# Aim Point > Canonical: https://pinflag.io/glossary/aim-point ## Aim Point URL: https://pinflag.io/glossary/aim-point > An aim point is a specific target on the course a golfer is considering hitting to when comparing shot options, as distinct from wherever the ball actually finishes. Every shot starts with choosing an aim point — a spot on the fairway, a section of the green, a bail-out area short of a hazard — before a club is even swung. Comparing aim points is a different exercise from comparing outcomes: an aim point is a decision made in advance, while [proximity to hole](https://pinflag.io/glossary/proximity-to-hole) and strokes gained describe what happened after the swing. Because a shot rarely finishes exactly at the aim point chosen — some [dispersion](https://pinflag.io/glossary/dispersion) around the target is part of every swing — judging an aim point means weighing the full range of likely outcomes it produces, not just the best case. A pin tucked next to a bunker can be the most direct aim point and still a poor one, once a golfer's typical [shot distribution](https://pinflag.io/glossary/shot-distribution) around it is priced in. A more conservative aim point, played away from the flag toward the safer side of the green, usually trades a little proximity for a lower chance of an expensive miss. See [short-siding](https://pinflag.io/glossary/short-siding) and [the fat side](https://pinflag.io/glossary/fat-side) for how that trade-off is typically framed. See also: [Strokes Gained Approach](https://pinflag.io/guides/strokes-gained-approach)