Setup

[Sandpiper3]

What do you guys find key as to setting upto the ball?

[demon]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

What do you guys find key as to setting upto the ball?

Are you talking about a common setup like a pre-shot routine or how you are going to hit a particular shot or a particular club?

[JEFF4i]

Actually it's something that helped me a lot when I began, but I align myself with the shaft making sure I'm pointed where I want to be pointed.

Really don't use it anymore, just a matter of habit. But I believe a strong pre-shot routine is critical

[Rockford35]

It's different for each club for me. Ya, I'm a weirdo.

For my driver, I set up with the ball dead center in the face of my driver. My practice swing over exaggerates a draw at about 70%.

For a fairway, I address the ball on the heel. I find with fairways that I hit it more on the toe if I address it in the center, so I don't fight it. I hit my fairways pretty well with this setup.

With irons, it's inside center, always. This, for me, promotes the draw. Same thing with wedges. I hate - HATE - catching an iron on the toe. That means i'm being lazy, and I hate that.

R35

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

Actually it's something that helped me a lot when I began, but I align myself with the shaft making sure I'm pointed where I want to be pointed.

Really don't use it anymore, just a matter of habit. But I believe a strong pre-shot routine is critical

Do you align on your toes? Or your hips?

R35

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

Do you align on your toes? Or your hips?

R35

Have played with those who hold a club horizontally across their chest or their waist in an attempt to align themselves during set up. Most are not very accomplished players. They worry about lining up the body with some target and then just whale away at the ball, never having a target in mind. There is some false (in my opinion) theory that says if your body is aligned with the target the ball will politely travel on that exact same line.

Take a golf ball in your hand. Toss that golf ball into the easy chair across the room. Now turn 45 degrees to your right and toss the ball into the chair. And, turn 45 degrees to the left and toss the ball into that same chair. I bet you found the chair with each of the 3 balls, and your body was aligned at 3 different angles over a 90 degree arc. Target!!! It's all about target!!!

What is your ball flight? Left to right or right to left? Align yourself with the green and hit your hook way left. See the target, step up to the ball, and "toss" the ball into the cup!

I still can't get over how easy it is to eat. I seem to find my mouth with a fork full of fattening, artery clogging food without a lot of thought as to where and how I am aligining the fork with my mouth. Goodness knows, if I analyzed each fork's direction as much as we over-analyze each golf shot, I'd lose all those extra pounds! The secret (again my opinion) to success in this game... the secret to moving from a high capper or beginner to a player of reasonable scoring ability... is to make the golf shot as reactionary as possible.

I don't know how many times I step up to a ball and someone says "You're lined up way right!" I even had one person tap me on the shoulder during my preshot routine and tell me I was pointing at the wrong fairway. Over the years, I just laugh and continue to hit my normal right to left and see the ball start out to the right and then come back to settle in the fairway. I don't pick out a tree or OB marker along the right side of the fairway. I pick out my target in the center of the fairway and step up and "toss" the ball to that point.

Sorry! As you will learn, I feel so strongly we tend to analyze the wrong things. There are so many important factors that one must be able to control. Grip, consistency, course management... Yet, we suffer paralysis through too much analysis if we get all wrapped up in wanting our left toe pointed 1/2" away from perpendicular and our right toe pointed 2" away from perpendicular... The preshot routine needs to be just that. It MUST become routine. Once we master the ability to step into the ball with no thought but only the target and "tossing" the ball at that target... then we can consider course management issues and watch that handicap come down.

Just my $0.02 worth (or maybe even a nickel's worth)...

[ezra76]

I simply take few practice swings to groove the path for my flight, how much I hold off or turn over and the through swing for a high or low shot. Pick a target and align left of it to fade it or slightly right for a drawing shot.

[warbirdlover]

limpalong,

I love the way you think by your posts. I would also love to play a round or two with you. I might learn something.

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

limpalong,

I love the way you think by your posts. I would also love to play a round or two with you. I might learn something.

If I didn't have to work for a living, I'd just head up there an take you up on your offer! (In warmer weather, of course!!) Southeastern Wisconsin? Played a couple of the courses at Lake Geneva some years ago. Played another course near Delevan. Used to make quite a few trips up to Pewaukee. Was far less expensive to fly into O'Hare and rent a car than to fly into Milwaukee. Would leave a day early and play golf along the way. Then, many times, take an extra day to come home and play my way back to O'Hare. Some beautiful farms and pretty area up there. But, you guys all talk funny!!!!!!!!

[warbirdlover]

Lived in NC for five years. Had to hire an interpreter to converse with some of the locals with the real strong drawls....

Love that drawl on the ladies though. Yum. Yum.

They told me I talked funny too. Then there's those guys up in New England that REALLY talk funny....

Don't know how long ago you played around here but lot's of good course around. Grand Geneva with the Trevino, Palmer and Player designed courses.... Geneva Lakes.

[Rockford35]

I've found that your thighs point the way to success and repeatability. Take any lie (sidehill, downhill, uphill) and your thighs point to where the ball is going to go. Make the appropriate changes to accomodate.

I agree that this game is easy if you make it easy, but the first thing to do is gain some repeatability. Once you accomplish that, you're golden.

R35

[Jules150]

Try not to aline your feet with your target, you will be more likely to hit it right. Your feet should be parallel to the target, your clubface should be pointing at the target if your trying to hit a straight shot. Obviously that would change if your going to work a shot.
Part of my pre-shot rotuine is to aline the clubface with the target and then to take your stance, it helps start the ball on the right line.

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

Do you align on your toes? Or your hips?

R35

Thighs, something an old pro taught me that I liked.

While this isn't meant to sound hostile(it will). Frankly limpalong, if I'm playing a single digit handicap, I think I've got something going right, eh?

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

While this isn't meant to sound hostile(it will). Frankly limpalong, if I'm playing a single digit handicap, I think I've got something going right, eh?

No harm... No foul!! Certainly, that's what is the beauty of this game and what can be the curse of this game... there are few pat answers that work for everyone! If aligning the thighs works for you, by all means "Do It!"

I repeat, this game is 90% mental and the other 10% all in your head! If you have developed a preshot routine and that routine works, go with it. My point is from observing literally thousands of golfers over 40 years in and around this game, I've seen many high cappers 'locked' there due to over-analysis. Many, in my opinion, have the ability to score much better if they would only "let it happen" rather than try to decide whether it was their hips or their shoulders or their toes or even their thighs they needed to align with the target. One of Harvey Pennick's favorite tips that he passed out often was "Miss it quick!" Ol' Harvey's view was to keep things as simple as possible. Take dead aim and hit the shot.

Seems like this board is extremely good about a number of posters having differing opinions, expressing those opinions, and going on to the next issue. "Sound hostile..." No way! I, for one, certainly do appreciate hearing what works for others. After 60 years on this earth, I adhere to the premise that if I don't learn something new each day... that day is wasted. Now, if this ol' mind could just remember half of what I've learned!!!!!! LOL

[JEFF4i]

Actually, that's the funny thing. At first it helped me, now I just do it out of habit.