Conference 7.286::golf

    An improper golf swing can hit the ball left or right of the target in a
    straight line and does not have to curve. Suggest you line up your
    stance perpendicular to the bottom of your club face with someone
    watching where you are aiming. If you don't hit the ball where the 
    club face was headed then you have a swing problem not an alignment
    problem. Alignment can be wrong once in a while but for the most part I
    see people blaming alignment when in fact there pushing or pulling the
    ball.

    If your problem really is alignment, I would suggest that you start
    your address about 5'-10' behind the ball, line up the ball and the target.
    Then find something on you target line that is 3'-5' in front of your
    ball. A tuft of grass, an old tee, etc.. Now when taking your stance, 
    imagine a line that runs from your ball to the point that you
    established on your target line. Make sure that your feet,
    knees, hips and shoulders all are  parallel to this line.  (Have
    someone check for you, its tough to tell if your shoulders are
    parallel.) Also make sure that at address, the face of your club is
    perpendicular to the line. If you do all this, and you have a
    consistent swing, at the very least you should be hitting consistently
    to the left or right the same amount with each shot.  Now you can work 
    on the swing to straighten out any push or pull. If you do all this and
    you are still scattering the balls to the left and right of the target, 
    then you need to work on developing a consistent swing.  

    Steve Souza

    
    
    as mentioned in -1, always pick something out in front of you ball
    inline with the whole !!  I've been doing this for a couple years
    now and it really works !!
    
    Another quick check, is to set your stance and everything as if your
    ready to hit the ball, then lay your club on the ground with it
    touching both of your toes, you can then step behind your ball and
    the club will give an indication as to where you were aiming.
    
    The direction of your divots in comparison to your stance will
    tell you if your swing is off. After you've taken a divot, lay your
    club at your toes and see if the divot and club are paralell.
    
    Randy
    

    Whenever I go to the range to hit balls I always make sure that I have
    an aid for my alignment.  If I'm hitting off grass I will either place
    a club on the ground just in front of my feet along the line I want to
    swing my club on or place some tees along that same line.  If I'm at
    the range hitting off of the mats then I will "create" a line on the
    mat with some sand or a club or little rocks.  Also, make sure you
    always have an intermediate target between your ball and your main
    target to aid in aligning your club.  This intermediate target could be
    anywhere from 12 inches to 12 feet in front of your ball.  It is always
    easier to aim at an object that is fairly close to you rather than 100
    or more yards away.
    
    If you do not see any improvement after using these aids for a couple
    of weeks, ** S T O P **.  Go seek the help of your local professional. 
    Remember, practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes
    perfect.  It doesn't help to continuosly repeat the same bad habits
    over and over again.  Good luck and let us know what happens.
    
    Jeff
    

    
    Presuming that your swing is reasonably good (and that your right
    handed) simply try lining up your left shoulder with the flag.
    
    It works for me !
    
    Derek.

    Thanks very much folks!!!!
    
    Great suggestions which I will put to use and report back the results!
    
    Take care,
    Brian

    I have to disagree with .5's response.  What works for one person does
    not necessarily work for another.  People's swings are so different
    that each person needs their own swing thoughts.  Lining up your left
    shoulder may be fine for .5 but might not work for you (or others). 
    Also, considering that a golfers body alignment should be parallel to
    his club alignment, lining your left shoulder up with the pin is not a
    sound concept (unless you want to hit a draw or hook), e.g.:
    
    	Flag
    
    	<|                                         /
    	 |         club alignment                 / club 
    	 |  ==================================  </  
    	 |
    
                   body alignment               O
    	    ================================== \|/
                                                |   body
                                               / \
    
    
    	You must find the keys that will help you work on your swing.  This
    can only be done thru trial and error.  Good luck,
    
    
    Jeff
    

    I played with a guy a few years ago who had the strangest way to
    set up for EVERY shot, except putts.
    
    He would stand a foot behind his ball, point his club in the direction
    he wanted, then turn his body perpendicular to the club. He said that
    helped him line up. I though he was nuts, well he is a little strange,
    but he had a 6 handicap. Every shot was was exactly where he pointed.
    
    Man, was he slow...
    
    Jim
    

    re: .7
    
    I disagree about the trial and error statement you made....
    
    .2 and .3 have the correct idea and it has been preached/used by
    may teachers and golf pro's for many years and it does work if
    you stick by it....problem I see is most people don't stick by
    a sound fundamental like this because it does't always seem to work for
    them. If you think about it it doesn't ALWAYS work for a pro but they
    know that over the long haul it will work more times than not,therefore
    they repeatedly stick with it....
    
    Nicklaus is the best example of this he uses what .2/.3 talked about
    and even though it doesn't always work he sticks with it....and it
    isn't
    from trial and error but it is a sound fundamental....you wouldn't fire
    a gun without aimming so don't hit a golf shot without aimming...
    
    

	Another important aspect is to ensure that your club is square to the
	intended line of flight.  To to this I hold the club waist high, line
	the bottom line of the club perpendicular to the intended line, then
	place the club down.  You will be amazed, on the ground the club face
	looks closed, but it's really square.

	Larry

    re: -1
    
    	Perhaps you misunderstood what I was trying to say.  If you asked
    10 golfers what they think about when they swing you will probably get
    10 different responses.  Certain key swing thoughts can help you
    concentrate better during your swing.  A person can only find what
    works for them thru trial and error.  This they do on the practice range
    and not on the golf course.  Once you find what works for you then you
    stick with it.  Imperfect practice will not help to improve your swing. 
    Continually repeating an incorrect action may build a repeating swing
    but it will not build a swing that can be counted on.  I'm sure that
    even Jack Nicklaus' has experimented with his swing over the years.  I
    don't believe that his swing is the same today as it was when he first
    picked up a golf club as a young boy.  Through continuous
    experimentation and practice (and a lot of help from his teachers) he
    developed a consistent and repeating swing that he can count on.  

    Another aid...  useful when hitting from a tee...
    
    When I go to the range, I have a white string with a nail on each end. 
    I align the string, (about 12 inches long), along the target line.  I
    then tee the ball right along the string.  I want to make sure that I
    am taking the clubhead back STRAIGHT at the takeaway.  If it doesn't
    start back straight, it's chances of coming back straight are slim to
    none.
    
    You may check yourself by putting a club along your feet, thighs,
    shoulders at address.
    
    -dwight