Target Focus All clubs Beginner / Intermediate ⏱ 3 min 🇬🇧 Video in English, summarized

Railroad Track Alignment: Faldo

Name: Railroad Track Alignment: Faldo
Uploaded: 2016-11-11T12:00:00+00:00
Duration: 3 min 9 s
Channel: Nick Faldo
Description: Do you hit the ball well on the driving range but not at all on the first tee? Nick Faldo, winner of six major titles, addresses golfers who practice without a specific target: he explains why even a slight misalignment leads to compensatory movements, and how to align yourself using a club placed on the ground.

Do you hit the ball well on the driving range but not at all on the first tee? Nick Faldo, winner of six major titles, addresses golfers who practice without a specific target: he explains why even a slight misalignment leads to compensatory movements, and how to align yourself using a club placed on the ground.

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Nick Faldo · his YouTube channelFree lesson selected by Fred P.

To be continued

12 minSame problemDriver: Build a Fairway on the Range Like MorikawaCollin Morikawa · Beginner / Intermediate 23 minNext Level UpHitter vs. Thrower Swing: The Real DifferencesJérémy Goergen · Intermediate 3 minFrom the same proNick Faldo's finish: half backswing, full through-swingNick Faldo · Beginner / Intermediate

What the lesson shows

As a child, Nick Faldo practiced on a course barely the length of a 7-iron, with a green, a bunker, and a flag: thousands of hours spent aiming at the same target. Years later, mental coaches recognized this as excellent targeting practice. At the driving range, on the other hand, there are so many targets that you often find yourself a little to the right without realizing it, give or take five degrees. The brain wants to help: we compensates by coming over the top, the ball heads toward the target, and you think you played well. Then, on the next tee, nothing works: the cause is alignment.

His solution: set a club down on the ground and think about some railroad tracks. The outside rail is the ball-to-target line; the line of your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders points slightly left—about three or four yards with wedges, five or six with mid-irons, with the gap growing as the club gets longer. Faldo, who liked to hit a fade, aimed left and faded the ball back toward the target. Check the club every day: the correct position will seem uncomfortable at first. Don't move it; put up with the discomfort for a while; the same goes for ball position.

The Exercise, Step by Step

Choose a specific target on the driving range.
Place a club on the ground, parallel to the ball-to-target line.
Check every day to make sure this club is facing the right direction.
Align your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders with the inside rail.
Accept the uncomfortable sensation without moving the club.
Also, check your ball position in relation to the club.

Key Takeaways

At the driving range, always choose a specific target.

A slight aiming error leads to an over-the-top compensation.

A club placed on the ground serves as a reference line.

The body alignment is aimed slightly to the left of the ball-to-target line.

The correct posture may feel uncomfortable at first: just accept it.

Mistakes to Avoid

Hitting balls at the driving range without a specific target.
Thinking you're well-aligned just because the ball goes straight.
Moving the club on the ground because the position feels awkward.
Letting your body line aim right of the target.

Driving Range Mode

Keep it in plain sight, on the rug.

A club on the ground, checked at every session
A single target for the entire series of shots
Body line like a rail, ball position checked

Your Questions

Why do we play well on the driving range but poorly on the course?

According to Nick Faldo, people often aim a little to the right on the driving range and then compensate by coming over the top. On the course, that compensation no longer works.

What is the image of railroad tracks?

The ball-to-target line is the outer rail; the line formed by the feet, knees, hips, and shoulders is the inner rail, which runs parallel to and slightly to the left of the outer rail.

How far left does the body line aim?

He says three or four yards with wedges and five or six with mid-irons, with the difference increasing as the clubs get longer.

What should you do if the position looks strange?

Don't touch the club lying on the ground: the correct position will feel uncomfortable at first. Check it again every day and accept the discomfort.

Learn More

All “Target Intention” videos →Find the lesson that's right for you Driver: Build a Fairway on the Range Like MorikawaA fairway winding between two driving range markers, a gentle rise up to waist height, and an outer target in sight: Morikawa’s driver. Hitter vs. Thrower Swing: The Real DifferencesCompare the swing of someone who hits the ball with someone who throws it to the target: intent changes the setup, the move, the release and the finish; change the start and the end. Predicting Ball Contact: Edouard Montaz’s DrillContact is a prediction, not an action: lower your stance in stages (swing at the air, top, clean ball, ball-grass-ground) while aiming at the target. Nick FaldoAll of his lessons

Video posted on YouTube by its creator (Nick Faldo). Best Golf Tips selects and summarizes the best free lessons without hosting them.