Target Line
The target line is the imaginary straight line that runs from your golf ball to the spot you intend to hit it. It extends through the ball and out toward the target, and it gives you a fixed reference for aiming, alignment, and reading the direction of your shots.
What is a target line?
Every shot in golf starts with a decision about where the ball should go. The target line is the straight path between the ball and that chosen spot, whether the spot is a flag, a section of fairway, or the back of the cup on a putt. Picture it as a line drawn on the ground that passes through the ball and continues toward the target, often extended a little behind the ball as well.
The target line matters because almost everything else in the setup is measured against it. Your aim, your stance, the direction the clubface points, and the way the clubhead travels through impact all make sense only in relation to this one line. Without it, terms like “open,” “closed,” “inside,” and “outside” have nothing to refer to.
It helps to separate the target line from the body line. One runs from the ball to the target; the other runs across your feet, hips, and shoulders. They are not the same line, and confusing them is one of the most common alignment errors in the game.
How the target line works
A useful way to see the target line is the railroad-tracks image taught by instructors for decades. The outer rail is the target line, running from the ball to the target, and the inner rail is your body line, set parallel to it. For a straight shot, those two rails stay parallel, which means your body actually aims slightly left of the target for a right-handed golfer, not directly at it.
This trips up a lot of players. Aiming the body straight at the flag pushes the clubface to the right of where you want the ball to start. The body line and the target line are meant to be parallel, not pointed at the same spot.
Choosing an intermediate target
Aiming at something 180 yards away is hard, so most good aligners pick a closer reference. Standing behind the ball, they trace the target line back to a small mark a foot or two ahead of the ball, a discolored patch of grass or an old divot, and aim at that instead. Lining the clubface up to a spot two feet away is far easier than lining it up to a flag in the distance, and the near spot sits on the same target line as the far one.
Reading shots against the line
Once the target line exists, the path of the clubhead can be described against it. According to TrackMan, club path is the direction the clubhead is moving at impact, measured in degrees left or right of the target line. A clubhead moving right of the line at impact is travelling “in-to-out”; one moving left is “out-to-in.” Face angle, also measured against the target line, is where the clubface points at the moment of contact. The gap between the two is what bends the ball into a draw, a fade, or a slice.
Target line vs. body line
The single biggest source of confusion around aim is the difference between the target line and the body line. They sound similar and sit only a few feet apart at address, but they do different jobs.
| Feature | Target line | Body line |
| What it connects | Ball to the intended target | Across the feet, hips, and shoulders |
| Where it points | Directly at the target | Parallel left of the target (right-handed golfer) |
| What it controls | Where the ball starts; the reference for path and face | How the body is oriented to support that aim |
| Common mistake | Forgetting to pick a specific target | Aiming it straight at the flag instead of parallel |
When a golfer aims the body straight at the flag, the clubface ends up pointing right of the target, which usually produces a push or a block. Keeping the body line parallel to the target line, rather than aimed at the same point, is what keeps the two working together.
The target line in putting
The target line is just as important on the greens, with one wrinkle. On a breaking putt, the target line is not aimed at the hole but at the point where you want the ball to start before the slope turns it. Once you have read the break, the target line runs from the ball to that starting point.
Many golfers use the line printed on a golf ball or the sight line on the putter to match the target line, then set the putter face square to it before building their stance. As Dave Pelz documented in his putting research, getting the eyes directly over the ball and the target line helps a golfer return the face squarely at impact, since eyes set inside or outside the line tend to pull the stroke offline.
Related Golf Terms
- Swing plane — The angle and path of the club during the swing.
- Target golf — A style of course design requiring precise shots to defined landing areas.
- Swing speed — The velocity of the clubhead measured at the point of impact.
- Swing analyzer — A sensor or app that tracks and analyzes a golfer’s swing mechanics.
- Takeaway — The initial movement of the club away from the ball in the backswing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find my target line?
Stand a few feet behind the ball so the ball sits between you and the target. Trace a straight line from the target back to the ball with your eyes, then pick a small mark a foot or two in front of the ball on that line to aim at.
Is the target line the same as the body line?
No. The target line runs from the ball to the target. The body line runs across your feet, hips, and shoulders and is set parallel to the target line, which means it points slightly left of the target for a right-handed golfer.
Should my feet point along the target line?
No. Your feet, along with your hips and shoulders, should be parallel to the target line, not on it. Pointing the feet directly at the target aims the body to the right of where you want the ball to go.
Does the target line change for a draw or a fade?
Yes. For a shaped shot, you aim the target line where you want the ball to start, then the club path and face angle relative to that line curve the ball back toward the real target.
Sources
- Titleist Learning Lab. “Target Line” and “Club Path.” Accessed June 2026.
- TrackMan. “What is Club Path?” Accessed June 2026.
- Rapsodo. “Understanding Club Path and Attack Angle.” Accessed June 2026.
- Golf Distillery. “Putting Alignment: How to Line Up for a Putt.” Accessed June 2026.
- PARennial Golf. “Swing Direction vs Club Path.” Accessed June 2026.
- Dave Pelz. “Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible.” Accessed June 2026.
