If you are going to shoot a low score the next time you are out on the golf course then correctly aiming at your target is absolutely crucial.

When you are next out playing, begin considering the shot that you want to play as you are walking up to the golf ball and work out where you want to play your next shot from and therefore where your target actually is. Work on making the next shot that you will play as easy as possible. This will provide you with a target area and within this you want to select a specific small target to aim at. Once you have this, draw a line back from this specific target to the golf ball and pick a mark on the ground that’s about one inch in front of the ball but on your target line. Aim your club face at this mark. Work on placing your feet together and parallel to the club face once it is aimed correctly, so extending the grooves on the club face towards your feet would hit in between them. Take your stance up and you have also correctly aligned your body to play a shot towards the target. Swing the golf club along your target line and with the club face aiming at the target, you will hit a straight, accurate shot.

If you are looking to play a higher shot than usual because you have a hazard or tree to clear then follow the routine above but this time place the ball slightly further forward in your stance and your weight slightly on your right side (for right handed golfers) to give a higher launch angle and ball flight. Conversely, if you need to play a low shot due to overhanging branches or high winds, then play the ball back in your stance and with your weight more on your left side and the ball will fly lower than usual. But with both of these shots, ensure that you aim the club face at the target.

When it comes to shaping shots though and hitting the ball deliberately left to right or right to left then where you aim will alter.

If you want to hit a shot that curves left to right in the air but that finishes on the target, then it must initially start more to the left of the target. This is where you need to align your feet and body to. However, you need to aim the club face right of your feet and body line target, but not right of the finish target. If you keep the club face aiming between your feet line and the intended target and swing the golf club parallel to your feet line, the ball will start left of the target and then curve towards it and finish on it.

To hit a right to left shot, work on the opposite. Aim your feet and body to the right of the target but aim your club face to the left of this, but not left of the target. If you keep your club face aiming between your feet target and finish target and swing the golf club parallel to your feet line, the ball will start right of target and curve towards the target during its flight, finishing on the intended target.

To influence trajectory and shot shape it is absolutely vital to aim correctly for the shot that you require to achieve accurate results.