Sorry for the delay in posting. Got busy with other things and holiday events. Today's post covers set-up and alignment.

Set-up determines where you swing the club. Alignment determines the direction the ball begins it's flight. Clubface alignment determines the shape of the ball flight. Having the correct grip for you takes care of clubface alignment. Let's take care of set-up.

Set-up is putting the body in position to swing the club the most efficient way. Set-up is made up of balance, posture, and ball position. Begin with your hands on the club, standing straight and tall, arms extended with the club level to the ground and the club shaft point at your belt buckle. Your spine should be straight from your tail bone to the base of your skull. This posture does not change during the set-up. Notice the distance from the end of the grip to your belt buckle. This is a benchmark we will check later. Now look at the crook of your elbows. They need to be level. The back arm should not be higher than the forward arm. If you look at yourself in the mirror, your shoulders are tilted with the back shoulder lower than the front shoulder. Make sure the groove in the clubface are vertical.

From this straight and tall beginning, bend forward from the hip joint until the club meets the ground. The club and your spine should be at 90 degrees to each other. Your head should be on top of your spine, not leaning forward. The distance from grip end to belt buckle should be the same. Your knees should be relaxed, not bent or locked. If the ball is not in front of the clubface, move your feet. This foot movement may be toward the target, away from the target, toward the ball or away from the ball. To check your ball position, do the set-up procedure with your eyes closed. This will tell you if you change body position when you bend forward. You have answered two questions. How far from the ball should I be? and where should the ball be in my stance?

A great set-up means nothing if your alignment is off. How is this accomplished? I will reveal the secret to alignment in one sentence. Aim the clubface at the target. So simple yet so difficult. You will be tempted to aim your body at the target. Unfortunately, this will aim the clubface away from the target. The clubface is aimed correctly when the grooves in the club face are perpendicular to the target.

Once you have bent forward and set-up, rotate your head to see where the club is aiming. If the aim is incorrect, move your set-up until the club is aimed at the target. Do not change the characteristics of the set-up.

Once you are set-up double check your clubface alignment. As you are looking at the target, feel free to shuffle your feet, waggle, and get comfortable. Warning, do this only while looking at the target. Which brings me to the one thing I would tell all players; Stare at the target, glance at the ball. When a player is playing well, the target's the thing. When a player is playing bad, the ball's the thing.

Next time: How to begin the swing.