Like their PGA Tour counterparts, LPGA pros spend significant time with recreational players, usually in the form of once-per-week pro-am rounds. That gives them an inside look at what typical golfers tend to struggle with — and according to four-time LPGA Tour winner Hannah Green, faulty alignment often tops the list.
“The one thing you see the most that looks the most awkward is when they go to line themselves up and then walk into the ball, and then they start looking, thinking that they’re lining themselves up correctly,” Green said on the range at the Ford Championship last week. “I think one important thing that amateurs can do is actually using some sort of alignment tool during their practice time, and just imagining your target line.”
Try Hannah Green’s alignment trick
For right-handed players, Green suggests putting the alignment aid on the left side of the ball. The second key is focusing on an intermediate aimpoint just a few yards in front of the ball — which should also be in line with your ultimate target.
“Something like two or three yards in front of the ball to then line yourself up to match everything up, and then trust that. Don’t shuffle around before hitting so you end up not lined up correctly,” she said.
Green also noted that the alignment aid should be a staple of your practice routine, because even professionals can find that they need a tune-up every now and then.
“It happens to all of us. Sometimes there will be weeks where I feel like I’m aiming too far right or aiming too far left. lt happens at all levels,” Green said. “But I think that’s one way that that an amateur can help quiet the nerves that they maybe experience. If they’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to hit it right.’ But they’re actually aimed out there.”
If you find yourself struggling with alignment and aren’t sure how to set yourself up for success, try modeling your pre-shot routine after Green’s method.
“If I step into the ball, usually my feet are the first things to obviously touch the ground,” she said. “So that’s kind of where I feel. But then I also try to feel the pressure in my feet, not necessarily too much of my toes or too much on my heels. I actually like to press my big toe into the ground, because that’s how I feel most strong. And then I feel like my hips and shoulders and everything kind of just fall into the correct spot from there.
But don’t try to incorporate all of these alignment changes at once, cautions Green.
“If you feel like you’re crooked in a sense, just stand up straight and then just go back down into the ball. That’s gonna be the best posture you can create.”
Getting into posture is one thing, but how does a player know that they aren’t badly aligned once they’re over the ball?
“Once I’ve stepped into the ball, I obviously look at my intermediate target — something that I’ve picked out on the ground a couple of yards in front of me — then I do look at the ultimate target,” she said. “Once I confirm that they all match up, then I just look at the ball, do my waggle and then hit the ball. Not too much time over the ball, thinking about if I’m lined up, what I’m trying to do and achieve. Just try and not really think too much about the golf swing.”
As you spend more time working with an alignment aid in practice, the feeling of being set and confident in your posture and alignment will increase significantly. Give Green’s advice a try, and start hitting more shots on line during your next round.
