A NEW SERIES - IRON CLAD FUNDAMENTALS

Today, we start a new instructional series for golfers who do not want to waste their time on "noise" such as tips, fads and current swing trends.  Instead we will focus on a series of rock bottom golf skill fundamentals that will propel steady and fast improvement in your golf game skills, from swing soundness to shotmaking, to short game play to putting.  So let's get started!  This week's first lesson is correct alignment.  What start with that?  Because it is the ONE fundamental that is crystal clear to learn and crystal clear to get right every single shot.  It is the one fundamental in your golf swing you can exert full 100% control over whatever your skill level.  And not doing so for everyone who plays is not an excuse.  So what is the key rule and how do we insure we do it?  

FUNDAMENTAL NO. 1:  NEVER NOT LINE UP PERFECTLY

The critical need to align correctly at address should be obvious - the clubhead being slung into the impact zone at impact is in terms of physics, not different than a balanced tire on an automobile.  If it is out of balance, it's bad, really bad, and when it is properly aligned it is great.  It is that simple.  And you must have the clubhead at impact be slung into the back of the ball in an aligned state, which is a clubface squarely facing the targe and and downswing path that runs perfectly along the target line.  These two physics points are key, no if ands or buts.

So how does that happen or look like?  The grip is important for sure to square the clubface at impact, but we are now talking set up and stance.  So how does set up get done corrctly to insure a clubpath that is aiken to a well balanced tire traveling at over 100 miles per hour?  The secret is "railroad tracks"  You should think of the impact swing path as a clubhead traveling along a railroad track that is completely parallel to your stance and your feet on an alighment line that is completely parallel to your swing path as governed by your target.  You have to have your feet perfectly parallel to your ball flight pathway.

How does that happen?  It happens by your ingraining the habit of setting up fully aligned parallel to parallell and that is done EVERY SINGLE SHOT YOU EVER HIT ON THE PRACTICE RANGE WITH AN ALIGNMENT STICK ON ONE SIDE OF THE BALL CLOSEST TO YOU AND ONE SIDE OF THE BALL OUTSIDE OF THE BALL - YOU LITERALLY LAY DOWN RAILROAD TRACKS ON EACH SIDE OF YOUR PRACTICE SHOT GOLF BALL.  IF YOU DON'T HAVE ALIGNMENT STICKS USE TWO CLUBS TO PUT DOWN THE RAILROAD TRACKS.  

This is not optional.  Almost every tour professional lays down at least one alignment stick on the practice tee if not one on each side of the ball.  Some even lay down three sticks or clubs, one on the outside ot the ball, one between the ball and your feet and one for your toes.  But you have to do at least one and you have to do it for EVERY SINGLE PRACTICE SHOT YOU EVER HIT.  OTHERWISE THE HABIT OF PERFECT ALIGNMENT WILL NEVER COME INTO YOUR GOLF GAME. 

IT IS THE ONE THING YOU CAN TOTALLY CONTOL IN GOLF - THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT THAT