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HOW TO AIM WHERE
YOU'RE LOOKING.
By: Donnie Massengale

One of the biggest problems that I see in my everyday teaching is poor alignment. Alignment in golf can be very difficult because you are standing to the side of the ball; it throws off your vision. As usual you can look to the PGA Tour Pros for some practical advice. Think of watching your favorite Tour pros, not just watching them hit the shot but what they are doing before they hit the shot (pre-shot routine). When the pros are preparing to hit any shot they will be standing behind the ball. The first thing that they will do is pick out where they want the ball to end up. Then they will figure out the best way to get the ball to go to that target (high, low and the direction of the curve). The next thing you will se them do is to pick out an intermediate target, something just in front of the ball, usually within 2 - 4 feet of the ball. This intermediate target will be directly on line with their target. As they approach the ball, they will try to line up the clubface with their intermediate target. Then they will try to place their body (feet, thighs, and shoulders) on a parallel line to the target line. The intermediate target could be a variety of things, such as a divot, piece of grass, etc. It continues to amaze me how well a person can hit the ball if they have a proper setup position, and alignment is a huge part of that equation. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to change a player's alignment, only to get a strange look because he/she does not think that the problem can be that simple. I will always look at a player's setup (grip, posture, ball position and alignment) before I ever notice what their swing looks like.

As with anything in the setup or swing, you must practice it before a change will ever feel comfortable on the golf course. A change in alignment is also a change in you vision. If you have been playing with poor alignment, your eyes have had to adjust to that alignment. The best way that I know to change your alignment and your vision is to hit some practice balls with two clubs lying on the ground. The clubs should be lying parallel to each other and in the direction of your intended target. When you are hitting balls, each ball should be placed between the clubs. The effect is that you are hitting down railroad tracks. This practice station will also make it very evident where your club is swinging (path) by looking at your divots; they should be going in the same direction as the railroad tracks. It would also be good to give yourself a test when practicing. Out of every 20 balls or so, hit a couple of balls from outside the railroad tracks, just to check your own progress.

As in anything we do, we must be focused on the prize or the goal to have any success. My favorite instructor, Harvey Penick, and my favorite author, Apostle Paul, both had the same idea. Anytime before you left Austin CC, Mr. Penick would tell you to "TAKE DEAD AIM." The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." I'm sure Mr. Penick would gladly give Paul the credit for "TAKE DEAD AIM."

Who's The Boss?
By: Donnie Massengale

No, this is not an article about an old TV Sitcom. It's about knowing who the boss is when you are making a golf swing. The first thing that we all need to acknowledge is that all the golf ball knows is the information that the golf club gives it. In other words, the club gives the ball its marching orders, or maybe I should say, its flight plan. Don't worry-I'm not gong to leave out the computer geeks! You could look at the ball as a computer, and the club as the software. Even the best computer is useless without good software (now I'm really talking about something I know nothing about).

When I hear one of my students talking about what their body is doing instead of what the golf club is doing, I know that there is trouble ahead. I would probably get some disagreement from some of my fellow professionals, but I believe that if we put the golf club in the right positions, then the body will also be in the right position (so the body also takes its orders for the golf club). We hear and read quite often about shoulder turn or hip rotation and very seldom do we hear about what the club is doing. It's not in vogue or exciting enough - basically it seems too simple for most people to talk about. For this reason, people are in the endless search for proper body motion, when all along they are holding the key to that search in their hands (the golf club). I had the pleasure and honor to take many trips to Austin Country Club to work with or watch my dad work with the finest and most knowledgeable instructor I have ever been around, Mr. Penick. I never remember hearing Harvey (he never would let me call him Mr. Penick, even though I would always try to) say anything about what the body was doing during the actual swing, although he would talk about the body in the starting position.

If we start out in the correct position (grip, posture, stance, ball position, and alignment) then all we have to do is to let the club swing into the proper places, and the body will react properly. That starting position is the key and it is something that we can all do well, since we are just standing still (not to say that we don't constantly have to work on it). The first thing that I look at is the grip to see how it might be effecting the swing. You want to see 2-3 knuckles on the back of your left hand (right handed players) and then try to let the palm of the right hand face the target. The posture should be somewhat like other sports-tilt forward from the hips (not the waist) with a slight knee flex and your feet approximately hip width apart. Your ball should be just to the left of the center of your stance (slightly more left with a driver, left heel). Then you should obviously aim the club head at your target with your foot line parallel to your club head line (railroad tracks).

Now all you have to do is swing the club over your right shoulder. Then, just clip the grass or tee, and let the club swing over your left shoulder. Sound too simple? Just give it a try! The golf swing is not too different from swinging a baseball bat. We want the same relaxed feel in the arms, while still controlling the club or bat. The obvious difference is that we are tilted from the hips and swinging at a stationary object that is on the ground. Taking a few swings with your club in the air, then lowering the club to the ground can sometimes give you the feel that you want. You might also want to hit a few balls off of a short tee with your feet very close together so you can feel what it is like to let your arms and hands swing the club. The distance the ball travels might surprise you. Most importantly, Remember Who The Boss Is!!!

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