9000]

For Driver, Sharpie line on the ball lined up and pointed to the intended target, and placed on tee.

 

Feet then aligned perpendicular (FO view) to Sharpie line (toes are parallel with Sharpie line on DTL view), on left side of railroad tracks.  Ball is on right side of railroad tracks.  Railroad tracks continue into the distance.

[KD1]

13 minutes ago, jj9000 said:

Sharpie line on the ball lined up and pointed to the intended target, and placed on tee

 

Mr Shortgame likes to tilt the line toward your eyes.

 

[MonteScheinblum]

The most effective way I have found is what I call a field goal.  Setting up off something far away or one spot in front of the ball doesn’t reduce the parallax enough for most people.  However, if you pick out two spots right in front of the ball it makes it much easier for most people.

 

in addition, people have tendencies to either aim too far right or too far left.

 

Which every that is, step in with that foot first.  In other words, if your tendency is to aim right, step in right foot first and vice versa.  This curtails the issue because you’d get too close to the ball if you made your common error.

[MBAndrews21]

This isn’t exactly on subject, but I thought it would be useful.

 

You can use a camera to check if you are aligned properly. It’s a tedious process, but it’s effective.

 

Tee a ball up and start a video. Line up to the target using your normal alignment process.

 

Hit the ball or just step away. Continue the video, make sure the camera doesn’t move.

 

Then, take an alignment stick (preferably one at feet and one closer to ball) and align the sticks at the exact same target. Make sure the ball is in the same place as well. Then, line up to the sticks…this is your proper alignment.

 

Compare the first and second. This should make it easy to see if you are aligned correctly. If you are off, you should be able to tell if you are too open/closed.

 

On an iPhone, you can take screenshots of each setup and quickly flip back on forth between the pictures by dragging on the bottom part of the screen.

Edited January 14 by MBAndrews21

[iacas]

11 minutes ago, MBAndrews21 said:

This isn’t exactly on subject, but I thought it would be useful.

 

You can use a camera to check if you are aligned properly. It’s a tedious process, but it’s effective.

 

Tee a ball up and start a video. Line up to the target using your normal alignment process.

 

Hit the ball or just step away. Continue the video, make sure the camera doesn’t move.

 

Then, take an alignment stick (preferably one at feet and one closer to ball) and align the sticks at the exact same target. Make sure the ball is in the same place as well. Then, line up to the sticks…this is your proper alignment.

 

Compare the first and second. This should make it easy to see if you are aligned correctly. If you are off, you should be able to tell if you are too open/closed.

 

I don't agree that everyone's best alignment is square to the target (or parallel to it, or whatever you want to call it). Some play better with an open stance. Fewer with a closed stance, but they're out there, too.

 

Edited January 14 by iacas

[MattM97]

My coach around the end of the year started telling me more about the target or goal post method that @MonteScheinblum talked about above. I started doing it the last few rounds of the year and like it because depending on what's out there and my swing I can pick one or multiple points as my target.

 

I really implemented it in Arizona and really liked it, didn't really have to overthink, just be aware of my lie, how my flight is that day, line up and swing.

[MBAndrews21]

29 minutes ago, iacas said:

 

I don't agree that everyone's best alignment is square to the target (or parallel to it, or whatever you want to call it). Some play better with an open stance. Fewer with a closed stance, but they're out there, too.

 

You could probably still do that method if you want to be open/closed.

[skim4]

18 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

The most effective way I have found is what I call a field goal.  Setting up off something far away or one spot in front of the ball doesn’t reduce the parallax enough for most people.  However, if you pick out two spots right in front of the ball it makes it much easier for most people.

 

 

Monte, do you mean like a spot 1 foot Infront of the ball and then another 2 or 3 feet from the ball all in a line? Or literally like a field goal with two spots that you are aiming in between? 

[skim4]

16 hours ago, sandyraps said:

Why go through all that mess, just set up to what you see, see?   You're not playing spot bowling or football, you be golfing. 

Are you advocating having no intermediary target? I end up aimed OB with no intermediary target. Or are you saying just set up to what you see 1 foot infront of you? 

[getitdaily]

Just now, skim4 said:

Are you advocating having no intermediary target? I end up aimed OB with no intermediary target. Or are you saying just set up to what you see 1 foot infront of you? 

He's just in here making noise. 

 

Why else post a response that doesn't answer the question posed?  

[Righty to Lefty]

I gave  ton of thought to this as I was going through a period of time where my strike and start lines were both suffering and you simply can't play golf that way.  I worked on figuring out how far away from me the intermediate point needed to be away from me, yet still connected me to my distant target.  I also set up some alignment sticks that look like a field goal post to narrow my focus even further and in time I will move them closer and closer together but I eventually settled on my intermediate point being 4 feet away from of me as that distance worked on every club in the bag, but wasn't so close that I lost connection to the distant target.  I found that having the intermediate point be just at the edge of my peripheral vision worked best for me.

 

Strike and start direction really cleaned up over the next month back inline with my expectations and I also hit it really well on the course. Here is a down the line view of the setup I settled on: 

Edited January 15 by Righty to Lefty
Added Information

[getitdaily]

2 minutes ago, Righty to Lefty said:

I gave  ton of thought to this as I was going through a period of time where my strike and start lines were both suffering and you simply can't play golf that way.  I worked on figuring out how far away from me the intermediate point needed to be away from me, yet still connected me to my distant target.  I also set up some alignment sticks that look like a field goal post to narrow my focus even further and in time I will move them closer and closer together but I eventually settled on my intermediate point being 4 feet in from of me as that distance worked on every club in the bag.

 

Strike and start direction really cleaned up over the next month back inline with my expectations and I also hit it really well on the course. Here is a down the line view of the setup I settled on: 

Good post. Thanks.

[getitdaily]

5 minutes ago, sandyraps said:

 

Yes, the instant your brain acquires the target it knows where it is in 3D space.  Imagine the shot, not goal posts, and the start line will start to take care of itself.  

So you're advocating a target off in the distance?

 

Because if you're not advocating for intermediate or in the distance, and are instead advocating for no target at all then you need to refrain from posting and start your own thread.

[KMeloney]

I need to pick a spot on the ground within @ 2' of my ball, and then I form an imaginary line between the ball and that point, and try to square up to that. I've got astigmatism in my right eye (play righty), and so trying to line up without a spot on the ground is a non-starter. And even then, it's not perfect, and my tendency is to line up right/closed.

Edited January 15 by KMeloney

[Righty to Lefty]

2 minutes ago, sandyraps said:

 

Yes, the instant your brain acquires the target it knows where it is in 3D space.  Imagine the shot, not goal posts, and the start line will start to take care of itself.  

That makes sense but what I found is that I had to bring the "target" much closer to me in the form of an intermediate point because that target line that my brain acquires was too far away and must match what your "mind's eye" is feeling in regards to feeling the club moving around you because there is only one point in time that will match your intentions and the ball must be present at that location or the shot quality will suffer.  That was where I was lacking, with all clubs, even putter, and so I first addressed my clubs by adding some weight to them, and then slowing things down and monitoring precisely when the shot needed to be struck along my swing arc, then beginning to ramp the speed back up and noting the results.  This quickly sured up my strike and club face control, and then distance control came around in turn once the strike could be trusted.  

[KD1]

2 hours ago, Righty to Lefty said:

I gave  ton of thought to this as I was going through a period of time where my strike and start lines were both suffering and you simply can't play golf that way.  I worked on figuring out how far away from me the intermediate point needed to be away from me, yet still connected me to my distant target.  I also set up some alignment sticks that look like a field goal post to narrow my focus even further and in time I will move them closer and closer together but I eventually settled on my intermediate point being 4 feet away from of me as that distance worked on every club in the bag, but wasn't so close that I lost connection to the distant target.  I found that having the intermediate point be just at the edge of my peripheral vision worked best for me.

 

Strike and start direction really cleaned up over the next month back inline with my expectations and I also hit it really well on the course. Here is a down the line view of the setup I settled on: 

 

So rather than simply trying to line up a swing path or target line your trying to imagine threading the needle between some trees from the woods.. Interesting. I'm going to play with this. Thanks r2l.

 

Edited January 15 by KD1

[MonteScheinblum]

4 hours ago, skim4 said:

Monte, do you mean like a spot 1 foot Infront of the ball and then another 2 or 3 feet from the ball all in a line? Or literally like a field goal with two spots that you are aiming in between? 

Literal field goal 

[johnrobison]

3 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Literal field goal 

It's pretty effective, too. I've always misaligned to the right of the target - typical parallax issues - but Monte and I were on the course one day and he quickly showed me how to setup using the field goals and when we looked at my alignment, it was dead on. Try it!

 

This was right after Monte had praised my approach that completely missed the green because, "It was a great shot that went exactly where I was aiming". He's such a d!ck.

[getitdaily]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:33 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

The most effective way I have found is what I call a field goal.  Setting up off something far away or one spot in front of the ball doesn’t reduce the parallax enough for most people.  However, if you pick out two spots right in front of the ball it makes it much easier for most people.

 

in addition, people have tendencies to either aim too far right or too far left.

 

Which every that is, step in with that foot first.  In other words, if your tendency is to aim right, step in right foot first and vice versa.  This curtails the issue because you’d get too close to the ball if you made your common error.

I'm going to give this a try. Garage brick walls are perfect for trying this and I like the way it set me up.

[MonteScheinblum]

1 hour ago, johnrobison said:

It's pretty effective, too. I've always misaligned to the right of the target - typical parallax issues - but Monte and I were on the course one day and he quickly showed me how to setup using the field goals and when we looked at my alignment, it was dead on. Try it!

 

This was right after Monte had praised my approach that completely missed the green because, "It was a great shot that went exactly where I was aiming". He's such a d!ck.

You ruined the punch line……and when it’s worded correctly I’m an even bigger dick.

 

I said, “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

 

You said bad news.

 

”You hit the ball where you were aimed.”

 

You then asked what the good news was.

 

”You hit the ball where you were aimed.”

 

 

[KMeloney]

22 hours ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Literal field goal 

 

What kind of width of the "posts" do you find helps people the most? And how far in front of the ball works best? Thanks.

 

With my crap right-eye vision, I'm definitely interested in any approach that'll help me get squared up.

[MonteScheinblum]

1 hour ago, KMeloney said:

 

What kind of width of the "posts" do you find helps people the most? And how far in front of the ball works best? Thanks.

 

With my crap right-eye vision, I'm definitely interested in any approach that'll help me get squared up.

Without going to an extreme, the closer the better on both counts.