When you set up to hit your golf shot it is very important to go through a proper routine that allows us to set up to the ball properly. There are many movements that take place during a swing, and therefore harder to consistently repeat without a ton of practice. The set up position is something that is much easier to maintain because it is simply putting our body in the correct positions. They are static positions and therefore we should be able to repeat them almost every time. However, it is also imperative that we continuously review these positions so that we don’t form bad habits.

I intend to show you a strong pre-shot routine that will help you with your alignment and also give you the secret about the shoulders. I would recommend grabbing your favorite club so that you a follow along with the article.

The most common misconception that I have seen with regards to alignment is that most people are so concerned about setting up their body that they forget all about the club. A lot of people will set their body first and their club second, in relation to their body position. As you can see in the picture that usually leads to the body pointing to the target and club facing 30 yards to the right. If I make a good swing from here I am going to hit way right of my target…which I did. Therefore this is not the proper alignment for hitting to our target.

Often the best way to improve or golf game is to change the way we think. We are going to change the concept in which we set ourselves up to hit our shots. First and most importantly, place the club behind the ball wit the face pointing to the target. After all it is the ball that we want to go close to the flag, and it is the club that it is going to hit it there. So it is our club that we want pointing to the target. Not our body.

Once you have accomplished step one, it is now time to place your feet. If we think of a line that our club makes with the target then we want to place our feet parallel to that. This however is not an absolute. Some of the greatest players in history have played with stances that are not exactly parallel. Some have their feet open a little, pointing to the left, and some even have played a little closed, feet pointing to the right. However, we should never stray too far away from the parallel line.

The next piece is the secret…it is the shoulders. It is very important that the shoulders are parallel to the target line. A vast majority of sliced shots could be fixed with proper shoulder alignment. The most common fault is pointing the shoulders way left of the target line. The club will always follow the shoulders on the takeaway and backswing. Therefore, the club does not come straight back along the target line but instead goes way to the outside (the side away from the body). Unless we do some major manipulation on the way back to the golf ball (which is very difficult to do), we are going to hit a monster slice.

The easiest way to correct this is to check your shoulder alignment after you are set up. Stand up and take your left hand off the club. Extend that arm in line with your shoulders and see where they are pointing. If they are pointing way off to the left then turn your shoulders so that your hand and arm are parallel to your target line. See how my shoulders are now even with the target line, and now I can take the club back on the proper path.

It is very important that we do two things when we set up for a shot.

1. Put the club behind the ball pointing at your target before you put your body in place.

2. Check your shoulder alignment before you swing to give yourself the best opportunity to hit a great shot.

Golf is a very unique sport in many aspects. Golf has a great ability to attract and retain participants while simultaneously frustrating most of those participants on a regular basis. Here we will explore one aspect of the psychology of golf in terms of why it both attracts and frustrates us.

Most sports or games require an interactive component between participants. For example, in ball sports there is typically only one ball that is shared between opponents. This is in essence the nature of the competition for most sport activities. The essence of golf psychology is somewhat different.

For one thing, in golf the ball is not shared. Everyone must play their own ball and have their own equipment. While on the surface this may not seem so extraordinary it does have psychological implications.

Child psychologists have long known about a period of time between the ages of 2 -3 where most children go through a phase called parallel play. At this time children will enjoy being around each other. Each will have their own toys and play simultaneously but not interact with each other in the playing. Interaction with the toys can actually lead to distress. This sounds a lot like golf. Psychologically speaking golfers play in parallel.

Each player has his own bag of clubs and a ball to play with. But you dare not hit the other person’s ball. Think about the last time you sliced a ball into another fairway and you thought someone else was going to hit your ball. How did you react?

Also think about when someone asked to try that new driver you just bought. You may have let them hit it but you watched them like a hawk and you were deathly afraid they would hit it poorly and put a mark on the club. You wanted it back in your possession or your golf bag very soon after they were done admiring it. The psychology is not so different from our youth.

Like children golfers gather together and share each others company for 5 hours or so. However, most of that time is spent playing your own game. Obviously, golfers are adults and a lot of social interaction does go on in a much more mature manner than two year olds. However, there are some uncanny relationships to the play in parallel childhood development phase.

To anyone who has raised kids these symptoms may be shockingly familiar. It’s because in many way golfers are reverting to a form of playing in parallel. So the next time you find yourself acting like less than an adult on the golf course don’t be surprised! After all, golf, psychologically speaking is child’s play. Just remember to share and play nice.