Alignment is one of the most important fundamentals in the golf swing, yet it is also one of the most commonly overlooked. At its simplest, alignment is your ability to aim your body correctly at your intended target. This includes your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders all working together to form a parallel line left of the target for a right-handed golfer, or right of the target for a left-hander. When this is done correctly, it gives you the best possible chance of swinging the club on the...

One of the most common and frustrating faults in golf is the shank. The biggest reason golfers shank the ball is that the arms move away from the body on the backswing. When this happens, the hands are forced to push outward, and the clubhead gets working too far behind the body. From there, on the way down, this often leads to an over-the-top movement, which pushes the hands even further out towards the ball, resulting in contact off the heel of the club. The key thing to understand is that...

The shank is one of the most frustrating shots in golf. One minute you're striking the ball well, and the next the ball is shooting sharply off the heel of the club and travelling sideways. The good news is that in most cases, the shank can be fixed with a simple drill that helps improve your strike location. One of the best drills to overcome the shank is the two-ball drill. To set this up, place the golf ball you're going to hit in its normal position. Then place a second ball approximately...