How often do you see players at your local golf course push their tee in to the ground, without any thought and place the ball on it, before teeing off? Perhaps you have never really given any thought to it yourself? There is so much to think about when playing a round of golf, especially for the beginner, that pushing the tee in to the ground does not even come close in our pre-shot routine. However, it does deserve a bit of care and attention and today we have simple tips, to ensure you are teeing the ball up correctly, every time.
It’s only possible to tee the ball up 18 times during a round of golf, this is because it provides an advantage over striking it off the ground. So let’s make sure we get it right and take full advantage of it.
When teeing up a shot where you will be using a short iron, the general rule of thumb is to tee up the ball, so it sits just above the ground. It will look as though the ball is just hovering above the top of the blades of grass, which is perfect. The reason for this, is because the bulk of the time you use a short iron during a round of golf, it will be to strike the ball from off the ground. By teeing the ball up close to the ground, you will generate the same shot as you would when playing it off the ground but with more control.
However, when using longer irons, hybrid clubs and fairway woods, it’s important to tee the ball a little higher, so it sits about half an inch above the ground. The reason for this, is because hybrid clubs have more weight at the base of the club and you need to get that under the ball, to take full advantage of it. In addition, it will encourage you to get the ball in to the air with the longer irons.
Finally, when teeing up to use a driver, you will want to see a quarter of the ball above the face of the club, when you address the ball. You want to sweep your ball off the tee when using a driver and if you tee the ball too low, you will end up coming down on it and the result will not be good.
These tee positions may differ slightly for each player but they are a good basis on which to start. The more you practice teeing off with each club, the better you will understand the exact tee position which works best for you.
