FROM THE TOUR
Insight on happenings on the PGA & LPGA Tours and relating it to recreational golf !
On Course Targeting : Tee Shots , Approach Shots , Short Game & Putting ; picking a specific target / intended start line is a key aspect to shooting lower scores .
Tour players are the best players in the world for many reasons . One key reason these world class players shoot low scores , regardless of which shot they ’ re playing , they always choose a specific target or start line for every shot they hit . Let ’ s take a look at the four general areas shots are hit from ; tee shots , approach shots , short game & putting and point out how you can more clearly define your specific target / intended start line for these shots .
Tee Shots :
Often , I see recreational players come to a tee box on par 4 ’ s & 5 ’ s , tee up their ball and clearly just attempt to hit a tee shot without an intended target line . They typically just value trying to hit it far and somewhere they can find it . A little bit of thought on choosing a good target line can go a long way to getting the hole to a good start off the tee . Before even teeing it up , stand on the tee box and see what the shape of the hole looks like . Is the hole relatively straight , curve to the left , or right ? Is there more trouble , like a water hazard or bunkers on one side or the other ? Once you have evaluated these things pick a target line that gives you the best chance of success on that hole . Whichever direction you have chosen as your target line , now look down that line and find something specific in the background you can aim at . For example , a particular tree you see in the background on that line , a particular side of a house in the background or maybe a stop sign or telephone pole you can see . These kinds of specific targets can really help you visualize the shot you want to play and make success on that shot easier to achieve .
Approach Shots :
Once you have hit your tee shot , now it ’ s time to hit an approach shot to the green . Of course , the goal would put to put this shot onto the green . For your best chance to achieve this goal , the golfer needs to consider a few things when deciding on a target line . Where is the pin on the green ; left , right or middle ? Does the green slope left or right ? If I do miss the green where is the best place to miss ? Once you have made your choice , find a specific characteristic around the green complex to aim at . The # 4 green complex here at Dubsdread is a great example . That green tilts right to left quite severely and there is also a water penalty area left of the green . There are three big humps on the right side of the green . With water on the left and the green also sloping that direction , I like to aim my approach shots at the middle hup of those three humps right of the green . All good approach shots hit on this direction , tend to feed the ball towards almost any pin location on that hole . If you pull the shot a little ,
6 | August Newsletter