Aiming: Lesson 3

Hi, this is Craig Hunt, PGA golf professional and this is the third in a series of golf lessons about aiming or alignment. All lessons will be presented in a right-handed format, so if you are left-handed, please make the necessary translation. I will once again make the disclaimer that this particular lesson does not take into account any fine tuning such as angle of attack adjustments, D-Plane, etc. This lesson will not discuss feet that may be purposely pointed outward or the special cases of open or closed stances.

I WANT TO SAY THIS AGAIN IN PLAIN AND SIMPLE TERMS BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER. FOR A NORMAL GOLF SHOT, YOUR BODY MUST NOT POINT AT THE TARGET; IT MUST POINT LEFT OF THE TARGET...YOUR BODY MAY POINT AT THE LAKE, BUNKER, CANYON, OR WHATEVER OTHER NASTY PLACE THAT IS LOCATED JUST LEFT OF THE TARGET IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT YOUR BALL TO GO AT THE TARGET.  

In the first lesson you learned that your body line should point parallel left of the target by placing an alignment rod along your toes parallel to another alignment tool near the ball.

In the second lesson I mentioned that it is not just your toe line that should point parallel left of the target, but for our purposes, the lines along your knees, hips, shoulders, etc. should also point parallel left of the target.

I also explained how aiming your body at the target or to the right of the target may ruin the perfect swing you may have been born with. So it is very important that you learn how to aim before you even pick up a golf club.

Now I would like to talk about what I call the ten percent rule.

That is, when your body is aligned properly parallel left of the target and you look over your left shoulder toward the target, it may feel as though you are pointed much farther left than parallel.

It may appear that you are as much as ten percent (or one-tenth) of the total shot distance left of the target. In other words, for a 200 yard shot, you may feel like your body is aligned 20 yards left of the target when it is simply parallel.

That is one of the reasons it is so hard to aim your body properly left of the target instead of at the target or to the right of the target: it feels like it is too far left.

However, this is an optical illusion that you must learn to accept until it becomes second nature. In time, you will simply feel like you are parallel left and you will be.

Importantly, I must say that parallel left may feel like it is only 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 percent of the total distance instead of 10 percent or it may vary by the distance of the shot you are playing. Remember, we are dealing with feel or perception here and that is different for each person, so you have to determine what your perceived percentage is when you are perfectly parallel.

The key to learning this is to do as suggested in lesson one on aiming, that is:    

First, make sure that the alignment rod on the ball line is pointed directly at the target.

Second, place the alignment rod for the intended toe line so that it is perfectly parallel to the ball line alignment rod and points parallel LEFT of the target.

Take your stance so that your toes are touching the toe line alignment tool (or are equidistant from it) and set your club so that it points at the target on the ball line alignment rod.

Look toward the target without changing either alignment rod and get used to the way that proper alignment feels and looks.

You should now be aimed properly.

The hard part is that on the golf course you do not have the alignment rods and when you aim properly it will look and feel like you are aimed farther left than you are...up to ten percent of the total shot distance left of the target. You must trust it and swing away. If the ball goes too far left, check your aim; if your aim was properly parallel left, don't change your aim . . . fix your swing!

ALSO: This concept is true for all golf shots. Let me explain.

On a ten foot putt, and assuming for our purposes that your toes are one foot away from the ball (which is about normal) your toe line will point one foot left of the hole on a straight putt (or the curve’s apex point on a curving putt) when it is perfectly parallel...that is truly ten percent...not an optical illusion.

WARNING: your toe line will point one foot left of the hole (or whatever distance you stand away from the ball) on any putt under ten feet in length, whether the putt is two feet or nine feet, etc. when your toe line is perfectly parallel, so the ten percent rule doesn’t really apply to short putts; only the parallel aiming rule applies and it applies absolutely.

Furthermore, on a 50 foot putt or chip, your toes may feel like they are five feet (that’s ten percent) left of the target when they are perfectly parallel.

On a 50 YARD shot, your toes may feel like they are five YARDS (that’s ten percent) left of the target when they are perfectly parallel.

On a 100 yard shot, your toes may feel like they are ten yards (that’s ten percent) left of the target when they are perfectly parallel.

And so on. But you have to do the work and the math yourself with alignment tools on the ground and your eyes looking at the target to determine your own perceived percentage.

Once again, it has been my honor to talk to you and I hope that this helps your golf game.

Aiming: Lesson 2

Hi, this is Craig Hunt, PGA golf professional and this is the second in a series of golf lessons about aiming or alignment. All lessons will be presented in a right-handed format, so if you are left-handed, please make the necessary translation. I will once again make the disclaimer that this particular lesson does not take into account any fine tuning such as angle of attack adjustments, D-Plane, etc. This lesson will not discuss feet that may be purposely pointed outward or the special cases of open or closed stances.

I WANT TO SAY THIS AGAIN IN PLAIN AND SIMPLE TERMS BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER. FOR A NORMAL GOLF SHOT, YOUR BODY MUST NOT POINT AT THE TARGET; IT MUST POINT LEFT OF THE TARGET...YOUR BODY MAY POINT AT THE LAKE, BUNKER, CANYON, OR WHATEVER OTHER NASTY PLACE THAT IS LOCATED JUST LEFT OF THE TARGET IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT YOUR BALL TO GO AT THE TARGET.

In the first lesson you learned that your body line should point parallel left of the target by placing an alignment tool along your toes parallel to another alignment tool on the target line near the ball.

I want to mention that it is not just your toe line that should point parallel left of the target, but for our purposes, the lines along your knees, hips, shoulders, etc. should also point parallel left of the target.

In the first lesson I also said that many of you may have incorrectly had your body pointed at the target or even to the right of the target instead of correctly to the left of the target.

Now I am going to tell you why it is so bad to have your body aimed at the target.

First let me say that it is completely normal to make this mistake. It is normal for a human being to look over his shoulder and try to aim his shoulder or body at the target in order to hit the ball at that target; It just feels correct to do so, initially. (The human being may also have been told to do so by its well-meaning amateur instructors.)

However, we are trying to hit the ball at the target and the ball is not on the same line as our body; the ball is  approximately 1-3 feet or more away from our body depending on the length of the club, etc.

So let’s say that the first time you hit a golf ball, the ball landed to the right of the target. 

You may have made a perfect swing!!! However, you unknowingly had your body pointed at the target instead of properly left of the target.

What did you do to fix the ball flight? You did not fix your aim because it felt like your aim was okay. Instead, you changed your swing...you changed your perfect swing...you ruined your perfect swing by swinging across your body to the left and releasing the club early to make the ball land on the target.

That sort of worked a little bit so you continued to aim to the right and swing to the left, creating the over the top, outside in, early release, steep pull slicer’s swing that has been the hallmark of golfers since the invention of the game. So it is very important that you learn how to aim before you even pick up a golf club. 

But take heart; all is not lost. Your swing can be saved.

The first step is to aim properly parallel left of the target with your body...every time...and every time your ball goes crooked, check your aim after the shot. If your aim is okay, then you can look further for the problem.

What will happen the first time you aim properly left? The ball will go too far left because you have been SWINGING and releasing too far left for a long time; your swing will not suddenly be perfect...but your aim is now perfect...and it is time to change your swing to fit your perfect aim. You will hit a lot of balls to the left until you change your swing back to the perfect swing you were born with and maintain the perfect aim with which you were not born but have just learned.

Keep the faith, keep your aim, and your swing may gradually change by itself or you can accelerate the learning process and save a lot of time, frustration, and money by seeing your local PGA golf professional for advice.

Once again, it has been my honor to talk to you and I hope that this helps your golf game..

Aiming: Lesson 1

Hi, this is Craig Hunt, PGA golf Professional and this is the first in a series of lessons on aiming.


It has been so hot and humid here...and then rainy...that I have not completed a single golf instruction video. However, I have written scripts for four videos now and the weather is getting milder, so it won't be long. I also did a trial run or rehearsal and I found out that it is very hard to create a good golf instruction video. I take my hat off to anyone who has done so.

My first videos will be on aiming or alignment, which is the most important thing in golf because it obviously affects where the ball goes AND it not so obviously affects your swing, too. Here is the first aiming lesson (without the video, of course).

This first lesson is a very important one. I just want to make a small disclaimer that this particular lesson does not take into account any fine tuning such as angle of attack adjustments, D-Plane, etc. 

 

I also will not discuss feet that may be pointed outward instead of straight ahead or the special cases of open or closed stances. I am only going to talk about basic aiming...but it may change your life if you have been aiming incorrectly.

Many of you already know that for a normal straight golf shot your body should be aimed parallel left of the target (if you are right handed) so that your body line and target line are like two railroad tracks. If you didn't know that, now you do. Your body lines should be parallel left of the ball to target line. Here is the kicker...even if you know that it is how you are supposed to do it, you probably are not doing it.

I WANT TO SAY THIS AGAIN IN PLAIN AND SIMPLE TERMS BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER. FOR A NORMAL GOLF SHOT, YOUR BODY MUST NOT POINT AT THE TARGET; IT MUST POINT LEFT OF THE TARGET...YOUR BODY MAY POINT AT THE LAKE, BUNKER, CANYON, OR WHATEVER OTHER NASTY PLACE THAT IS LOCATED JUST LEFT OF THE TARGET IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT YOUR BALL TO GO AT THE TARGET.

Before you do anything else, you must test your aim to see if there is a problem. This is pretty easy to do, but you should be very careful...like a scientist...because the slightest carelessness could prove disastrous.

First, choose a target in the distance and lay an alignment tool of some kind (a rod or straight edge of some type) on the ground pointing at that target. Reflective driveway markers available at Lowe's Hardware for about $2 each are great for this.

Second, rest your club on the alignment tool as though there were a ball there (or behind a ball that is almost touching the alignment tool) in a way that should hit the ball straight at the target.

Third, take your stance so that your toe line is parallel left of the line on which the club, ball, and target lie.

Fourth, take a second alignment tool and lay it along the toes of your shoes. Be careful that the alignment tool is the same in relation to each toe. Don't have it farther from one toe than the other or underneath one shoe (that happens a lot).

Finally, leave both alignment tools on the ground being careful not to move them and walk back behind the ball 10-15 feet and carefully observe the relationship of the two lines (bend down to see even better). They should be EXACTLY parallel (like railroad tracks) with the one on the right pointing at the target and the one on the left pointing left of the target. The two alignment tools should be exactly the same distance away from each other along their entire lengths, which is one of the definitions of a two parallel lines. 

If you are like most people, the line on the right (the ball to target line) might point at the target correctly but the line on the left (your toe or body line) will NOT point parallel LEFT of the target the way it should. The line on the left may even point directly at the target which is incorrect, or to the right of the target, which is even worse.

So how do you fix it?

(Note: The alignment rods should be on the ground where you placed them.)

First, make sure that the right alignment tool is pointed directly at the target.

Second, point the left alignment tool so that it is perfectly parallel to the right alignment tool and points parallel left of the target.

Then take your stance so that your toes are touching the left alignment tool or are equidistant from it and set your club so that it points at the target on the right alignment tool.

Now look toward the target without changing either alignment tool and get used to the way that proper alignment feels and looks.

You should now be aimed properly.

Repeat this procedure for two weeks to learn it and always check it before making any other changes to your game for the rest of your life. It is that important!

When you go live with your practice by hitting range balls, make sure you have some alignment tools placed on the ground as guides. Put one outside of the ball where you will not hit it and make sure it is pointed just to the right of the target because it is just to the right of the ball. Place another guide a couple of inches in front of your toes and parallel to the other alignment tool. These lines are not exactly on the target line or toe line but they will help you visualize the true lines and keep you parallel.

Take the time to check your alignment tools frequently during your live practice to make sure they haven't shifted.

Also change your target frequently, adjusting your alignment tools each time you change your target.

The only time you should hit a ball without these alignment tools on the ground is during actual play (that would be against the rules) but even on the course you should use a similar aiming strategy and follow a procedure that will ensure proper alignment. But that is another story and a future lesson in this series. 

It has been an honor to talk to you and I hope that this helps your golf game.

Flip Video

I just purchased a flip video camera for creating Web presentations (e.g., golf instruction) on the Internet. I really like the video quality. I plan on uploading a lot of content to youtube and to my Web site. Stay tuned!

CADDYSHACK

When I was just a wee lad of nine, the country club golf pro came to our elementary school to offer the fifth and sixth graders a job caddying for the bankers, doctors, and other aristocratic golfers. I was in the fourth grade, but my fifth-grade sister told me about the employment opportunity.

I went to the golf course bright and early Saturday morning to become a “looper.” We didn't have a real caddy "shack," just a bench, which I sat on until all the bigger boys had been assigned bags to carry. Then, I sat there by myself until someone decided to pony up the two dollars for a half-price, half-pint, fourth-grade caddy.

I felt like a real tycoon with that two dollars in my pocket, but the money burned a hole there and it was soon spent on bubble gum and comic books. The following Saturday found me deepening the imprint my cheeks had left in the caddy bench until another benefactor took me on for 18 holes of "hit the ball and drag the fourth grader."

And so it went for the rest of that spring, sitting on the bench on Saturdays (and on Sundays after church). I added Wednesdays to my work schedule during the summer because the local doctors played golf on Wednesday afternoons.

My financial situation did not improve much; I still spent most of what I earned on cheap drink and miniature golf. I don’t know why my dad allowed me to blow my money but I think he was proud that I was earning a living at nine years of age, just as he had done in the 1930s.

I grew over the next few years, as did my caddy fee. Three dollars plus a fifty cent tip was standard. A big tipper paid caddies four dollars. Sometimes there was a soda and candy bar after nine holes and on occasion a "caddyburger" after the round (from the kitchen’s back door).

Monday was Caddy Day and we were allowed to play golf on the course and swim in the pool because the club was closed for maintenance; however, we lost our swimming privileges after an "incident" at the pool. (Watch "Caddyshack" the movie and you'll get the general idea of what happened.)

I continued to caddy and to play golf on Mondays for the next few years and then graduated from caddy to assistant greenkeeper {see Carl (or Karl) Spackler}. I later transferred to the pro shop as an assistant golf professional and, after serving my apprenticeship, I was elected to membership in the PGA of America.

As a PGA member I have introduced many people to the game of golf and made many golfers' on-course experiences more enjoyable. I have worked in a fantastic environment with wonderful people (notwithstanding ALL of the character types in "Caddyshack"). So, thanks Sis for the job referral; it has been a great career.

FORE!

Welcome to my golf blog. I am a PGA golf professional with a Masters Degree in Psychology (Sport Psychology Emphasis). I have lived in North Carolina since moving from Southern California in November of 2009. Visit my web site at craighunt.com when you get a chance and oh yeah, you're away!