Why Alignment Is the Foundation of Consistent Golf Shots

Alignment isn’t flashy. It’s not a new move or a swing thought. But it might be the most important part of your motion.

When your feet, hips, and shoulders aren’t square to your target, your body has to compensate somewhere in the swing. And once compensation starts, consistency fades. You might still hit good shots. But the misses begin to feel random.

They’re not random. They’re built into your setup.

If you struggle with a slice (for a right-handed golfer), the instinct is usually to aim left. Then your shoulders open even more to try to help the ball start farther left. It feels like you’re managing the miss. In reality, you’re exaggerating it. Open shoulders tend to send the club more across the ball, increasing spin and making the slice worse. Now you compensate again. The cycle continues. (Left-handed golfers experience the mirror image of this.)

Square hips and shoulders give your swing a neutral starting point. Your body can rotate instead of reroute. The club returns on a predictable arc instead of cutting across the ball. That’s what produces consistent start lines and centered contact.

Alignment errors are subtle, which makes them dangerous. You can be a few degrees open and still hit a playable shot. But over time, those small errors create face-to-path mismatches and inconsistent strike. The ball is simply responding to the geometry you built at address.

Before you change your grip. Before you chase another swing thought. Check your alignment. If the foundation is off, the swing has to fight it every time.