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ALIGN-DRIVE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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You can sandwich the Align-Drive with tees to keep it from moving if you have a
tendency to kick it.
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We hope that by posting these frequently asked questions, that you will find
the answer to any questions you may have. If not, please
make sure to look at the rest of the site, especially the
DEMO
page.
Q. When I swing, sometimes I hit the shaft. This is very annoying. How do I avoid this?
A.
The shaft may be too long for your height.
You can shorten the shaft a little. Just put the shaft in the "9" slot and
pull out a wedge. Set up as you normally would, and notice where the club
touches the shaft, or would be when striking the ball. Trim (cut) the shaft in
about 4
inches from that point. You should be
teeing up about 4 inches from the end of the shaft. Instructions showing how to
trim the shaft come with every Align-Drive. You may have misplaced yours.
Taller golfers won't need to trim the shaft at all. An alternative to this is
to move the Align-Drive away from the ball a few inches and set up with your
heels at the Align-Drive rather than your toes.
Q. I am right-handed. When I aim the Align-Drive at the pin, and hit with the
Align-Drive, it often goes to the right. Why is that? Shouldn't I point the
Align-Drive at
the target?
A. No. Think about it. If you attached a string between the ball and the target
and then took your stance with your feet at the string you couldn't hit the
ball because it would be between your legs. You need to back off from the
string so you can hit the ball. This new position would be where the
Align-Drive would be situated, parallel to the string, and the shaft of the
Align-Drive pointed at the ball. Now if you were to move behind the Align-Drive
and the string looking at the target, you would see that the Align-Drive
appears to be aimed slightly left of the target line while the string (and
ball) would be aimed directly at it (for right-handers).
Q. When I swing, sometimes I kick the Align-Drive. Then I have to reposition it again. Is there some way to avoid this?
A. Just
step back
from the Align-Drive a few inches. If you are kicking it, you are setting up
too close to it. If the green shaft is too long when you step back (you hit it
when you swing), just trim it
an inch or two to fit. You can also move the Align-Drive back from the ball a
bit and set up with your heels at the Align-Drive rather than your toes. You
can also prevent nudging the Align-Drive out of
position by straddling it with
tees (See picture at left). Place one on each side near the back and one on
each side right in front of the shaft. That way,
you can also tap the Align-Drive back with the head of your club to reposition
the ball for a fresh spot on the turf if you leave a divot.
Q. I like to practice with irons without using a tee. But when I leave a divot,
I don't want to setup again in the same place so as to put the
next ball in the divot. It seems like a pain to reposition the Align-Drive
each time. That's not to say laying down clubs would be
any better. But is there some way to avoid all this up and down repositioning
of the Align-Drive?
A.
We recommend using a tee for all clubs until you can strike the ball solidly
and consistently each time.
It sounds like you
are bending over each time to reposition the Align-Drive with each swing. But
you don't need to. If you are not placing a tee
into the ground, you can just tap the Align-Drive into a new position with the
head of your club, just as you would "grab" a new ball
with your club and roll it into place behind or along side a previous divot. If
you
sandwich the Align-Drive with tees as shown at left, you can just slide it back
and maintain your target line.
The only time you would need to bend over is to
remove and replace the shaft into a different slot when you change from short
to mid or mid to long-shafted clubs. That is,
when moving from the 9, 5 or D positions on the Align-Drive.
Q. I'm a professional golf instructor. We don't teach "moving the ball." We teach that you should move your feet instead. Isn't this an easier approach?
A. We use the term "moving the ball"
relative
to the ball's
location in the stance.
If you move the
forward foot or Align-Drive more forward, and leave the ball where it is, this
is exactly the same as leaving the
forward foot or Align-Drive stationary and moving the ball back in the stance.
Q. What's the difference between using the Align-Drive and just putting down clubs?
A. Many golfers lay down clubs parallel to the target line. They may also lay
another club over it, perpendicular
or "90" degrees to it. This looks like the Align-Drive layout. The problem is
that
clubs don't lock you in at 90 degrees, and tend to move. You must depend on
your line of vision for the "90" degrees,
and even one inch one way or the other makes a lot of difference.
With the Align-Drive, you never have to worry about getting the angle exactly
right... it is
ALWAYS right.
Also, clubs don't help you determine proper placement of the ball in your
stance nor do they help you
with feet placement. With the Align-Drive, you don't have to think about this,
it's automatic.
Laying clubs down won't improve your practice efficiency because you still have
to worry about these
adjustments with each swing and club change. The Align-Drive allows you to
quickly line up, place the ball,
and adjust your stance with accuracy and consistency,
without over-analyzing it.
More balls are hit more effectively in a shorter time frame.
Check out our
DEMO page.
Q. Why is it, that, the second time (and there after) I used the Align-Drive, I really noticed what a great tool it is. It didn't seem to help much the first time I used it. Have others mentioned this?
A. Yes. Some golfers notice improvement immediately. However, if you've played
the game for a
while, you probably had a hard time
trusting
the Align-Drive at first. It's hard to break away from old
habits and thoughts. As you use it more and more and trust your swing, you will
notice that you strike the
ball better. This is easy to understand because you are setting up the same way
each time, allowing your
practice to become more effective. You are finally able to "predict" what the
ball will do. Trial and error
is reduced to a minimum. That's not to say you can't adjust your feet or
stance.
The Align-Drive is not a cookie-cutter, it
is a guide for you to work with.
Open or close your stance as needed, tweek the width of your stance based on
you body size and flexibility.
Q. There is so much more to golf than alignment and ball position. You have to hit the ball too, don't you? It seems like the swing is more important.
A. The swing is very important. But It is interesting that
the most frequently misdiagnosed problem for golfers at all levels is
alignment and ball position.
Most commonly, golfers blame their swing for betraying them. As
with anything that requires developing skill, it is
the fundamentals, which provide the foundation.
Without a strong
foundation...well, you know the rest. When you "hook" or "slice", or end up too
far left or right, you
should start your diagnosis of the problem with the most basic elements, the
fundamentals. They are
alignment and ball position. Get those two right first, before trying to
correct more complex elements
such as swing mechanics. Even if you have a great swing, if your alignment is
off, or your ball is poorly placed,
the result will reflect it.
Q. There are other alignment aids on the market. What's so great about yours?
A. Ours works, is simple, and inexpensive.
"Why does it work?"
may really be the question.
The Align-Drive is not just a stick with marks on it. It can not be replaced by
a yardstick or some PVC from
the home and garden center. It is a
professional training device
,
designed and engineered to specifications taken from golf touring
professionals.
The Align-Drive is lightweight and portable, designed to store in your bag, and
sets up in seconds. The tapered alignment shaft
and reference markings
model the way successful touring pros setup
to target, how they align the body,
place the ball in their stance back from the forward heel and out from the
toes, as well as the width of their
stance given any club. All that information is
packaged into an easy to use teaching and practice device
that will line you up parallel to target, guide you where to place the ball,
and help you determine your best stance
for all the clubs in your bag. These are the average measurements from the
touring pros. Now, you may need to adjust
the back foot slightly for your height or body build.
That is perfectly acceptable!
If you remove the shaft,
the Align-Drive can even be used for putting.
It will
last for
years and fits easily in the bag. Golf instructors tell us that it is a highly
visual aid, which is another reason why they
like using it with their students.
Golf schools, academies and many universities are using the Align-Drive
and
many include it in lesson packages to allow the students to take it with them
when they leave. And
it costs
less than a green fee.
Can you think of a better value to lower your score? Check
out the
feedback page.
Q. I teach golf. We don't believe in "moving the ball back in the stance." We
teach that you
should have just one ball position, straight down from the logo of your left
shirt pocket, or your heart.
We adjust the width of the stance as needed. So why would I use an Align-Drive?
Note: This answer does not reflect the majority of
findings from the survey of professional touring pros.
However, there are some golf schools that believe in a "one ball position"
philosophy, so we will address this question, even
though this is not the normal way the Align-Drive is used.
A. We respect your teaching philosophy. We're
not
out to try to convince you to change it.
But
you can still use the Align-Drive
to teach a "one ball position" philosophy.
For ball position,
trim the shaft while in the 5 position short enough so that the short irons
don't hit it when striking the ball.
This position would best approximate the "shirt pocket logo" position, and
would be more accurate than relying on shirt pocket or logo
and eye parallax. Then leave the shaft in the 5 position for all clubs
used. Move the ball out on an imaginary line from the shaft appropriate for the
length of your club.
Also use the Align-Drive as an
alignment aid.
Aim it slightly left of target (righties) or slightly right of target
(lefties).
Why? Because your "body line" (feet and shoulders) or inside track of the
"railroad track" needs to be parallel and square to
the target line, or outside track, which is where your club face is aiming.
Then, regardless of your teaching philosophy, adjust your rear foot for stance
width as needed using the
Align-Drive as your
guide
. You can move the back foot for a comfortable and balanced stance. Then just
swing away.
This single position philosophy is an extreme on a
"teaching philosophy continuum"
between
one, three, four, and 14 ball position(s) for proper ball position in the
stance.
The Align-Drive uses three positions
which best model the positions used by at least 80%
of the
touring pros surveyed.
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