Alignment
Also known as: aim, body alignment
Alignment is the direction the body and clubface are aimed at address. Poor alignment is one of the most common causes of off-target shots even with a good swing.
Proper alignment has the clubface pointing at the target and the feet, knees, hips, and shoulders set parallel-left of the target (for a right-hander), like a train track: the ball is on the right rail, the body is on the left. Many golfers aim their body at the target and stand open or closed without realizing it, building in compensations. Using alignment sticks on the practice range to verify true alignment is one of the highest-return habits in the game.
Example
Setting an alignment rod on the ground pointing at the target reveals a player aimed 20° right of where they thought — the root cause of chronic pull-hooks.
Related terms
- StanceYour stance is how you position your feet, weight, and body at address before the swing. It sets your balance, swing width, and low point.
- Setup RoutineA setup routine is the repeatable sequence of steps — aim the face, align the body, take the grip, waggle, go — that builds consistent, pressure-proof address positions.
- Club PathClub path is the horizontal direction the clubhead is moving through impact, relative to the target line, in degrees. Positive is in-to-out (a draw bias); negative is out-to-in (a fade or slice bias).
Related guides & benchmarks
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