Best Way to Improve Your Golf with Proper Aiming

The high-handicap player spends a great deal of time concentrating on simply hitting the ball and not on aiming. Aiming the club properly usually comes as a later priority. But no matter how well you swing the club and hit the ball, your game will not improve if you do not aim correctly. The use of an intermediate target is a vitally important element in aiming well.

The intermediate target

The intermediate target is any suitable spot within a couple of yards/metres of the ball over which you want the ball to fly (or roll if you are putting) in order for it to be on line to the target.

It may be any kind of a mark – a leaf, a piece of discoloured grass, a divot mark – that you can see clearly and that you are quite sure is on the flight path of the ball to the target. Using the intermediate target as an integral part of your set-up and alignment drill must become an automatic element in your pre-shot routine.

In your pre-shot routine, always place the club head behind the ball with the leading edge at right angles to a line running from the ball to the intermediate target. The two vertical lines of the face of the iron clubs will help you do this. Only then do you take your stance, first putting your right foot in position and then the left. Take care not to bring the club head out of alignment with the intermediate target. In other words, position the club first and then position yourself with reference to the club. Check that the club head is aligned with the intermediate target before looking towards the actual target.

Align your club head to the intermediate target every time you prepare to take a shot, so that it becomes an automatic part of your routine. This not only helps shot making but also makes it much easier to align feet and body.

The vast majority of golfers tend to aim first with the feet and then with the club face. This always results in the aim being far to the right of the target. The natural reaction to this is to try to change the swing path and the position of the club face in order to correct a faulty aim, thus complicating matters even further. Therefore, you must be sure that the club face is positioned correctly before you take your stance.

When practising your aim, lay down a club 3 in (75 mm) outside the ball and pointing at the target. The two occasions when your club head is nearest to the shaft of the club on the ground should be at address and at impact. Another club can be laid in line with your toes, to ensure that you are standing parallel when playing the complete swing movement. Good aiming will assist you to swing the club towards the target and not only at the ball.