I can't tell you how many times I have had student in a lesson tell me he is hitting a lot of blocks or pulls or both, or how many times I have read that in blogs, or when playing a round of golf from the players I'm with. Every time I hear it I cringe and want to yell out, 'Are you absolutely sure you blocked/pulled it?' That question seems like it would be a ridiculous one in light of the fact the student, the players and me, for that matter, when playing and make a good swing, see the ball shoot straight right (for right handers) which definitely looks like a block, or straight left, which definitely looks like a pull. There is the old adage that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, you get the idea. So, do all shots that look like blocks and pulls have to be blocks and pulls? Or, can they defy the duck logic and not be a block or pull?
The answer is absolutely yes. Yet how can that be if they shot straight right or left, which is a block or pull. But I say here and now, and hopefully forever to be etched in stone, that there is a high probability they are not. They may not be, because I would estimate 99.9 % of the time they wouldn't pass the 'ALIGNMENT CHECK TEST,' which would prove it.
What's the 'ALIGNMENT CHECK TEST?' It is the test that will confirm 100% proof positive as to whether a shot was blocked or pulled. Why is this important? Because a block or pull is not a block or pull if you were in fact aiming/lined up exactly parallel right or left of where you just nailed a perfectly hit drive or iron shot right or left of your 'INTENDED' target. If you, in fact, were aimed where you hit it, and that hit was the result of a good to perfect swing, you just hit the ball exactly where your 'ACTUAL ALIGNMENT' was aimed. Unfortunately your 'ACTUAL' alignment was misaligned relative to your 'INTENDED' alignment and target.
The alignment test is easy, simple and fast. After you have made this good swing and hit that believed push/block or pull, you need to know for sure if it was a push or pull or was not as good a swing as your felt and thought. Since it was a relatively good swing, you got to a good balanced finish. As soon as you felt like it was a good swing and then see what should have been a good shot to your 'INTENDED' target flying straight right or left, you 'MUST' and I mean 'MUST' immediately enter into the 'CHECK ALIGNMENT TEST' mode.
Since you are in a good balanced finish, with no slipping or sliding of your feet after impact, all you have to do is just turn yourself back into your setup position. Your feet should be exactly where they were at address. Once there, you then take the club in your hands, bend down and place it on the ground, touching both of your toes. You then walk behind the club and look where it is pointing. If you are a right handed player and just hit a push/block it will not be pointing parallel left of your aiming line. It will be pointing somewhere between parallel left to at the aiming line and maybe even at your target. If the block was way right, it will likely be pointing right of your aiming line and target.
The final and proof positive check point is to step sideways of the club on the ground to directly behind where the ball was hit from. Facing forward, lift your right hand up like shooting a hand gun with your arm parallel right of the club on the ground. Look down your arm and hand like sighting the shot and look where it is pointing. I'll bet you all the gold in Fort Knox, you are sighting exactly where you just hit your golf ball with that good swing that you thought and said you just blocked. (Note: this applies exactly the same way to hitting a pull shot.) The key is you DID NOT block it, you made a good swing and hit a good shot exactly where you were aimed.
I teach this, emphasize it and practice what I preach myself when I play. The 'Alignment Check Test' is critical and 'must' be done anytime a good swing hits a good shot to a wrong place. Why? Because knowing the true cause of this misdirected hit is important. Golf shots are the result of the law of physics of 'Cause and Effect.'
Knowing the true and correct cause of a good hit to a wrong place is necessary. You must know information to play good golf and shoot lower scores. I will cover the reasons for this in my next article.
The Surge!