[Kim Haneul's FunFun Golf] "Aiming is Important"

Checking Direction Behind the Ball... Setting Targets Using Leaves

One of the most common mistakes weekend golfers make when playing in pro-am tournaments is aiming. Most of them stand looking at the wrong spot instead of the target. Often, they look too far to the right. Even when advised to look more to the left, it is not easily corrected.

If the direction is set incorrectly, no matter how good the shot is, the ball will fly to the wrong place. When these actions accumulate, it can lead to the worst outcome of changing the swing itself. Amateur golfers tend to look more to the right when they hook the ball and aim left when they slice, but this is not the correct solution. Severe mis-aiming can actually cause more hooks and slices.

On the course, not the driving range, you need to have your own method to set the direction correctly. After teeing up, look at the target from behind the ball. Choose a reference point such as grass or leaves within 1 meter in front of the ball as an intermediate target, and stand parallel to the target direction.

If you are not confident in your aiming when teeing off, you can use a tip commonly used in putting. Align the arrow engraved on the golf ball toward the target direction and then address the ball. When attacking with irons after the tee shot, you can use divots on the fairway. By choosing a divot facing the green and aiming accordingly, you can avoid major mistakes.

Golf is a game of lowering your score. There are always hazard areas around the hole, so when setting a target on the teeing ground, you should block out hazard areas and hit the ball accordingly. If there is an OB (out of bounds) or hazard on the left, tee up on the left and hit to the right. Conversely, if the trouble area is on the right, tee up on the right and aim left to make the most of the fairway.

Before going out on the course, you can also practice aiming at the driving range. Instead of swinging without thinking, it is better to set a desired target and then take the shot. For the next shot, change the target point again for effective practice. Remember, proper aiming can be the fastest way to reach single-digit handicaps.

Former 14-time winner on the Korea-Japan Tour, Sportainer

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.