Target Golf
Target golf is a style of play where nearly every shot is flown through the air to a chosen landing spot and stops quickly, with little or no roll along the ground.
What is target golf?
Target golf describes a way of playing where the ball travels almost entirely in the air and comes to rest close to where it lands. Hardly anything runs along the ground, so the golfer picks a spot, flies the ball to it, and expects it to stay put. Golf Magazine once defined the term as meaning the ball will likely come to rest approximately where it hits the ground, with all of the strategy taking place in the air (Golf Compendium).
This happens mostly because of how a course is built and how it plays on a given day. Soft, well-watered fairways and receptive greens grip the ball and kill its roll, which pushes the golfer toward high, soft-landing shots. Much of the golf played in the United States fits this description, and PGA Tour events often look like target golf because the courses play soft and the players are skilled enough to stop the ball on command (Golf.com).
The term makes the most sense when set against its opposite, the ground game, where a player uses slopes, firmness, and roll to work the ball toward the hole. Target golf removes most of those ground options and leaves the golfer with one main question on each shot: how do I land this ball softly in the right place?
How target golf works
The whole approach leans on the ball stopping where it lands. On soft greens, a well-struck iron or wedge bites and holds, so a player can aim at a safe portion of the green and trust the shot to finish nearby. Tour players take this even further. Because they hit the ball a long way off the tee, they often have short irons or wedges into the green, and those clubs spin enough to stop almost on contact (Golf.com).
Course conditions do a lot of the work here. Slower, softer turf brings the ball to a halt faster, especially on the greens, so keeping the ball in the air becomes the safer choice. On a parkland course, with its lush turf and receptive greens, flying the ball to the target is both the easiest and the most rewarded way to play (Hole19). The golfer is not inventing bounces or feeding the ball off slopes. The plan is simpler: pick a landing area, then choose the club that carries exactly that far.
Target golf vs links golf
Most confusion about the term clears up once target golf is placed beside links golf. The two represent opposite approaches to getting the ball to the hole, and the contrast is exactly why the phrase exists. The term itself traces back to British golfers comparing their firm, fast links courses with the softer, more aerial style common elsewhere (Golf Compendium).
Links courses play firm and fast, so the ball rolls a long way after it lands. That opens up choices. From short of the green, a player might chip, pitch, putt from off the surface, or run a bump-and-run with a less-lofted club, letting the ground carry the ball toward the flag. Target golf takes most of those options off the table. If a pond or bunker guards the front of the green, the only real play is to fly the ball over the trouble and land it softly (Golf Compendium).
Here is how the two compare:
| Feature | Target golf | Links / ground game |
|---|---|---|
| Ball flight | High, lands soft, little roll | Lower, designed to run after landing |
| Course conditions | Soft fairways and greens | Firm, fast turf |
| Typical setting | American parkland courses | Coastal links in Scotland and Ireland |
| Shot variety near greens | Mostly one lofted option | Chip, pitch, putt, or bump-and-run |
| Main skill rewarded | Carry distance and stopping the ball | Reading slopes and controlling roll |
| Weather influence | Less wind-dependent | Wind often forces low shots |
The ground game tends to reward imagination, since figuring out where to land a ball and watching it funnel toward the hole is one of the game’s real pleasures. Target golf rewards precision and control instead, which is part of why skilled players often prefer it: once the ball is in the air and the green is soft, the outcome is easier to predict (Golf.com).
Where you’ll encounter target golf
Most golfers in the United States have played target golf without ever hearing the name. Typical parkland courses, with their tree-lined holes, soft fairways, and greens guarded by water, sand, and rough, ask players to fly the ball to a defined area rather than run it in (Golf Compendium). Augusta National, home of the Masters, is the classic parkland example, and well-known layouts like Merion and Valderrama are often cited in the same breath (Lynx Golf).
The term has been in use for decades. One of its earliest appearances in print came in 1982, when a New York Times writer described the new TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course at The Players Championship as a target golf course that demanded planning and accuracy on every shot (Golf Compendium). Desert courses fit the pattern too, since the choice there is often binary: carry the ball to the grass, or find sand and scrub (Lynx Golf).
None of this makes target golf good or bad on its own. It is simply a condition a golfer runs into at certain courses and has to play accordingly.
Common misconceptions about target golf
The biggest mix-up has nothing to do with course strategy. A separate, newer use of the phrase refers to a casual range or party game where players hit balls at large nets or glowing targets and score points based on where the ball lands (Topend Sports). That version is an entertainment activity, closer in spirit to a driving-range competition than to the playing style described here. Same words, different thing.
A second misunderstanding comes from the word target itself. Every golfer should pick an exact spot to aim at on every swing, but that ordinary habit is not what target golf means. The term is specifically about the ball stopping near where it lands, not about having an aim point (Golf.com).
Finally, target golf is sometimes treated as a lesser or less interesting form of the game. That sells it short. It does ask for less ground-game creativity, yet stopping a ball precisely on a guarded green is its own demanding skill, and a target course can be a great course. Plenty of the world’s most admired layouts play exactly this way.
Related Golf Terms
- Swing speed — The velocity of the clubhead measured at the point of impact.
- Sweet spot — The optimal point on the clubface for making contact with the ball.
- Takeaway — The initial movement of the club away from the ball in the backswing.
- Swing plane — The angle and path of the club during the swing.
- Swing analyzer — A sensor or app that tracks and analyzes a golfer’s swing mechanics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is target golf the same as aiming at a target on every shot?
No. Choosing an aim point is part of every shot in golf. Target golf specifically means the ball flies to a spot and stops there with little roll, usually because the course is soft.
Is target golf easier or harder than the ground game?
For skilled players, it is usually easier, since a well-struck shot into a soft green stops close to where they aimed and leaves little to chance. Higher handicappers can struggle because soft turf eats distance.
Where did the term target golf come from?
It grew out of British golfers contrasting their firm links courses with the softer, more aerial American style. An early print use appeared in the New York Times in 1982.
Is target golf an official sport?
Not in the course-strategy sense. There is a separate informal game also called target golf, played by hitting balls at nets or targets for points, but that is a different activity.
Sources
- Golf Compendium. “What Is ‘Target Golf’?” Accessed June 2026.
- Isaacson, Desi. “What’s wrong with ‘target golf’? And what are its alternatives?” Golf.com, June 21, 2020.
- Hole19. “Parkland vs Links Golf: Understanding Course Styles.” Accessed June 2026.
- Lynx Golf. “Types of Golf Courses: Links vs Parkland Explained.” Accessed June 2026.
- Topend Sports. “The New Sport of Target Golf.” Accessed June 2026.
