Alignment is one of the key fundmentals in golf that is usually overlooked and under analyzed. Most amateurs have the tendency to align to the right of the target and swing across the target line, causing a pull or more often a slice. Bad alignment is a very fixable flaw, with a little bit of practice and a bit of understanding what your target line actually is.
Steps to check your alignment:
Next time on the practice tee pick a target and go through your normal pre shot routine. Once you feel that you are ready to hit the shot, lay the club down across your "toe line". Step back 5 paces behind the shaft and look to see where it is pointing. If it is pointing parallel, which is left of your target (approximately 5-7 yards) you have aligned yourself correctly. If it is pointing at the target or to the right of the target then your alignment is going to need some work.
Understanding your target line and toe line:
Lay a club on the ground pointing directly at your target. Take a few steps back to look behind the shaft and make sure it is correct. Second, take another club and lay it on the ground parallel to the first shaft. Now take away the first shaft and you should have one club laying on the ground parallel left of your target.
Once you have a club on the ground parallel to your target line you will have a guide to align your feed, knees, hips and shoulders to. If you feel like you are hitting solid shots and they are still not at the target you now know that there are swing flaws that are going on, but you have just crossed alignment off your list of what is wrong.
Learning that you are mis-aligned can be hard to accept at first, but it's not always a bad thing. At least you will know now one of the problems in your game and can get on the right track to fixing it.
