Mad Hatter Golf
by Dr. T. J. Tomasi, Keiser University College of Golf Senior Faculty and Director of Research
The most common mistake in golf is also the easiest to correct – bad clubface aim. Almost 85% of the golfers misaim the clubface – right-handers to the right of the target, lefties to the left. Much of it comes from their eyes and the way they take their address position – they walk into the ball from the side, creating a distorted read of where the target is. Because we have two eyes separated by a nose, looking at the target from an angle, more often than not, fools us.
The other reason so many misaim is bad practice procedure – when they hit balls on the practice range, they rake balls over from a pile without bothering to line up each shot. Then, rather than hitting out of the divot they just made, they slide the next ball to a slightly different position. After a few balls, the golfer is misaimed but doesn’t realize it because they are stuck to the side of the ball – a position that makes it difficult to sight the target correctly.
The problem is that once your clubface aims away from the target, you have to do something to rectify the misdirection before you arrive at impact. For example, when you aim 30 yards to the right of the target, you must spin your shoulders to compensate for the misaim. But this means you must make a bad swing to hit a good shot. And it’s not just one shot; it’s an entire process — when you misaim, you introduce a backward feedback system where good swing = bad shot or bad swing = good shot. You couldn’t learn anything else with this mad-hatter feedback system where good is bad and bad is good — and golf is no exception.
If your shot pattern is all over the place, it’s a sign that you have Mad Hatter syndrome. To get your evaluation system back in sync with your ball flight, always follow this sequence for every shot:
1. Stand behind the ball astride the target line.
2. Walk to the ball and aim your clubface along the intended line of start.
3. Align your body to produce the type of shot you plan to hit.
Takeaway: Always aim the face, then align your body.
If you’d like to study with Dr. Tomasi and other PGA Master Professionals, contact The College of Golf today.
