Why You Keep Hitting Good Golf Shots to the Wrong Place
One of the biggest mistakes I see golfers make isn't a bad swing. It's choosing the wrong shot before they even swing.
They check the distance, look at the flag, pick a club and start their routine. Then, as they stand over the ball, they notice the wind, question the club and start wondering whether they've made the right decision.
By then, the doubt has crept in.
I want you to do something different: read the environment before you decide what club to hit.
Golf isn't played in a vacuum. The distance on your laser is only part of the information you need. Wind, lie, ground conditions, pin position and where you can safely miss all affect how a shot is actually going to play.
Start With Where You Don't Want to Go
Before I worry about the exact club, I want to know where the trouble is.
Ask yourself:
"Where don't I want to go?"
That question changes the way you approach the shot.
If you're hitting into a green, don't automatically aim at the flag just because it's sitting there. Look at the hazards and the areas that will leave you with the biggest problems.
For example, if the front left of the green is the safest area and three other parts of the green bring trouble into play, my target isn't necessarily the flag.
My target is the part of the green where I can miss and still have a reasonable result.
That's course management.
And it starts before you've even chosen your club.
Then Read What the Environment Is Going to Do
Once I know where I want the ball to finish, I look at the environment.
This is where I see a lot of golfers go wrong.
They might have 120 metres to the middle of the green, so they grab the club they normally hit 120 metres.
But what happens if there's a strong wind directly into you?
That isn't a 120-metre shot anymore.
You might have 120 metres on the laser, but the shot could be playing 130 or 135 metres.
That's a completely different club.
The same thing happens in the opposite conditions.
If the ground is hard and there's very little stopping the ball, you might need to allow for considerably more run after it lands.
The number on your rangefinder hasn't changed.
The shot has.
Your Lie Matters Too
Before you hit, have a proper look at the lie.
Is the ball sitting perfectly?
Is it sitting down?
Is the ground soft?
Is it hard?
Is the ball above or below your feet?
These things can change how the ball is going to behave.
You don't necessarily need to know an exact mathematical adjustment for every situation.
You need to start noticing that the same distance can require a different shot depending on the conditions.
That's the skill you're developing.
You're learning to ask:
"What is this shot actually going to play like?"
rather than simply asking:
"How far is it?"
Stop Letting the Wind Change Your Mind at the Last Second
Here's another problem I see regularly.
A golfer gets the distance, chooses a club and starts preparing to hit.
Then they stand over the ball and feel a gust of wind.
Suddenly they're thinking:
"Have I got enough club?"
"Should I hit one more?"
"Maybe I should take less?"
And now they're stuck between two decisions.
That's where indecision becomes a problem.
I want you to make your decision before you get over the ball.
Read the conditions.
Decide how the shot is playing.
Choose your target.
Choose your club.
Then commit to the shot.
That doesn't mean you have to ignore new information. If the conditions genuinely change, adjust.
But don't make a habit of standing over the ball and negotiating with yourself.
Golf Is a Problem-Solving Sport
One of the reasons I love coaching on the golf course is that every shot gives you a different problem to solve.
You aren't just dealing with your golf swing.
You're dealing with:
Wind
Lie
Ground conditions
Slopes
Hazards
Pin position
Your target
Where you can and can't miss
And those conditions can change from one day to the next.
A course that was firm and running hard a few months ago might be soft after heavy rain.
A shot that normally plays exactly to its measured distance might suddenly be playing 10, 15 or even 20 metres longer because of the wind.
You have to respond to what's actually in front of you.
A Simple Pre-Shot Process
If you want to start using this in your next round, keep it simple.
Before every shot, work through these questions:
1. Where don't I want to go?
Identify the trouble and the dangerous misses.
2. Where do I want the ball to finish?
Pick a realistic target, not automatically the flag.
3. What is the environment going to do?
Look at the wind, lie and ground conditions.
4. How is the shot actually playing?
Don't confuse the measured distance with the playing distance.
5. What club gives me the best chance of getting the ball to my target?
Choose the club based on the shot you need to play.
6. Once you've decided, commit.
Don't stand over the ball trying to solve the problem all over again.
This process doesn't require you to hit another thousand golf balls.
It requires you to start playing the golf course rather than simply hitting golf shots on it.
You Don't Need to Hit Better Shots to Start Doing This
This is one of the things I want golfers to understand.
You can make better decisions without changing your golf swing.
You can still hit an imperfect shot and end up in a much better position because you've chosen a smarter target and accounted for the conditions.
And when you do hit a good shot, you've given it a much better chance of finishing where you actually wanted it to.
That's why I don't think improving your golf is always about hitting more balls.
Sometimes you need to become better at solving the problem in front of you.
The Simple Version
Before every shot, don't just ask:
"How far is it?"
Ask:
"Where don't I want to go?"
Then look at the environment, work out how the shot is actually playing, choose your target, choose your club and commit to it.
The flag is only one piece of information.
The golf course is giving you a whole lot more.
Learn to read it.
Want to Get Better at Making These Decisions?
If you're constantly hitting decent golf shots but still wondering why you're not scoring as well as you should, the problem might not be your swing.
Sometimes you need someone to watch how you actually play the golf course and identify the decisions, course-management mistakes and other things that are costing you shots.
That's a big part of what I work on with golfers during my on-course coaching.
If you want to understand what's actually holding your game back, book an on-course assessment and let's work it out.
Watch the Original Video
I've also demonstrated this process on the golf course, using an actual hole at Emerald Lakes to show how I assess the target, environment, wind, playing distance and club selection before hitting the shot.
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The Gold Coast offers a range of options including Emerald Lakes, Palm Meadows, Hope Island, Southport, and Coolangatta-Tweed. Paul Williamson provides personalised on-course coaching that goes beyond traditional lessons, covering skills, strategy, and mental game in real playing conditions.
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One-hour lessons provide quick tips but rarely translate under course conditions. Paul’s on-course coaching uses 9-hole assessments to build a tailored plan that actually drops strokes from your scorecard.
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Paul Williamson, a PGA Professional with 30+ years’ experience, provides personalised on-course coaching at courses around Carrara, Hope Island, Robina, Southport, Coolangatta-Tweed, and the broader Gold Coast.
