Target Line
The target line is the imaginary line on which your ball should roll or fly towards the target.
The target line is the foundation of every pre-shot preparation. It mentally connects your ball with the target, whether flag, middle of the fairway or starting direction when putting. You align your body and club parallel to this line, with the feet on the so-called body line to its left. On the green, the more precise term is the Putting Line, because there the Break determines the actual curve of the roll. The imaginary target line and the actual ball path are rarely identical, and that is exactly what all practice works on.
In practice, you build the line from behind. An example: you walk three metres behind the ball, look for the line to the target and pick an intermediate point half a metre in front of the ball. You align the clubface to this point first and only then take your stance. This works from the Tee just as it does when putting. Anyone who stands directly beside the ball and only looks forward loses the overall perspective and almost always aims too far right.
A typical mistake is confusing the target line with the foot line. Anyone who aligns the clubface at the target but places the feet on the same line stands closed and pulls the ball to the left. Another favourite: aiming with the shoulders instead of the clubface. On the driving range, two clubs laid on the ground as rails help — one on the target line, one parallel for the feet. Practise your alignment this way until it becomes routine.
FAQ
How do I align myself correctly to the target line?
Take a few steps behind the ball and look for the imaginary line to the target. Pick an intermediate point just in front of the ball, align the clubface to this point and only then take your stance. Feet and shoulders stand parallel to the left of it, not on the target line itself.
Why do I always aim too far right despite a good feeling?
This happens to almost everyone who stands next to the ball and looks forward. From this perspective, the correct line appears too far left, so your feeling corrects to the right. The solution is building the line from behind — two clubs laid on the ground as rails help in practice.
What is the difference between the target line and the putting line?
The target line is the straight imaginary line from the ball to the target. On the green it becomes the putting line, because there the break makes the ball roll along a curve. So you deliberately aim beside the hole so that the curve carries the ball into the hole.