Most amateurs struggle with dogleg holes because they try to do something they’re not capable of doing. If the hole bends to the left, they think, I need to hook or draw it around the corner, even if their natural ball flight is a fade. That strategy has double-bogey written all over it. Remember, the second half of every dogleg is the shortest part of the hole, so if you can reach the corner and keep the ball in play, you’ve got a chance to score. Here are some other things to consider when you step on the tee of a hole that bends left or right.
1. Pinpoint the zone
Before you choose a club, take the usual steps: consider the shape of the hole, the wind and the trouble surrounding the dogleg. But the important step is to get out a yardage book or a rangefinder and calculate two things: 1) the distance to the inside corner of the dogleg. 2) how far it is before you run out of fairway. Obviously, getting your tee shot past the corner is the goal, but you also have to keep from hitting it into trouble on the far side of the hole. Go with a club that is going to fit the ball nicely in that zone.
2. Play it straight-ish
Under calm conditions, choose a start line in the fairway even if your typical ball curves. The mistake is to aim too far left or right and then hit a shot that doesn’t curve at all and you end up in jail. The exception is when the wind is blowing hard in the direction of the dogleg or you tend to hit a big hook or slice. In those cases, it’s OK to aim at the rough line because you’re likely to curve the ball back into play.
3. Don’t get cute
To play good golf, you don’t have to know how to shape shots left and right, but you do have to know how to make the ball go in one direction. If you’re most comfortable hitting a fade, play from the far right-hand side of the tee, aim towards the left-hand side of the fairway and then make an aggressive, confident swing. If you can hit a draw, play from the left side of the tee. Don’t try to produce a shot you’re not comfortable hitting. – written with Dave Allen
MIKE BENDER, one of Golf Digest’s 25 Legends of Golf Instruction, is owner and director of instruction of the Mike Bender Golf Academy in Lake Mary, Florida.
