Golfers who stand over their ball thinking of mechanics rather than alignment and target are facing an uphill battle. There are many moving parts in the golf swing, not to mention getting into the proper set up position before the swing. While golfers are focused on these numerous details, it is subconsciously detracting from the primary task of hitting your target. I would advise before addressing the golf ball to get all the "thinking" done while standing behind the ball. Thinking includes things such as club choice, yardage, wind, mechanical thoughts etc. After making all of these decisions, you should approach the ball with one thing in mind, the target. Once the target is identified, you pick the line on which the ball needs to travel to hit this target. Once addressing the ball, aim your clubface on your target line and then align your body (feet, hips, shoulders) parallel to that same line and take a committed swing. Repeating this throughout your round will help simplify thoughts over the ball and I believe will put more focus on hitting your targets.
