Golf: Fault No. 2

The 2nd most common fault I find to be the most interesting. Eighty to eighty-five per cent of all golfers aim to the right of the target. What I find interesting about this fault, is that even after they are aware of it many golfers continue to do it. When I taught golf for beginning golfers, when we got to the part of hitting the golf ball I would have them aim at a target about 50 yards away. As I checked each one I would find that 8 out of 10 would aim to the right. There would be one aiming left and one would be right on target. Aiming right causes many problems. Somehow your body knows you are aiming right but does not communicate this at least to your conscious brain. Every player that I see aiming right and I see it all the time, instinctively pulls across the ball attempting to get it back on target. Many times they over compensate and the ball ends up left of the target. That can make a player feel they were aimed up left of the target. Now they may aim even farther right than they were before. Despite all of this, the fault remains one of the easiest to correct

The easiest way to make sure you are lined up correctly is to use the Jack Nicklaus method of lining up. He gets behind the ball and picks out a spot just in front of the ball about 1 to 2 feet. It may be a leaf or discolored piece of grass that is on the same line as his target. He then steps up to the ball and lines his club head with the spot in front of the ball. He then gets his body in position in relation to how the club head is line up. This will put you in correct alignment every time.

Why do so many people still aim right even after they are aware of doing it. One problem is that when they are lined up correctly it feels that they are aiming left. They just feel more comfortable aiming right because they have been doing it so long. The over the top swing can be a very powerful feeling swing. The only way that swing can be accurate is to aim a little right. That is the key phrase, a little. Sam Snead’s swing has a little bit of that action. Instead of aiming just slightly right the average golfer aims a lot right, sometimes as much as 25 to 40 yards depending on the length of the shot. The short game seems to fall under this aiming right curse also. It seems like it is a big psychological block to aim correctly. It is essential to making good shots. If you are aiming right and make a good swing the ball is going right of the target. It is something that has to be done correctly if you have any chance of improving your game. So get over it. Start aiming at the target.