There is a lot to think about when playing a dogleg hole, so we wanted to finish this article with a list of points that you will want to keep in mind. As you gain experience playing courses with different kinds of doglegs, you will find that your decision-making process becomes easier and easier with time.
Prioritize the short grass. As you are busy thinking about all of the various options for your tee shot on a dogleg hole, don’t lose track of the basic objective of putting the ball in the fairway. You will almost always be better off if you can hit the fairway, as you should have a clean lie and plenty of options for your second shot. There is nothing wrong with being aggressive in some situations when the opportunity presents itself, but sticking with the basics will take you a long way in this game.
Check the slope of the ground. When thinking about how far up the dogleg you are going to try and go, keep in mind that it would be best to have a flat lie for your second shot. If going around the corner of the dogleg is going to put your ball on a slope, you might be better off laying up and dealing with the longer approach shot. This is another one of those simple points, along with placing the ball in the fairway, that will serve you well in golf. Do your best to keep your ball on short grass, and try to find flat lies whenever possible.
Play it safe on short holes. Course designers are adept at tempting players into bad decisions on short holes by adding a dogleg to the fairway. Since the hole is short, why not try to cut the corner and place your ball right up by the green? That will be tempting, to be sure, but it is probably not worth the risk. Instead, take advantage of the short hole by using less club off the tee and positioning yourself in the fairway for a simple approach. One of the biggest mistakes you can make during a round of golf is turning an easy hole into a bogey or worse. Play it safe when you are presented with a short hole and make sure you walk off the green with nothing higher than a par.
Get accurate yardages. It is important to have accurate yardages in mind when making your decisions on the tee of a dogleg hole. How far would you have to hit the ball in the air in order to carry the corner? How far could you hit your drive before it would run through and into the rough on the other side? This is where having a GPS unit can come in handy. With a good golf GPS unit on your side, you can carefully plan your shot and ensure the yardages make sense with the plan you have in mind. Gathering accurate yardages is always important when planning a golf shot, and that is certainly true here.
You might not appreciate them in the moment, but dogleg holes are a big part of what makes golf such an interesting game. If you’ve ever played a course which was completely straight from tee to green on each hole, you already know just how boring and repetitive that can be. Mixing in a few doglegs over the duration of a round will make the day more interesting, and more challenging as well. We hope the tips offered in this article help you to have more success in upcoming rounds. Remember, always choose shots that fill you with confidence, and practice your ball flights on the range before trying to use them on the course. Good luck!
