Every great golf hole starts the same way: a solid drive that finds the fairway. Sure, you can scramble from the rough, but when you're playing from the short grass, everything gets easier—your approach shots, your confidence, your scorecard. That's the foundation of smart golf, and it's something every player, from weekend warriors to Tour pros, should prioritize.
I remember when hitting fairways felt like second nature. As a younger golfer, I'd step onto the tee box, pull out my driver, and just let it fly—no fear, no second-guessing. Narrow fairways? Trouble lurking? Didn't matter. I knew I could hit my target. But as I've gotten older and gained more clubhead speed, that confidence has slipped. Now, I find myself playing more recovery shots than I'd like, wondering where my accuracy went.
That's why, at last winter's GOLF Top 100 Teacher Summit, I tracked down Jason Baile. He's not just any instructor—he's the 2025 PGA of America Teacher and Coach of the Year, the director of instruction at Jupiter Hills Club, and the coach behind Tour pros like Lucas Glover and Ryan Gerard, both ranked inside the top 25 on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy. If anyone could help me hit more fairways, it was him.
Our session started with a simple question: "What's your problem miss?" At the time, mine was a high, spinny ball that ballooned off to the right. It wasn't a wild slice, but it cost me serious distance and left me miles from the hole. After watching a few swings, Jason pinpointed the root cause: my setup was all over the place. "I see a hodgepodge of mismatch stuff," he said. "Part of your setup looks like you're gonna fade it. Part of your backswing looks like you're gonna draw it. And then another part looks like you're gonna fade it."
It turns out, like many recreational golfers, my issues weren't about power or talent—they were about fundamentals. A few simple setup adjustments were all it took to start hitting straighter drives. In just 30 minutes, Jason transformed my game, and now I want to share those same tips with you. Whether you're chasing your first fairway or your hundredth, these small tweaks can make a world of difference.