Today I have an interesting tip from the late Jim Flick. It comes from his book On Golf (1997) -- from page 121, specifically. Flick actually titled this section of the book "Multiple Targets," but I think multiple aimpoints is a better way to describe it.
Many of you could recognize that Flick labored with Jack Nicklaus, each as his teacher after Jack Grout died and also as a companion inside the Nicklaus-Flick Golf Schools, so Flick became very acquainted with how Nicklaus did matters. And one of those "matters" turned into how Jack aimed his pictures.
Most of us are familiar with the idea of an intermediate aimpoint -- this is, you imagine a line from the ball for your target, then pick a factor on that line but a great deal toward you. You use that factor to help you intention. For example, I typically select a factor approximately 18-24 inches beforehand of my ball and use that to help me get aligned when I take my stance.
According to Flick, Nicklaus took the idea a bit farther:
Jack Nicklaus makes use of 4 intermediate goals. One is only a few inches in front of him, so he can see it in his peripheral imaginative and prescient while he is searching down on the ball. Another is some twelve to 15 feet in front of him and a third maybe thirty to forty yards down the golf green. And Jack even makes use of one in the back of the ball to help delineate his swing line when he is taking the club returned.
When you see him turning his head forward and back, as he addresses the ball, it's not because he's trying to work out a crick in his neck. He's locking in on his intermediate targets. There you have it, direct from Jack's instructor. Nicklaus used four intermediate aimpoints -- three in front of his ball and one behind, all located on his aimline to his target. (I must admit, I find that aimpoint behind the ball very interesting. It never occurred to me, even though I know that starting the takeaway properly is probably the most important part of the swing.)
So do not experience silly if you need more than one intermediate aimpoint to help you get nicely aligned. Use as many as essential to improve your accuracy. If it's proper sufficient for Jack Nicklaus, who're we to refuse?
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