Golf is a target game, granted distance must be overcome but it is distance to a precise location. Although scoring in the game is determined by a high percentage of other skills other than the full swing, golfers tend to get caught up in the technical swinging motion.Is aim important? Consider this; a perfect swing made in the wrong direction will produce a most imperfect shot. Timing, rhythm, speed and square contact are of little value unless they produce a shot that travels towards the target. What a waste to make a good swing and come up with a bad shot because of faulty aim.To aim correctly we first need to know the correct sequence of aiming correctly. I believe the best sequence which will give you a consistent and repeatable aim is starting with VISUALISATION, CLUB FACE then BODY.Weather playing an iron or a wood, the aiming process should start at some point away from the ball, preferably behind it. Visualizing the shot the player is about to play is the first step in aiming. Visualizing the desired shot will help produce the correct aim. When playing a shot generally your target will be some distance away from you, so here is a procedure to put into play. Draw a line from the direction the ball is to start, back to the ball. Pick a spot on that line somewhere three to six feet in front of the ball so the leading edge of the club is square to the spot out in front of the ball. It may be a divot mark, some discoloured grass or a broken tee. When we speak of “aiming the body” we are referring to the alignment of the various body parts in relation to the target. Aiming the body is more difficult than aiming the clubface. Our feet, thighs, hips, waist and shoulders should all be parallel to our target line. This means your body will be just left of the target for a right hand player.Aiming is a very important and simple fundamental of golf. Just remember next time you’re playing golf and you hit a bad shot, don’t be quick to blame your swing, make sure your aim was correct first.

Slicing is a very common problem, in fact probably the most common problem facing social golfers.  Let’s start by looking at the cause.

The problem occurs because the face of your club is open at impact which forces the ball to the right (for right handed golfers). This presents itself as a slice and appears worse in your driver than any other club because it goes lower and further than any other club. In fact your slice would be therein all of your clubs, just not so evident because other clubs go higher and a shorter distance so they don’t deviate as much,

So how do you fix it? Well fixing a slice is much easier than you think. The reason most social golfers slice is due to a weak grip. This is where your top hand (left hand for RH golfers) is turned to far forward which forces you leave the club open at impact. The easiest way to check this is by taking your normal stance and grip with a club and then look down (without moving your head) and see how many knuckles you can see on your top (left) hand. If you have a weak grip you will most likely only see the one on your index finger. You should be able to see at least 2 and a strong grip will show 3. If you can’t see the 2nd knuckle on your top hand, turn your hand further inwards until you can.

The swing plane is the overall angle of the swing arc relative to the ground. To try to imagine this, pretend the shaft of the club had paint on it and it came off when you swung the club. You would end up with an arc around you, similar to the way the moons travel around a planet like Saturn.

Right, so what is the right plane?

Well the main thing to consider here is that the club needs to travel on pretty much the same line going back on your takeaway as it does when it comes through to impact and if it doesn’t you will have inconsistency problems.

So how do I fix it?

The best way to fix it is to use a training aid which shows you the correct swing plane. There are plenty of them available, some of them quite complex and expensive, but others very simple and cheap. I recommend the Swingyde, it helps you to achieve the correct swing plane and that will lead to a more consistent golf swing.

Golf is concerned with one overall objective, finding the target. When you think about the logistics involved in finding the target in golf you begin to understand how important aiming becomes.

Just think about it for a minute. The average golf hole consumes many acres of land you may be over a half of a kilometre from the target which in this case is a hole with a diametre of 4.5 inches.

A good golfer will maintain control over direction while at the same time producing distance. Many players will know that the further you hit the ball the harder it is to keep straight.

Many players also get caught up with the intricacies of the elusive swing in an attempt to hit the ball long and straight. The fact is regardless how good swing and contact may be it will not reduce the desired result unless aimed correctly.

Aiming your body and club is a vital part in hitting good golf shots. An example of this is a perfect swing wherein timing, rhythm and square contact with the ball is perfect but the player is aiming in the wrong direction, this will produce a less than perfect shot. Players often waste good swings with poor alignment.
There are two elements involved in aiming. Firstly the golf club or more precisely the clubface and secondly the player themself must be aligned correctly to the target. A player must align shoulders, hips, knees and feet correctly in reference to the target. A common mistake among player's is aligning one part of the body correctly, most often the feet, then forgetting about other body parts. This is not correct all body parts must be aligned.

Compared to many other sports aiming in golf is more difficult and less natural for beginners to the game. Aiming a rifle for instance is much more natural because you are looking down the barrel with your sighting or aiming eye. With golf however the golf ball is 2 or 3 feet away from your body and your body is turned side on to the target. This results in the eyes having a different view of the target from the clubhead.

Even the greatest players in the world have difficulties with alignment, and continually have their alignment checked by coaches throughout their careers. It proves the point if the the best players continually monitor this area then the average golfer most certainly should pay some attention to it. Aiming is a very important part of the game but it is also a very simple area of the game to control if it is given a little attention.