There are practical and common-sense strategies that you can use on the course to help you improve your game and help you shoot lower scores. One such tip is almost so simple you’ll probably scratch your head and wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself.
When you play the game enough, you eventually learn that driving the golf ball into the fairway is one of the most important aspects of playing well and having fun. Alternatively, when you miss fairways and lose balls, golf can be a very frustrating and expensive game. Here is a simple tip that can help you hit your driver straight, find your ball in the fairway and even save a few bucks.
This tip is actually two steps. The first step is to select the place on the tee box where you have the best angle into the fairway. The Second step is to use the ball as an alignment aid.
Step 1: Tee box “angle”
It might seem unfair, but many times golf course designers align tee boxes toward hazards and trouble. Average golfers often fall for this trick by unknowingly going to the middle of the tee-box without understanding that there is possibly a better option. By moving to one side of the tee or the other you can improve the “angle” of your shot – thus increasing the possibility of hitting the fairway.
For example, if you see that the hole is located on the right side of the green and the best place to approach the flag is from the left side of the fairway, teeing the ball on the right side of the tee box creates a better angle to land the ball in the left side of the fairway.
Once you select the proper side of the tee box, the second step is to align yourself correctly.
Step 2: Align the Ball
Alignment to the target is difficult for most amateurs from especially from the tee. I often see amateurs hit really good shots but, since they are often mis-aligned, the ball flies into trouble.
Another tip to help you align accurately and hit more fairways is to use the ball as an alignment aid. You will find that most golf balls have a logo or marking on them. For example, the Titleist Pro-V1 has an arrow on the side and the Callaway Triple Track has three lines. By using the logo or lines on the ball, you can aim the markings toward your intended target in the fairway. The lines on the ball give you a sight-line and a visual reference toward your target.
Now, when you select the correct place on the tee box (tee angle) and align the logo on the ball to your intended target, you have increased your chance of hitting the fairway. Now just get comfortable and swing and you are two-steps closer hitting more fairways and playing great golf.
