Why It Is Important To Shape Shots

The ability to shape shots opens up the golf course quite a bit during play and also enables the golfer to score better. It’s like adding extra clubs to your bag.
So you are about to tee off on a par four with either your driver or three metal. The fairway is 40 yards wide, trouble on the left side of the fairway. If you are able to hit a power fade (and control it — not hit it in the next fairway!) you would want to start the drive on the left side of the fairway and move the ball from left to right.
If you aim down the middle you would have 20 yards on each side of your aim to miss, but if you aim to the left side of the fairway and fade the shot, now you have 40 yards of fairway to work with. Just like that you have made the fairway twice as big.
The idea is that if you are hitting a fade or a draw off the tee then you will eliminate a side of the fairway. For example, if your aiming point is the right side of the fairway and you are planing on hitting a draw, if you hit any kind of draw at all you will be in the center or left of the fairway. If the ball does not draw and just goes straight you’ll be on the right side of the fairway.
Another strong benefit to this ability is for approach shots to greens. Pins seem to find themselves setup behind bunkers and other hazards. If a pin is on the right side of a green and behind a bunker, the smart play is to try to work the ball from left to right toward the pin. You give yourself a bailout if you don’t hit it exactly the way you wanted.
This is so important we have created an entire section on the subject, check it out here:
Shape Shots
The best part about shaping shots is that if you miss the shot the damage is minimized. But don’t go crazy with this. Every shot does not have to move — straight is also a direction.