Dogleg Right
A dogleg right is a golf hole whose fairway runs straight from the tee for a stretch and then bends to the right toward the green, taking the shape of a dog’s hind leg. The bend can be a gentle 10-degree curve or, in rare cases, a turn of nearly 90 degrees.
What is a dogleg right?
Picture a fairway that runs in one direction from the tee, then turns right at a clear point and heads on to the green. That bend is the defining feature of a dogleg right. The hole earns its name from a visual resemblance to a dog’s back leg: a straight section, a joint, and a second straight section angled away.
Doglegs only appear on par-4 and par-5 holes, since par-3s are too short to fit a meaningful bend. The point where the fairway changes direction is called the turning point or the corner, and it is usually positioned in the landing area where most golfers’ tee shots will come to rest. Course architects use doglegs to add strategic decision-making to a hole. On a straight hole, the optimal play is usually a long shot down the middle. On a dogleg right, the green is often hidden from the tee, and the golfer has to think about where to position the tee shot to leave a manageable second.
How a dogleg right plays
From the tee box, the green sits to the right of a straight line drawn from the tee. The fairway runs reasonably straight for the first portion of the hole, then turns right at the corner. Anything to the right of the corner is usually trouble: trees, bunkers, rough, or out of bounds. Anything too far left of the corner can leave a long second shot, often blocked by trees on the inside of the bend.
For a right-handed golfer, the shape of the hole tends to favor a fade, which is a controlled left-to-right ball flight that mirrors the curve of the fairway. The ball can start down the left side and finish in the middle. A right-handed golfer who naturally hits a draw faces the harder visual: the ball curves away from the bend rather than with it. The reverse applies to left-handed golfers, who tend to find dogleg rights match a natural draw.
Some dogleg rights tempt longer hitters to “cut the corner” by flying the ball over the inside of the bend toward a shorter line to the green. Whether that play is on the table depends on the hole’s design. A short carry over an open corner is one thing; trees or water guarding the inside are another.
Dogleg right vs. dogleg left
Most golfers come across the term “dogleg right” alongside “dogleg left” and want to know how the two differ. The geometry is mirrored, but the consequences for shot shape are not the same for every player.
| Feature | Dogleg right | Dogleg left |
|---|---|---|
| Fairway direction | Bends right after the turning point | Bends left after the turning point |
| Green position from tee | Right of the straight tee-to-green line | Left of the straight tee-to-green line |
| Favored shot shape (right-handed) | Fade (left-to-right) | Draw (right-to-left) |
| Favored shot shape (left-handed) | Draw (right-to-left) | Fade (left-to-right) |
| Common trouble at corner | Trees, bunkers, or hazards on the right | Trees, bunkers, or hazards on the left |
A right-handed golfer who fights a slice will often find a dogleg right less punishing than a dogleg left, because a slice that gets away tends to follow the bend rather than fight it.
Types of doglegs by severity
Not every dogleg looks the same. The degree of the bend changes both the visual challenge and the strategic options. Course architect Scott Macpherson has written that the angle of a dogleg generally falls between 5 and 90 degrees, with most holes between 10 and 45 degrees.
The categories golfers commonly use:
- Slight dogleg: a bend of roughly 20 to 30 degrees. Brent Kelley, writing for LiveAbout, notes that a small dogleg can sometimes be played as a straight hole if the fairway is wide enough.
- Standard dogleg: a bend of around 45 degrees. The most common type, and the one most architects design as a balance of strategy and playability.
- Severe dogleg: a bend of 60 degrees or more, in rare cases approaching 90 degrees. These holes force a significant change of direction and almost always require a clear plan from the tee.
- Double dogleg: a hole that bends twice, which only happens on par-5s. The architect A.W. Tillinghast was known for designing double dogleg holes, according to Golf Monthly.
The first hole ever designed as a dogleg is thought to be the 4th at Prestwick in Scotland, “Bridge,” part of the club’s first 18-hole layout that opened in 1882, per LINKS Magazine. The hole curves to the right around the Pow Burn.
Common misconceptions
Newer golfers sometimes assume a dogleg right is always best played by trying to fly the corner. In practice, the safest line on most dogleg rights is a tee shot aimed at, or just short of, the corner. Golf Digest and most course architects describe this as the percentage play.
Another common confusion is between a dogleg and a slightly curved fairway. A fairway can have gentle contours without being a dogleg, since the word implies a definable turning point rather than a gradual sweep.
A dogleg is also sometimes used as a verb. A golfer might say a hole “doglegs to the right about 260 yards from the tee,” meaning the fairway begins to turn right at that point.
Related Golf Terms
- Dogleg left — A hole that bends to the left at some point along its length.
- Divot repair tool — A pronged tool used to fix ball marks (pitch marks) on the green.
- Dogleg — A hole that bends to the left or right at some point along its length.
- Divot repair — Fixing the mark left on the green by a ball landing from a high trajectory.
- Divot — A piece of turf displaced by the clubhead during a swing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a dogleg right always a par 4?
No. Doglegs appear on par-4 and par-5 holes. A par-5 dogleg right is common, and a par-5 with two bends is called a double dogleg.
Why is it called a dogleg?
The shape of the hole resembles the hind leg of a dog: a straight upper section, a joint, and a second straight section angled away. The term has been part of golf vocabulary for more than a century.
Does a dogleg right favor right-handed or left-handed golfers?
Neither inherently. It tends to suit right-handed golfers who naturally fade the ball and left-handed golfers who naturally draw it, because those ball flights match the direction of the bend.
What does it mean to “cut the corner” on a dogleg right?
Cutting the corner means hitting a tee shot on a line that flies over the inside of the bend rather than following the fairway around it. The reward is a shorter approach. The risk is whatever sits at the corner: trees, bunkers, water, or out of bounds.
What is the corner of a dogleg?
The point where the fairway changes direction. Architects often place bunkers or trees at the corner to defend it, so a tee shot that drifts too close to the inside of the bend can find trouble.
Sources
- Macpherson, Scott. “The Dogleg.” Scott Macpherson Golf Design. Originally published in The Cut, June 2006.
- Kelley, Brent. “Explaining What a Dogleg Hole Is in Golf.” LiveAbout.
- “What Is a Dogleg In Golf?” Golf Monthly.
- “18 of the Best Dogleg Holes.” LINKS Magazine.
- “It’s Time to Master the Dogleg.” Golf Digest.
