Our club recently took a trip to the Northern California Golf Association's home course, Poppy Hills in Monterey. The course is very beautiful and very challenging. It has many sharp dog-leg holes. This doesn't present a problem for the average to short hitter, but it is a serious problem for the long hitter.
If you are so talented that you can turn the ball left to right or right to left, forming the same shape as the fairway, then hit driver every time. If you're not that talented - most of us aren't - you need to outsmart the course and just play to the dog-leg. There are many reasons for this.
First of all, the turn of the dog-leg is generally the widest part of the fairway, so your target area is much larger. You also set yourself up for a much easier approach shot from a reasonable distance.
Now, many people feel that they paid a lot of money for their driver, so they're going to use it off of every tee. That's your choice.
Just remember, this is not the way to a low score.
Outsmart the hole by choosing a club off the tee that keeps you out of trouble if you hit it well. If you don't own a SkyCaddie - all avid golfers should have one - you can figure out your yardage to a certain extent by looking at the 150-yard marker on that hole. Calculate which club it will take to hit it there, and most times that will be your target.
Don DeLorenzo is a PGA-certified instructor at Gilroy Golf Course. To schedule a lesson with Don, call Gilroy GC at (408) 848-0490.
Don DeLorenzo Got a question or a comment? Send us an email.
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