How to Read Tee Box Alignments

Golf course architects don't necessarily try to trick you into hitting a bad shot, but they don't always point you in the right direction, either.

Couple that with the tee markers being placed more to save the grass on the tee box than to align you with the fairway and you may be headed for trouble if you don't take a moment to survey the hole.

Architects will design tee boxes that don't exactly point to the center of the fairway, so it's important to take note of every hole and how it sets up as you walk up to it. If you're never played the golf course, be sure to take a look at the hole from behind the box, if possible, to see where it is pointed.

Take further note of the tee markers, which could be pointing off the preferred target line. Adjust your alignment accordingly, so you're hitting to the fairway or toward the green and not into the woods or hazard.

Also, on severe doglegs, the tee box is likely pointed down the fairway but you may want to cut the corner in which case your alignment will point in a direction other than where the tee is headed.

A quick survey of each hole could help you save valuable strokes.