TIP OF THE WEEK

GOOD decisions from the tee box can set up an easy passage to the green.

Decisions around which club, where on the tee and the height of the tee will make it easier to hit fairways.

If you are not a long hitter and hit the ball pretty straight then you should hit your driver virtually all the time.

If you are medium to long hitter and don’t hit the ball very straight then you should be reviewing your tactics from the tee.

If you hit fades and slices, tee up on the right-hand side of the tee box.

This will open up the width of the fairway and you should be aiming at the left edge of the fairway.

If you hit draws and hooks then tee up on the left-hand side of the tee box and aim at the right edge of the fairway.

If you don’t hit enough fairways, then presumably you will have a medium to high handicap, you therefore don’t need to hit greens in regulation.

Say you play off 18, on par fours you only need to hit the green in three.

So from the tee box consider hitting clubs that you find reliable and you are comfortable with, a 150m shot on the fairway is a far better result than 200m plus shot into the trouble.

Two shots of 150m will get you in range on all the par fours.

The best players will work backwards from the green. The club they hit off the tee will leave them a nice yardage and/or a good angle to the green. You should be doing the same, except you are setting up for your third shot.

Go through the holes at your course and work out which are the holes you routinely miss the fairway off the tee. Implement the tactics outlined above on these holes as a starting point, and see what happens to your scores.