Golf Smart Academy Forum — Practice Tee: How to practice different starting lines?

I'm trying to simulate on-course scenarios where I might need to aim way left or way right off the tee to cut off a dog-leg.

I find it challenging to set up at these angles (or any angle that isn't straight on) and execute the shot I want to hit, even when laying down an alignment stick and focusing on a leaf or pebble 18 inches in front of the ball. Standing over the ball, it's hard to get totally comfortable. Are there any visual or mental cues we should be practicing to get better at these shots?

if choosing between: rhythm, feel, and visual ... I definitely lean toward being a visual golfer in having to see the shot to be comfortable. but my swing thought is usually a good "feeling". if that makes any sense.

In simulating the on-course scenarios it's helpful to challenge and stress yourself. While you can explore feel, visual, rhythm as a way of organizing your pre-shot routine. In addition, you can reflect on how you store stress. Some people store stress more feel, more visual, more rhythmic. Visual stress would be when you see narrow targets, water on one side, tee boxes not aimed at the center of the fairway, etc.

I'll have some students get over visuals by putting clutter and objects on the ground and practice aiming askew to lines. This forces you to dial in your visual based on your ball, club, feet alignment only instead of external sources like pebbles and sticks.

One simple way to practice this is an "alignment sprinkler" drill. Try and make the same swing and change start line with alignment changes only. Often times I'll use a target, like a green, and see how many balls I can get in a green by making 5 degree alignment changes to move from one side of the green to the other. Similar to the picture below. Remember, try and change the spot the ball finishes JUST with changing alignment.

Practice Tee: How to practice different starting lines?

Practice Tee: How to practice different starting lines? ¶

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