Many people say, “I’ve played lots of sports, but golf is too hard, it’s just not natural.” However, no one says tennis, badminton, or volleyball, are unnatural. Even though those sports require high shots, low shots, backhand shots, forehand shots, all while running here and there. Not to mention keeping an eye on your opponent at the same time! In baseball (and softball) as a fielder, you need to catch and throw the ball from all sorts of different angles and locations. As a batter, you need to deal with curveballs, fastballs, screwballs, and a strike zone that varies from umpire to umpire. Do you believe all these other sports are natural movements, but golf is unnatural?
The only thing unnatural with golf is that are no lines of orientation as with other sports. Baseball has foul lines, baselines, the warning track, and so on. Football has the goal line, sideline, yard lines. Tennis has a well-defined court as do badminton, etc. Even at the family picnic volleyball game we set up a net (a line) and use paper plates or whatever is handy to define the corner of the court (sidelines). Golf on the other hand provides none of this orientation.
All better golf shots begin with you standing behind the ball, eyes level as you look at your distant target. When you address the ball, set your posture, and swivel your head to look at your target, your eyes are no longer level due to your head being tilted. This causes an optical illusion; even though your shoulders, hips, feet are parallel to the target line, you feel as though you are aligned left or right. This illusion will vary with the shapes of the trees, the lay of the land, hazards, bunkers, and so on. Golf course designers do this on purpose! So, many times we adjust our aim, stance, and alignment to this new target line. Instead, you should back off, and look again from behind. Pick an intermediate target, two or three feet in front of the ball which lies on the target line. It can be a small leaf, a piece of grass, whatever. Then, draw an Imaginary Target Line (ITL) in your mind’s eye from the ball, through the intermediate target, and on to the final target. When you address the ball, use the intermediate target for aiming. When you look at the target from your address position, do so only to judge distance. Always trust your intermediate target for aiming and alignment. Don’t fall for the optical illusion. Trust your ITL and swing with confidence. You’ll play better golf more often.
Golf is as “natural” as any other sport. Use your ITL and your scores, and enjoyment will improve!