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Consistency part 4: Body Alignment
October 2006 - By David La Pour

Last month we talked about the golf posture and how to create an athletically ready position. This month we will talk about alignment.

If you do not have good alignment your golf swing and shots suffer. I’ve noticed that the majority of golfers on the driving range (roughly 80%) and on the golf course (90%) do not align their bodies correctly. In my observations, the consequence of this is either a good shot not going where the golfer intended or a poor shot not going where the golfer intended because of a subconscious attempt at compensating for bad alignment! Whew. In other words, alignment is extremely important if you want consistency! The good news is that with a little effort and some discipline, anyone can learn good alignment.

Starting with alignment, the six points that you should check are:
1. Feet
2. Knees
3. Hips
4. Shoulders
5. Head
6. Forearms

All these points should be squared off and working together. In other words we generally want our body lines all working together down the same target line which will be slightly left or slightly right of our intended target (see next months tip).

The three main troublemakers are feet, shoulders, and forearms. The feet usually point across the target line, the shoulders usually point open to the target line, and the forearms don’t have a distinguishable pattern (because of different grips). All of these misalignments create swing issues.

As I mentioned in last months article, find a mirror or someplace where you can see your reflection, while holding a golf club get your posture then look at your six points. As you look at your profile you should see a square stance, knees, hips, shoulders, head, and forearms. If you don’t, make some adjustments until you do. This may feel strange but it is correct.

One last comment about the shoulders, just because your trailing hand on the golf club is lower on the grip than your lead hand, doesn’t mean your shoulders should be open.

We will talk more about the feet next month and how to aim correctly. Until then, work on your grip, posture and alignment, enjoy your fall golf, and I’ll see you on the course!

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"Alignment is extremely important if you want consistency."