"Whenever a theory appears to you as the only possible one, take this as a sign that you have neither understood the theory nor the problem which it was intended to solve."
Karl Popper

Sometimes we waste a perfect shot because we line up incorrectly. If it was a careless mistake, then shame on us. If it was because you lack the skills, then this article should give you the information you need to line up correctly.

To hit a golf ball successfully at any target the first task is to establish a ball-target line. The ball-target line is an imaginary line that runs through the ball to the target. We establish our alignment line parallel to that line, and we set up with our feet perpendicular to the alignment line. This sounds easy enough to do, but in real life it's not always that simple.

You do not want an approximate direction when you pick out the ball-target line. You need to be as exact as you can. This is just one of the many places that a small error can compound itself. A few degrees left or right can mean the difference between missing or hitting the green, the difference between a birdie, a par, or winning or losing. So don't be haphazard; become adept at choosing the intermediate target. The key is to make it as exact as possible.

Your alignment line runs parallel to the ball-target line. When you line up to that line it will appear to you that you are looking left of the target. The farther away from target you are, the further left it will appear you are aiming. This is natural. Do not succumb to the urge to adjust your stance and line up on a line that runs to the target. This will only change your swing path to the right of the target. Remember: the image you are looking at is in the distance and the three-foot parallel line has diverged into a greater width.

Convergence and divergence: two words with opposite meanings, but they do explain why some golfers have a very hard time understanding how to line up. I've tried to explain this concept too many times and sometimes it's like talking about a black hole in space, and I don't want to go there.

We can all line up parallel to another line. And we can see the two lines disappearing in the distance. Conceptually we can think of railroad tracks, and lots of golf guides show the railroad tracks leading toward the golf hole. We know from experience that the railroad tracks look like they converge into one out in the distance. We can even verify that phenomenon ourselves if we have a long stretch of track somewhere to look at. They appear to converge.