What a Golfer Aims for When Driving? (Answered in Detail!)
John Miller
As anyone who’s ever played golf knows, getting good at this sport is anything but easy.
Success in golf requires plenty of work and practice, mental preparation, and a lot of attention to detail.
That goes for every aspect of the game, as each shot requires superb focus and taking into consideration many factors that contribute to getting the ball where it needs to be.
Even when driving the ball, making it go as long as possible is only half of the job.
Many golfers solely concentrate on hitting the ball a long way.
But, it’s also necessary to be accurate and to find that accuracy with consistency.
This is why it’s important to learn what a golfer aims for when driving as that will allow you to constantly get to the fairway and create a position for good approach shots.
Table of Contents
What a Golfer Aims for When Driving?
When driving, the main aim will be to get to the fairway.
However, the fairway is, of course, a very big target, and getting the ball there is not possible without a sound strategy.
Less experienced golfers will aim for nothing and put all of their focus on the ball and swing.
Nevertheless, this often hinders their ability to do the most important thing in golf – get the ball where they want it to go.
For most players, hitting the ball so it can find the short grass is good enough.
But, you also have to think ahead and aim for the spot that will not leave you with much tougher shots to get to the green.
Narrowing down your target will allow you to have more focus when driving and put your body in the right position, matching it up with your club swing to get the best shot.
How to Get Better at Aiming a Golf Driver
When you involve precision aiming when hitting your drive, the margin of error for your ball position will be much greater.
Plus, you will likely be able to get at better positions, meaning you get the easier shots.
Getting the ball to the center of the fairway will probably mean that you won’t have to face any difficult obstacles when hitting your next shot.
Learning how to aim to hit fairways when driving can significantly improve your game, particularly if you don’t have the shot strong enough to score the ball right from the rough.
To help you out, below are a few tips that can help you get a hang of aiming for a golf driver.
Identify the Right Spot for the Approach Shot
The key to a good game of golf is having a solid strategy. This means always being prepared and thinking ahead, planning your next shot.
In general, most greens on the par 4 and par 5 holes will be located in a way that they’re easier to access from the side of the fairway.
So, in these cases, you may need to go through hazards on the other side of the fairway where the approach from the green is trouble-free and easy.
To be able to achieve a perfect aim, you’ll first need to determine the angle of the approach.
Then, you’ll be able to adjust your aim accordingly.
If you feel that that approach angle is attainable with your drive, try to go straight for it.
Narrow Down the Target
To be able to aim your driver properly, you will need to determine the exact spot where you want that drive to end.
You can do this by picking a target in the distance.
This can really be anything that can help you achieve the perfect aim – a tree in the distance, a lane in the fairway, or a chimney on a house beyond the golf course.
Then, you align the spot you want your shot to end with that target and try to drive as close to the desired position as possible.
This way, even if you miss your target by a couple of yards, the ball will still end at the right area of the fairway.
Consider the Shot Roll and Shape
Most golfers have their go-to shot that their use on a regular, or, at least, natural shot shape.
How this shot looks will greatly impact how it will hit the desired target when driving the ball.
For example, if the drive commonly fades, than it’s more than likely it will make the contact with the ground as it moves to the right with a rightward spin.
So, typically, your drive will roll in the same direction every time it hits the ground.
Therefore, if you’re looking to hit the center when the driving range is in the fairway, your aim should be a bit to the side, or slightly to the left in the above-described example.
For this reason, make sure to take the shot roll into account and set up your drive accordingly.
Visualize Your Shot
It’s always a good idea to picture every shot before you take it.
Simply stand behind the ball, identify the target you want to hit, and visualize the shot going to that target.
Of course, look to make this as realistic as possible, as visualizing impossible shots will get you nowhere.
Picturing a shot should help you get a better idea of how to set it up and how to aim the drive so you get the best possible result.
Conclusion
A strong swing and the ability to hit the ball long on your drives are, of course, essential for a good score.
However, you shouldn’t just rely on the strength as that may make getting to the green more difficult as you move on to the next shot.
Besides going long, a drive should also have a clear aim and hit the right spot on the fairway.
For those who have less experience in the game and are still beginners, these shots may be difficult to achieve.
However, with regular practice and by implementing the tips from above, after a while you should be able to nail a decent drive and significantly improve your game and lower the score every time you hit the links.
