The tee is the only area on the course where you can place the ball. It’s also the only place where you can tee the ball up. Deciding how high to tee it is a crucial decision.
Tee the ball too high or low you could find yourself in trouble right away. Make the most of your drive by planning it out.
Here are five rules of thumb to hitting better drives:
• Tee it higher for more carry
• Tee it lower a penetrating flight
• Tee it higher to hit a draw
• Tee it lower to hit a fade
• Leave some power in reserve
You have almost total control in the tee box. You can tee the ball as high as you want an-ywhere you want as long as it’s between the markers. Make the most of it. Here are five rules to consider:
• Teeing the ball up higher provides more carry through the air. It’s ideal for playing a hole downwind. The higher ball flight lets you take advantage of the tailwind.
• Tee the ball lower for a more penetrating ball flight. It’s ideal when playing into a stiff wind—a major distance killer. Just be careful not to chop down on the ball.
• Tee it higher to hit a draw. The higher tee promotes a more rounded swing shape than normal—which is what’s needed for draw.
• Teeing it lower can help you hit a fade. The lower tee promotes a more upright swing shape, encouraging you to hit fade, where the ball moves from left to right.
• Leave some power in reserve off the tee. Unless the situation is really desperate, swing at about 70% to 80% power. This promotes distance plus solid contact.
The key here is matching the tee height to right shot shape. To do that and you’ll boost your consistency off the tee.