At The Sand Trap, we have a thread describing “Shot Cones” and their application during your rounds of golf. It includes this picture:

The image has these two bits of text:

In the top row we have a draw that starts on the right edge of the shot cone and draws to the left edge. Then a draw that starts on the same line and doesn’t draw quite as much, a draw that doesn’t start as far right and draws back to the left line, and finally a bit more of a push that simply doesn’t draw much at all.
 
In the bottom row we have a ball that starts on the right side of the cone and then over-draws. Then we have a shot that would turn out fine but which would indicate something’s goofy in your swing – a shot that starts right of the edge of your cone and draws back. Then we have a pull-fade in our push-draw shot cone, and finally a push that is outside of the shot cone.

Shot Cones are basically a “consistency measurement” for a better (typically single digits to low double digit handicappers). It says that any shot which leaves the cone OR has the incorrect curve is a shot that may indicate that your swing is losing its consistency. If you normally hit a seven-yard draw with your 6-iron, but you hit a pull-cut on a hole, it indicates that something was not normal with that swing, just the same as if you hit a 15-yard draw. Even if both somehow end up in the hole, they’re a sign that your consistency isn’t there, and they speak to a possible growing issue with your swing.

But, the idea of Shot Cones and Shot Zones has some overlap, and I think the use of flags in the Shot Cones thread fooled some people. This prompted someone to ask this question:

One thing has been bugging me for a couple of days now … and that is the notion that the better the player, the closer their target is to the center of the shot zone.  Obviously, the better the player, the smaller the shot zone.  That’s completely linear and not in question.  But I’ve been thinking about the relationship of shot zones, shot CONES, and shot centers, and it seems to me that once you get to a really** high level, the target should show up near either end of the shot zone.
 
Shouldn’t guys like Zach Johnson or Kenny Perry, who both play a very reliable draw, have a tiny shot zone with the target all the way to the left edge of the oval?  Well, not all the way because there will be slight overdraws, but it seems that their goal would always keep all misses to one side of the target.
 
**I stress really high level, because short of the pros, I’d think that even really good players will miss their shot cones often enough.

It’s a good question, but the answer is pretty simple. For players who are tracking their start lines and curves (i.e. their Shot Cones), they’ll often find that their Shot Zones simply match up: the right edge of their Cone is the right edge of their Zone and the left edge is the left edge. The flag itself may or may not be inside the Shot Zone OR Cone. In fact, one of the sentences in the original thread says this: “(The flags are simply there for illustrative purposes – the left edge isn’t always on the flag for a draw, per my last example of water right.)”

So, let’s assume for example that the flag is in the middle of a green surrounded by rough. The player’s Shot Center is pretty much right over the hole. This player is as likely to hit it straight as they are to curve it the full six yards, but their ball always cuts, at least 90% of the time for their Shot Zones.

In this case, the left edge of their Shot Cone would be three yards left of the flag, and the right edge would be three yards right of the flag. Their Shot Cone and Shot Zone align, as they normally will. Shove the flag to the far left side of the green and put water over there, and the flag may not be inside the Shot Cone OR the Shot Zone (the penalty buffer you must give to the water may push your Shot Zone right of the center of the green).

We hope that makes this all a bit more clear. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments below. Thanks!