If your shots keep starting out of line, the problem may not be your stroke, but the way you’re looking at the hole. In the debut episode of Lab with Stephen Sweeneypresented by Baird, GOLF’s Jake Morrow put his swing under the microscope, and Sweeney revealed a simple fix that helped Morrow increase his range. It just might be the key to calling in your target on the green.
When breaking down the basics of a proper set-up, Sweeney explained that how you view a shot before you pull the trigger can be just as critical to your alignment as getting the shooter’s face on your target.
“I want you to make sure that when you’re looking down the line that you really track your head that way (slowly rotating toward the target),” Sweeney says.
As Sweeney explains to Morrow, many amateurs tilt their heads back – or even move their bodies – just to “see” the line. But this can throw off your range and distort your perception of the green. A putt that is actually straight can look like it is bent, while a putt that breaks can look weaker or more dramatic than it actually is.
The difference becomes clear as Sweeney guides Morrow into a proper setup. In the before and after comparison, his alignment is noticeably improved when he starts square and rotates his head toward the target instead of changing his stance to find the line.
“You can definitely see a lot more symmetry in the body,” says Sweeney. “It doesn’t look like you’re leaning in.”
Another factor that can change your alignment, Sweeney notes, is staying too far from the golf ball at address.
“One of the things that I feel a lot of golfers are very guilty of is trying to be too athletic in their putting stance,” he says, “I really like getting people in general closer to the golf ball.”
Ideally, your eyes should be directly on the ball – or just slightly inside it – when setting up a putt. To check your position, have someone take a photo or video of your setup and compare the location of your eyes to the ball. You can also try launching a ball from eye level to see where it lands in relation to your ball position.
As Sweeney points out with Morrow, getting your eyes in that ideal position may require a few more adjustments to your setup. As your posture improves, you may find that your putter sits straighter at address, which may mean taking a slight grip on the grip to ensure the putter sits properly.
This is why sequence matters when making edits.
“When I’m doing this, there are a few little things I have to make sure I get right,” he says, “Always the short before the long put, and it’s the setup before the mechanics of the shot.”
By focusing on how you view the hole, maintaining a proper setup, and following the correct sequence of adjustments, you can dramatically improve your alignment—and give yourself a better chance of starting shots on the line.
