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Newsletter - Issue 71 Date 09/24/08
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Equipment - Books - DVD's
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A couple of issues ago I had some information on fiberglass rods that are great
for practice, they work great with todays alignment tips so here's the
information again:

Fiberglass alignment rods, like the ones many Touring Pro's use on the practice range,
are great for practice. 

Here's what they look like:
http://www.golfaroundtheworld.com/index.php?cPath=5&osCsid=a9lebhje7c6e6nvmf0tdbc8ri0

They are great for getting your alignment on the range, for defining your swing plane 
(when stuck in the ground correctly), for short chips, and also for grooving a putting stroke.

I have used shafts or clubs for alignment purposes on the range, but I've nicked them
on occasion with less than perfect swings, so the fiberglass rods are much better.

You should have a couple at least, and you could order them through a golf website
like the one at the link above for $3.99 each plus shipping. I decided to look around
a little before I ordered and found the exact same thing at Home Depot for $1.99!

Look for the the 48" fiberglass driveway markers with reflective tape, they are exactly
the same ones as sold at the golf website for half the price.


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TCT Quick Tips - Easy Turning Drill
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Practice turning back and turning through while sitting straight in a chair,
keeping your back perfectly vertical without swaying in either direction.

It should mimic a single axis turn.

It's not only a great turning drill, but it's also done with the back in a good
relative angle to your hips.

You can make the drill a little more intense by holding a broom handle or a
weightlifting bar across your shoulders.

It's a good one, try it over the winter for about ten reps a day and you'll be
amazed at the increased range of motion you will pick up.


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Golf Tip : Two Alignment Tips
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How you align yourself when setting up to hit a golf ball has a critical affect on how good 
your golf shots are going to turn out. But don't believe me. Read what a golf legend 
has to say on this alignment issue:

“It goes without saying that it is no good having a perfect setup, perfect grip 
and perfect golf swing if the whole thing is misaligned. It sounds obvious but many 
players simply do not spend enough time getting themselves on target.”

That's from Nick Faldo - Winner of 6 Major Championships

So hopefully you now understand the importance of golf alignment. And if you do, 
here’s a simple exercise that you can quickly and easily do to check your feet alignment.

To do this golf alignment exercise I want you to setup to a golf shot as normal and 
get comfortable. Then just before you’re ready to hit your shot, get two golf balls and 
without moving your feet place them directly behind your heels so they’re touching 
your feet. Now take your feet away and go back behind your ball down the line of 
your target and see how good your alignment was.

Another option for this exercise is to use the fiberglass rods mentioned in the 
equipment section above to mark the ball-target line, and then to mark the direction
of your heel line. It actually provides a more precise visual than the golf ball
method, but either works just fine.

The beauty of doing this golf alignment exercise is that it shows you exactly where 
you are aligning your feet and then you can simply change the golf balls so they 
align correctly and then setup with these balls touching your heels. If you've been 
aligning your feet incorrectly for a while it will feel strange aligning them correctly. 
But simply keep practicing it and your new feet alignment will soon become 
second nature.

Note that where your toes are pointed is less critical than where your heel 
alignment points for the sake of pure direction, although where the toes point 
can effect other aspects of your swingpath, which can affect the spin on your shot.

Now that’s an easy way to check your feet alignment. But you still have to check 
the alignment of your knees, hips and shoulders as they also have a big affect on 
your golf shots success. And the absolute best way of checking this is to get a 
person to get a golf club - or preferably one of those fiberglass rods - and lay it 
across each part of your body once you've setup to a shot. But remember, you 
want each part of your body to be aligned parallel to the starting line of your golf shot.

You do NOT want your body to be aligned directly at your target. A good way to 
visualize this is to picture yourself setting up on railway tracks…with the golf ball on 
one rail and you standing on the other rail.

Golf alignment is critical to your success and consistency so check it often, because 
it’s very easy to align yourself incorrectly without even knowing. But now you know 
exactly what you need to do to check your alignment so you have no excuse. 

Please make sure you check it regularly.

Enjoy,

Tom