River Ridge Golf Club - West Houston, Katy Texas

Tips From Our PGA Pro, Trey Birchum:

What hole were you aiming at?

What hole were you aiming at? See, I wish I was making that up. But I’m not. I have played rounds with and watched people swing a golf club on one hole while aimed into the middle of an adjacent hole. What inevitably happens is they stripe one, dead down the line they’re aiming at, right into the woods toward the next hole.

I am a personal fan of all things curse related, so I derive an intense and guilty joy from the volume and quantity of the self-flagellation I’m exposed to by a couple of my usual playing partners. It’s good to have friends who invent words. But that’s for another time.There are a few reasons that people aim improperly, mostly because of the way your eye sees the line once you are over the ball. Golf is odd in that you are always looking at and adressing the ball while it’s in play in a parallel position. You’re never behind it or have it over your head, in your hands. So your eye tends to make your body aim toward your target. And that’s where the disconnect happens. You want the ball aimed at the target. You want your body aimed parallel to that target. There is a three step process you can take in your preshot routine and you will be aimed properly. Step One- Stand behind the ball and picture your ball flight toward your target. Looking down that line, you can pick out an object 3-4 feet in front of you along that line; a divot, a dark spot, something plain to your eye. Step Two- Address your ball aiming at that mark 3-4 feet in front of you with your clubface. The grooves of your iron should be perpendicular to the line you are aiming on. Step Three- Set your feet parallel to that line. You are now square to your target line and properly aimed. Now go hit it where you’re aiming, which is a good thing. Then I can hear laughter and joy, doors will open, rose petals will fall from the sky. And life will be good. Because now you are aiming at the hole you’re actually playing.

Fairways, greens and one putts.....

Trey Birchum
PGA Head Professional, River Ridge Golf Club
email: tbirchum AT riverridgegolfclub.com