How’s your aim? Most golfers probably would say that good aim starts with good stance and alignment. Some may say that getting a good look from behind the ball is key.
While all of those things contribute to good aim, the most important aspect is the target you choose. The best golf aiming technique is to always pick out a very specific landing spot — no matter how far your next shot will fly.
When you want to make a straight 3-foot putt, you aim at the hole. Some of you may even aim at a dime-sized spot on the front edge of the hole.
It’s natural for your target area to get bigger the further you get from the hole. For example, on a 60-foot lag putt, the common advice is to aim at a 3-foot circle around the hole.
On approach shots to the green, some players aim for a quadrant or half of the green. Other players, depending on their skill level, are content to aim for the green itself.
On drives, some players aim for one side of the fairway or the other, in order to set up the best shot angle into the green. Others, again depending on expertise, may aim to get the ball somewhere in the fairway.
No matter your skill level, you should be aiming golf shots — even the longer ones — at a much smaller target. Whether you are hitting from the tee, or into the green, imagine that a towel is laying where you’d like the ball to land. If you play golf with higher-than-average skill, imagine a washcloth instead.
Picking a small target, even for drives, sends a clear signal to your body about your expectations. Give this a try at the range and on the course, and then let me know how amazed you are to find your shots finishing in such small target areas.
Kelly Conway is Founder and CEO of Better Golf U. At Better Golf U, we research, test, and teach practical techniques for the average golfer to improve golf scores and more fully enjoy the game.