When is right usually wrong and setbacks are a good thing? Only if you want to make a golf hole your backyard. Architect John Fought, who has designed many real-estate courses including Crosswater at Sunriver in Oregon and Seattle's Washington National, provides some tips about how to avoid making your home a target for errant drives.

Greenside risk
"The danger depends on the length of the hole. The longer the approach, the more likely players will hang it to the right."

Beware the right
"Most misses are to the right, so the right side of a hole is more dangerous, especially starting 500 feet from the back tee."

Cutting corners
"Doglegs to the right need more room on the right than any other type of hole. People trying to cut the corner or play left to right usually hit it short or in the trees, then try to make up for that, bringing more misses into play."

Wide choice
"The Urban Land Institute recommends moving 175 feet in each direction from the centerline to determine the safety corridor for real estate. I try to go 200 feet, especially to the right. Elevation and trees can change that slightly. If houses are 60-70 feet above the fairway, you could creep in a bit.

"Some build houses 150 feet off the centerline—I don't know how they afford the liability insurance."

Altitude adjustment
"In places like Colorado, the balls travel farther offline, so the corridor needs to be even wider."

Worst-case scenario
"An elevated tee on a downhill, dogleg right. The tee shot stays airborne longer and that can be scary if your home is down there."

Left behind
"That doesn't mean the left side is not dangerous—not quite as much."

Best-case scenario
"An elevated site on the left side of the hole, ideally behind a green and the next tee."