Here's how high to tee up your golf ball!
Just over 100 years ago, the tee became an essential part of a golfer's equipment. Before that, players would build a small mound of sand to place the ball on. The classic wooden tee was invented by a dentist from New Jersey who grew tired of getting his hands dirty before each shot. So how do we actually tee up best for each club? Here are some basic tips!
TEEING UP WITH THE DRIVER
"With the driver, we want to hit up on the ball, which is why we tee it high and forward in our stance. If you have a steep swing path into the ball, you might want to tee it slightly lower, while a shallower swing allows for a higher tee height. A good rule of thumb is to start with half the ball visible above the clubhead!"
TEEING UP WITH A HYBRID
"When teeing up with a hybrid, the standard answer is: tee low in the middle of your stance. If you want a higher or lower ball flight, maintain the low tee height and instead adjust your swing to hit down or up on the ball. You can also experiment by moving the ball slightly forward or back in your stance."
TEEING WITH FAIRWAY WOODS
"Unlike the driver, with fairway woods we want to hit more down on the ball. Fairway woods have higher loft than the driver and therefore don't need as much help to achieve a high ball flight. The hitting surface is also considerably smaller, so to get the most out of the sweet spot, we tee it low."
TEEING UP WITH IRONS
"On iron clubs, the sweet spot is located just below the centre of the striking face. Therefore, it's crucial not to tee the ball too high when hitting with an iron. Just high enough to create a better position, allowing the clubface to strike the ball from slightly underneath."
GOOD TO KEEP IN MIND:
- In general, most golfers tee the ball too high with irons, hybrids and fairway woods, and too low with their driver.
- Sometimes the tee area is a bit uneven, make sure you always tee up on as level a surface as possible.
- Penalty area or out of bounds on one side? Tee up on the same side of the tee box as the hazard, so you play "away" from it.
- Are you new to golf? Always tee up from the teeing ground to ensure your ball sits perfectly.