Instruction
Proper Alig
Set your swing up for success with the right foundation | by LINDA GAUDI
ALIGNMENT is the foundation
to a great golf swing. Just like
when building a house, you
need a very strong foundation.
A house will not last without one and
the exact same goes for a solid golf swing.
Alignment is one of those areas that
doesn’t get the attention it deserves, and
without this fundamental element, all the
drills and quick fixes for the golf swing
are merely band aids that will not hold up
for very long. When I start working with
a student, the very first thing I look at is
alignment. This is a big indicator of how
the rest of the body sets up and how the
swing will go.
Referring back to building a house,
the foundation is usually set in a perfect
square or rectangle. The sides are all parallel
and that’s what we need for the alignment.
We need to have our feet, knees,
hips, shoulders and eyes parallel left of
our intended target (for a right-handed
golfer). I find 90 percent of golfers align
their body directly to their intended target—or
worse—to the right of their target,
as well as having the ball and clubface
lined up to the intended target. So if we
extend both of the body and target lines
out, they will eventually cross forming an
“X,” which means, “No, not in my house!”
When these golfers align their body
and eyes they usually pick a little piece of
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34 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY/A UGUST 2020
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