Flush First... Aim Later...

[lagpressure]

Some thoughts on aiming and why to not get too overly concerned about address angles and alignments…
One of the games greatest strikers “Lee Trevino” aimed left into the next zip code. Therefore, all the theories on everything having to be lined up at address
perfectly parallel to the intended target line… all those theories just went out the window…

Start by taking some divots… if you can get them relatively square, and consistent looking… but a ball down and strike it… just concentrate on striking the ball solid and flush… then look to see where the ball went…
if it was a straight shot, felt good… then guess what ? that’s where you should be aiming…

The problem I have with everyone’s obsession with address alignments is that NOTHING looks the same at impact…

At address… feet are flat but at impact, right heel off the ground?

At address… knees are square but at impact, knees are not where they were…

At address… hips are square are flat but at impact, hips are open…

At address… shoulders are square but at impact, shoulders are often open…

At address… head is in one place… at impact head is usually lower… because all of the above!

Hands, arms, club… all different…

At address no pressure… at impact tons of pressure! “hopefully”…

Everything changes…

So now if you think backwards… from P3 4:30… how are you going to get the club there from the top? Are you going to come in flat from there? are you going to drop it in from high hands?

Once that is established… (where you are at the top) and there ARE OPTIONS! then… think about how you want to get it there? What feels right to you? Loop it up then in? or in then out…

The only IMPERATIVE is that you TURN YOUR SHOULDERS!!!
not just flapping the arms back…

Once you define your backswing, your top position, and how that will get you moving the club into the P3 4:30 slot… then think about your address…

How will your address actually “ADDRESS” these issues? If I am going to pull the clubhead in, low and around me… like George Knudson… then I would have a setup I would suggest for that…

If you are going to pick it up like Jim Furyk, then there is a way to set up for that…

Just make sure you don’t lose sight of the bigger picture…
where does the ball go when you strike it flush and solid…

Lee Trevino did exactly this… he figured out where the ball went when he flushed it… and it was going 40 yards right of where OTHERS felt he should be aiming…

FIND FLUSH FIRST!! then look to see where FLUSH GOES!!

then aim accordingly…

[twomasters]

This is just a bit of fun-showing aim and direction aren’t imperative to a good solid strike- NOSTALGIA Golf with Fred Astaire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pw0XRAuO0w

[Addington_Arnie]

@twomasters

This is just a bit of fun-showing aim and direction aren’t imperative to a good solid strike- NOSTALGIA Golf with Fred Astaire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pw0XRAuO0w

Cool - he’s even hitting off the deck like Lag !

I’m sure someone said once that there was a lot of linkage between good dancers and good golfers…would explain alot in my case I think Snead was a renowned dancer whose party trick was to be able to kick his leg high enough to touch the top of a doorframe!

[CheeseDonkey]

He’s right on the 4:30 line too! My dad, who’s a big sports fan, once told me that Fred Astaire was one of the best athletes he’d ever seen.

[lagpressure]

He’s got all the modules down right well!

Like I always say… nothing new…

This is a very mechanically sound golf swing, and who to lay down some great module #2 ground forces than Fred Astaire!

[Mashie72]

“Be light on your feet, and your swing will repeat”
- Charlie Sorrell 1991 PGA Smoke & Mirrors Teacher of ther Year

[lagpressure]

We watched an old Fred Astaire movie over the holiday… made me think of this post a while back.

Knudson’s idea that everyone has a unique alignment is so spot on. Everyone’s swing is unique, and so will be their alignment.
The better a striker you become, the more intuition comes into play.

One’s ability to cure the ball in the air can make up for a lot of “bad” alignments.

[golfingplease]

Because this thread is about alignment, I’ve found flushing first and aiming later to be a worthwhile philosophy. I think it’s important to understand how you are setting up your feet and how it affects your hips, and thus your swing. But I don’t think there’s a general rule.

Aiming at address - imgur.com/VbvLjw8

My actual ball flight - imgur.com/a/G30Zg

[norcalvol]

I told Lag after hitting my new ABSed irons that I hit the long irons (slight draw) and middle irons (straight) pretty well, but the short irons were consistently pushed out to the right (but straight). As a Mod 1 student, Lag responded:

We’ll be talking about alignment more in the future, but remember there are no hard rules on it.
Line up where you anticipate the ball is going to go. If the shots are struck well and fly with a commanding trajectory but go a bit off to the right, then simply aim more left and play that flight toward the target.
I aim a bit left on all my shots… if one were to put clubs on the ground. Alignment is a personal thing.
Don’t get locked into clubs on the ground pointing at the target.

I recently locked myself into alignment protocols, and it made me feel uncomfortable; like playing golf in a straightjacket. By doing this, I allowed the natural-ness to be taken away.

Find flush first, then aim accordingly.

I look forward to this newly re-discovered freedom. If Trevino can aim 20-degrees to the left, then so can I if I need to.

[RangeRat]

Yep, learn how to nut the sumbitch first, then learn how to feel like a nut…sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.