“I always like to see a person stand up to a golf ball as though he were perfectly at home in its presence” – Bobby Jones

Post written by Ian Hardie

One of the most difficult basics for golfers to grasp

Seems to be lining up

The whole idea of trying to line up both the golfers body

As well as the golf club head

In an effort to hit the golf ball to the desired target every time

Seems to give a lot of golfer’s problems

Or at least it would do

If they took any time to do it well

Most golfers don’t seem to pay much attention to how they line up at all

Which considering how much of an effect it can have on their shots

Seems a little odd to me

This problem hasn’t been helped over the years by other golfers

Who are always quick to suggest to a golfer

Who is hitting the ball ‘all over the place’

That lining up is easy if they just imagine railway tracks

But judging by the standard of most golfers I’ve seen

Clearly they hold the following picture in their head when thinking about those railway tracks

So as much as lining up is a challenge for most

I find that once I explain the proper concept of the how the railway track idea applies to golf

And the golfer gets it clear in their mind

That all of a sudden everything becomes a whole lot easier

And the golfer starts to hit much better shots

That start heading effortlessly towards the target

Which is what we all want – right?

The hardest part to understand seems to be

That only the ball is ever heading to the target

Your body isn’t going there – its function is simply to move the club around

So no part of your body ever needs to be aimed at the target.

Why?

The golf action is effectively a rotation away from where you start and then a rotation back through to hit the ball.

I know it’s a little more complicated but that’s not important for now

During that rotation the club head travels on a path that resembles an arc

It never travels on a straight line at any point during the whole action

That’s an important point to get clear – so read it again!

In theory, at the point where you hit the ball

The clubface is ‘square’

Which in golf terms actually means ‘at a right angle to the intended target line’

All other things being equal, this produces a shot that goes towards the intended target.

So the idea that you should line up ‘like railway tracks’ needs a little enhancement

The picture you need to hold in your head

Is actually one that has four rails on one side and one rail on the other side.

The four rails are for;

The heels of your feet

The front of your knees

The front of your hips

And of course your shoulders

Set them all up so that they are lined up parallel to line of your target

The target line in this case is the other rail

The one that the ball is on

Once you have done that

All that needs to be done

Is take your shot and deliver the club head square

To send the ball towards your target

And just like actual railway tracks

The lines should never cross

If you set any one or even all of those rails in different directions

Actually, I think you already know what happens.

Play well

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