Eliminating one side of the fairway

[jl923]

I hear this alot but i'm not sure I understand what it really means. If your mistake is a push/slice, do you aim left fairway? Whenever i try that i inevitably hook it.

[max power]

Well, you obviously can't eliminate one side if you don't have a consistent shot shape/miss.

[Robato]

You eliminate one side by playing a draw or a fade. If, for example, you play a fade, and the tee shot goes straight, its ok. And if it fades to the right, you're in even better position. It shouldnt draw, since you are hitting a fade, so you eliminate the left side. This works really well if you have a consistent fade.

And the same goes for eliminating the right side if you play a draw.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by Robato

You eliminate one side by playing a draw or a fade. If, for example, you play a fade, and the tee shot goes straight, its ok. And if it fades to the right, you're in even better position. It shouldnt draw, since you are hitting a fade, so you eliminate the left side. This works really well if you have a consistent fade.

And the same goes for eliminating the right side if you play a draw.

Pretty much this.  Basically, plan for your worst miss (assuming you have one consistent type of miss) like myself, I typically hit a relatively straight shot maybe sometimes a very very slight draw.  Now with my worst drives (bad slice which I need to make a fade) I can aim down the left side of the fairway and place the shot there.  Then if I miss assuming its not a terrible slice and more of a fade which would be a miss for me it would just land on the right side of the fairway or in some light rough nothing too crazy..

[ohiolefty]

This is a better abstraction than a practical reality sometimes. You have to be able to work it both ways or hit it relatively straight. A lot of pro golfers that do this hit a fade...but amateurs would be better eliminating the cut/slice/fade because of the loss of distance and the tendency to be over the top.