Why do I always miss extra wide golf Fairways? Now, it’s often a blessing when you get onto a tee and before you stretch out a massive fairway as wide as you can see. A classic example is the 1st and the 18th holes at The Old Course at St. Andrews, which is basically one massive fairway that is very, very hard to miss even if you hit an absolutely awful shot. However, some people when faced with even the widest of fairways tend to lose it off line either right or left, and for the life of them they can’t figure out why. Most of the time people miss extra wide fairways when they switch off their concentration. They see a wide fairway and they automatically assume that they’re going to hit it. What you need to do is approach the shot as you would any other. Picking out a target, picking out your target line, making sure your alignment is correct, and then committing to the shot.

There are some fantastic stories about professionals. There’s one about Ben Hogan who when faced with an approach to a green at an invitational asked his caddie what the line was. The caddie pointed to a group of four palm trees behind the green and said, “Aim for the palm trees.” Hogan said, “Which palm tree shall I aim for in the group?” You need to be that precise. Some of the other stories of that — get him asking for a particular leaf on the branches. But I’m not sure how far I can stretch to believe that. But when you’re faced even with an extra wide fairway, focus your attention on a specific point. The mind actually works better, and it will help aim your body better if you’re focused on a small area rather than a wide area. So, if you are struggling to hit even the widest of fairways, focus on a small point, get aligned to that point, commit to the swing, and keep your concentration at all times.