Golf and the railroad

Editor's note: Steve Charters is in his 13th year as a pro at Twin Pines Golf Course. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Charters competed at Central College in Pella and has been a pro for 20 years in Dubuque and Cedar Rapids.

When I'm working on my set up to the golf ball and my target, I always like to think of the good old railroad.

Some of you may already know this, but I think it deems repeating, especially early in the year.

Aligning to your target like a set of railroad tracks.

When you've selected the target line you want your ball to travel, the next important key is to line up your feet, hips and shoulders parallel to that target line, like a set of railroad tracks.

Why is this important? Because how you align your body in relation to your target line will influence how your swing starts in relation to your target line. If you line up with your hips - or shoulders or feet - heading a different direction that isn't parallel to your target line, the club won't travel on your target line without some sort of correction during the swing itself.

The average time it takes for a PGA Tour player to complete his swing from start to finish is one second. That doesn't leave much time for a swing adjustments.

So remember, select your target line and line your body up parallel to that line, just like a set of railroad tracks to ensure consistency in your set up and success in your swing.

- Steve Charters