You're Correct!

Regardless of the sport you play and the level you play at, the ball needs to be played in the right direction! Whether you are kicking a football, throwing a ball, or arching a bow, the competitor needs to aim their body in the correct position in relation to where they want to go.

In golf, aim and alignment are two of the most overlooked fundamentals because people are so obsessed with having a nice looking, efficient golf swing that strikes the ball long, high and straight.

How do they know what straight is?
Most golfers have poor alignment and tend to aim their bodies to the right of the target. If the golfer continues to miss the target to the right, their swing will be the first thing that is looked at, and suddenly the out to in swing path is developed. It is important to note that this isnt always the case.

Every golfer of an elite level recognises the importance of alignment. You will always see elite golfers lining up their shots from around one metre behind the ball so they have the ball in the middle of them and their intended target. They then pick out something four to six inches ahead of the ball to line their club face up with and then address the ball parallel to this line or in a way which promotes the shape/type of shot they want to hit. Using this routine will help every golfer become more consistent with their direction. At first it will feel strange and should be practised on the driving range so you can put alignment sticks/golf clubs on the floor to assist you. When changing alignment it will feel very strange as with anything in golf, if you make a change there is always a re-adjustment process.

There is an array of golf shots to hit whilst on the golf course. Some players have one type of shape they use all the time, others like to change the shape of shot in accordance with the required shot in hand.

Setting up for a straight shot and setting up for a fade/draw shot are very different.
To draw the ball the swing path needs to be in to out relative to the target with the club face closed to the path. For instance, the feet will line up closed to the target with the club head left of the feets alignment but right of the target. Straight from set up the club face is closed to the desired path, therefore if the player delivers a good swing to the ball, the ball should move gracefully from right to left in the air. The opposite applies for a fade.

Good alignment will not lead to hitting the ball better. Consistency of ball striking is relative to the consistency of your vertical and horizontal angle of attack. To hit the ball better, you must build a good, dependable swing. Without this swing it is difficult to determine how good your alignment is on the golf course. Alignment needs to be studied on the golf range with a variety of targets.

Alignment of a players club face and body position will not have any bearing on how far the ball will go. It could psychologically give a golfer confidence to hit the ball harder if they feel they need more power for the particular shot, but it wont directly influence the distance the ball is struck.