Alignment
Alignment is the orientation of your body and the clubface towards the target.
Alignment is the foundation of every good shot. Before you strike the ball, you line up your feet, hips, shoulders and clubface with the target line. Even small deviations at the tee become huge over the ball's flight: two degrees off mean roughly seven metres of deviation over 200 metres. Many slices and hooks do not come from the swing itself but from faulty basic alignment that the body unconsciously corrects during the swing.
In practice, a fixed routine helps. First stand behind the ball and pick an intermediate target one metre in front of the ball on the line to the fairway or the flag. Then you square the clubface to this intermediate target and only afterwards set your stance parallel to it. Example: par 4, flag left behind a bunker. Your target is not the flag but the middle of the green. You pick a tree on the horizon as your line and a leaf in front of your ball as the intermediate target. This is how you prevent the typical "aiming at the flag" from the hips.
The most common misunderstanding: your feet do not point at the target but parallel to the target line, like the rails of a railway track. Many beginners set their feet directly at the target and thereby in effect stand to the right of it. For comparison: the clubface points at the target while the body stands parallel-offset. Anyone who mixes this up fights their own posture through the whole swing. On the driving range it is worth laying a club or an alignment stick on the ground and checking your alignment regularly.
FAQ
How do I align myself correctly to the target?
First stand behind the ball and pick an intermediate target one metre in front of the ball on the target line. Then square the clubface to this intermediate target and only afterwards set your stance parallel to it. This fixed routine stops you aiming at the flag from the hips and ending up offline.
Do my feet point at the target or parallel to it?
Your feet stand parallel to the target line, like the rails of a railway track — only the clubface points directly at the target. Anyone who points their feet at the target is in effect standing to the right of it and fights their own posture through the whole swing. Check your alignment regularly on the driving range with a club on the ground.
Can faulty alignment cause my slice?
Yes, many apparent swing faults are alignment faults. If you unknowingly stand too far left or right, your body corrects it during the swing — and exactly that correction produces the slice or hook. Check your basic alignment before you work on your swing.