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| Marvin Lerman |
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The Set-Up… Primed for Accuracy and Control
Be meticulous in your pre-shot preparation. You have to be. The majority of swing faults can be traced to careless mistakes at address. Before you can hope to build a powerful, repeating swing, you must first know how to create an effective base, and then create it every time.
The Principle of Parallel Alignment
Your alignment is the easiest of the set-up fundamentals to work on, but probably the most often abused. Clearly, a good swing is going nowhere unless it is aimed in the right direction, and the golden rule to remember as you set up to the ball is that everything you do revolves around the position of the clubface. Your body takes its orders from there.
It works like this. Assuming a straight shot, you simply aim the leading edge of the clubface dead along the ball-to-target line, and then adjust your stance until your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders fall square to that line. In the correct position, your body is now what is known as being parallel left of the target line. Read that again, it’s important.
The best way to appreciate this principle of alignment is to picture a set of railway tracks homing in on the flag. The outer rail corresponds with the ball-to-target line, while the inner parallel rail indicates the line your body should follow. When you practice, lay a couple of clubs down on the ground to help you keep a check on the position of your body. Create your own set of tracks, and leave them there as you work on your set-up routine. Think about what you’re trying to achieve; don’t stand there and simply drag one ball in after another. That defeats the purpose of practice. Instead, learn to approach each shot afresh. Take aim, first with the clubface, and then with your body. You can even rehearse this technique at home. Do whatever it takes to groove the sensation of perfect parallel alignment.
You will find that you easily maintain a square body position when you learn to swivel your head to view the target. Don’t lift your head to get a view of the hole; this threatens your entire posture. Turn your head on the natural axis of your spine, so that you look under the ball’s flight line.
A good set-up is designed to place your body in a position to rotate correctly, and affords you the clearance that is necessary to swing and release the club-head freely down the target line. Remember, at address you are gearing yourself up for impact: the moment of truth.
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