Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

I am having a very very tough time with my alignment and vision. I line up for a put or a shot and often I am dead left of the aim line, by maybe 20-30 degrees.

When I am standing over the ball I am often uncomfortable and can't figure out how to get square. On the practice range I use clubs to align my feet to the target line and that helps a bit.

I have been reading and doing a few tests I seem left eye dominant (I am left handed).

Here is a test fyi:

Eye Dominance Test

I know this is vague but it costs me about 3-5 strokes a round and I am very frustrated.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

Many alignment problems start from the presumption that our feet control alignment. It is the shoulders that determine alignment. I would guess that you are lining up with your feet square, but your shoulders open.

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

One other thing I forgot to mention is I get happy feet. Once I line up my feet start moving all over the place.

I then check my thighs and shoulders, I think all three line up the same (wrong) way.

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

Try setting the clubface right at the target before you do anything else. Get that right - then step in and take your stance/address without moving the clubface at all.

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

I had this problem also. I write left handed, golf right handed, and am left eye dominant. I found I could not aim my putts either. The shorter the putt the worse it was. I tried all kinds of things.

Here are some of the things that got it fixed for me.

1. The shorter the putt the shorter the putting stroke required. Always accelerate through the impact zone.

I would always take the same length putting stroke and adjust the speed of it. It is near impossible to stay online with a long slow putting stoke.

2. Line up long and short putts the same way. Pick a spot 2 or 3 inches in front of the ball that you want the ball to travel over. Line up the logo on the ball to point through this spot to the hole.

3. Always hit the putt firm enough to go 2 or 3 feet past the hole.

It is very hard to hit a putt with perfect weight. But it is easy to ram it in there. You don't need to play as much break and it is surprising how hard you can hit it and still sink it.

When you play pool or shoot a gun aiming seems easy. The mind makes slight adjustments naturally to line things up. The trick is not overriding your natural aiming ability. Look at John Daly he putts so fast he has no time to second guess himself. gl

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

Here are some tips that worked for me, and may or may not have any worth for anyone else. I'm assuming you're left-handed but playing righty.

1. When lining up a shot, place your club behind the ball with you right hand gripping the club correctly, look at your target, and while doing so, set up everything else. Does it look and feel correct?

2. When you are set over the ball and have taken a waggle, close your right eye. Open your right eye and close your left. Rotate your head to the right until your nose (or what frames your vision) obscures the ball. Then do the same thing rotating your head to the left. Do any of these exercises cause your allignment to jump? If so, you may have a problem setting your head.

3. Judgesmails is correct about alligning your shoulders. For some reason, I could never "feel" the allignment of my shoulders and have always swung with my hips. I've found that having my feet in the right place but angling my toes a degree or two off, or flexing my knees the slightest bit, can mis-allign my hips, so I'm always consious of which direction my tootsies seem to be pointing.

4. The very best tip I can give you is to take a lesson. Find out who the good teaching pros are and ask to take a lesson on your allignment. He'll probably look at some very basic, perhap insultingly basic, things--but if you keep an open mind you'll be shocked at the amount he can teach you in 15 or 30 minutes. There are so many things that can screw with allignment, and a good teaching pro can spot them in an instant.

JMO

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

[ QUOTE ]

3. Judgesmails is correct

[/ QUOTE ]

He's no slouch.

[ QUOTE ]

JMO

[/ QUOTE ]

Holy Crap! You're Jose Maria Olazabal??? You're no slouch, either!

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

Thanks for all your suggestions so far! I am a left handed golfer . I took my first ever lesson last week and will take another. FWIW I am a pretty decent golfer, will shoot in mid to high eighties with a foray into the nineties or low eighties. My ball striking is excellent, my alignment is ridiculously, ludicrously bad, my short putting within 5-6 feet is fantastic, my long puts are disgusting and my chipping is putrid.

Phat Mack I will just reverse everything you said-correct me if that is wrong.

BTW I just got new clubs, Ping G2s, a Callaway 454 and the Craz-E putter.

One thing I am doing which is helping a little is after I align my clubface I don't look up at the target again. I don't know if that makes any sense but sometimes I start to get happy feet and f up after looking up again.

Edit to say when I line up dead left I compensate by flipping around and pulling everything. I don't know whether I should talk about this in my lesson or in my next psychotherapy session so I figured twoplustwo is the best outlet. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

3. Judgesmails is correct

[/ QUOTE ]

He's no slouch.

[ QUOTE ]

JMO

[/ QUOTE ]

Holy Crap! You're Jose Maria Olazabal??? You're no slouch, either!

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't sell me short, I am a tremendous slouch.

Re: Odd Golf Alignment and Vision Question
 

[ QUOTE ]
Many alignment problems start from the presumption that our feet control alignment. It is the shoulders that determine alignment.

[/ QUOTE ]

Feet and shoulders are both important in alignment. That said, no one gets them both perfectly correct consistently. Close is good enough, however 20-30 percent off is not even vaguely close.

I would suggest two things:

1) Get help from a professional. Here, or anywhere else, you will read multiple opinions, some will have baring on your situation and some will not. Based on your post you're probably not experienced enough determine which is which.

2) Read "Golf is not a Game of Perfect" by Dr. Bob Rotella. It will explain why perfect visual alignment is much more important (and consistantly attainable) than perfect physical alignent (which is not consistantly attainable).