Does Tee Height really make a difference?

[Damien45]

I know that as club heads on drivers increased, so did the number of longer tees. Has anyone experiemented with the up to 4" tees? Did a taller tee really make a big difference in ball flight and distance?

[iacas]

Taller? Yes. But as with most things in life you can go too far. If the ball's perched too high in the air you might just swing under it. I tee it up high enough to have a comfortable gap between the driver and the ground at impact, and no more.

I use a mid-height tee. I tee it down pretty low when I need a straighter (and shorter) tee shot.

[Damien45]

So a 4" tee isn't necessary per se? I think I have the height figured out to give me constant sweet spot contact, but it isn't very high in comparison to the length of the tee. As long as I get consistant contact and distance right?

[Hackerpratt]

Absolutely…did you read the article in Golf Mag a few months ago? I will try to find it and post it.

But from personal experience I was getting fitted for a new shaft last week at the Ping van and they were showing me how when I tee the ball down to hit it low, it can create even more spin and cause the ball to balloon up. I adjusted my tee height by close to a ½ inch and it brought my launch angle from an avg of 8.4 to 12.2 I played in a tournament this weekend just with that change and noticed a huge difference in my drives.

Good luck.

[Dpricenator]

I was having a hell of a time with my driver. I would top it about 7/10 times. Frustrated the crap out me. Then one day at the driving range the guy at the pro shop handed me this tall rubber tee. I teed up the first ball and smacked it pretty good. That was followed by a bucket with zero topped balls. So for me teeing it up a bit higher made a huge difference. The tees I had were only about 2.5 inches long, and had by ball below the clubhead when I would swing. The longer tees have corrected the topping issue, but I stillhave plenty of issuse to work on.

[Damien45]

Well the ball is getting teed higher, but not in the 3.5-4" range. I did read that article, which is what started me on trying to find the right height. I guess I just need to continue trying things out. Maybe putting the ball more forward as it gets higher will help. I guess I am worried about it getting sideways as a result.

[David in FL]

Yes. Higher isn't necessarily better, but the height that the ball is tee'd definitely can have a difference in trajectory and even shape.

[Damien45]

Yes. Higher isn't necessarily better, but the height that the ball is tee'd definitely can have a difference in trajectory and even shape.

I do have a trajectory and shape I like. I guess I am wondering of I go higher, and further forward, will I be able to keep those while getting longer distances.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I does matter. At least with my swing. I mark my tees just to make sure they are at the right hight. If the ball is too low, it will acutally fly higher and balloon. If its too high, ill pop it up. My 905r has a big nasty skymark on it as evidecne of this. Just about half of the ball peeking above the crown of the driver head is perfect for me.

[wachesawgolfer]

A lot of tee height can be added if you do not ground your driver. Teeing too high really makes the shot more difficult as the miss under the ball increases with height. Teeing the ball too low encourages a too steep swing, so better to err on too high, than too low.

[goblue107501]

I think it does to a point. Too high and you cut under the ball too much. Too low and maybe you don't hit it on the upswing enough. There is no magic height for anyone IMO. You have to do what is comfortable and gets the best results.

I will use a few different tee heights depending on the type of shot I want to hit in the situation. On a shorter hole, I will tee a little lower and play a fade for control. If I need to move the ball from right to left I may tee it a little higher and play a high draw. Most of the time I will tee the ball my normal height and hopefully hit it straight.

[Damien45]

I does matter. At least with my swing.

I actually do the same thing. I just marked 80 tees last night! lol

[Hackerpratt]

just a side note...they did have me move the ball forward in my stance about 2" and it caused a little pull effect. After a few swings they could see that I didn't have my hands far enough forward, so I moved those. For me now, when I set up for my driver I can look down and see the ball off my front foot and my hands block out the view of my left shoe. I am not saying this will work for everyone, as it would depend on your stance width, but I am hitting the ball pure and longer than I ever have.

[Damien45]

just a side note...they did have me move the ball forward in my stance about 2" and it caused a little pull effect. After a few swings they could see that I didn't have my hands far enough forward, so I moved those. For me now, when I set up for my driver I can look down and see the ball off my front foot and my hands block out the view of my left shoe. I am not saying this will work for everyone, as it would depend on your stance width, but I am hitting the ball pure and longer than I ever have.

Ok, that is something to think about while I continue to test the height. Thanks!

[JetFan1983]

For my entire golfing career (hehe) I had been teeing the ball up really, really low when using my driver. I was afraid of pop ups and just flat out missing the ball, which I'm not proud to admit happened more often than I liked. I was encouraged mostly by friends to continue to tee the ball low, but I basically had the same exact ball flight on every shot. I caught every ball low on the face, which produced a reliable 200 yard stinger that traveled in whatever direction I was aiming. Sometimes this went longer, maybe 220-230. Sometimes shorter, like 180-190. Rather than experiement with golf tees, I decided I would rather fix my swing and have the club head bottom out lower to the ground.

Now my swing faults went deeper than just my tee height, obviously. I sway and my spine angle was a mess. I've been working specifically on both faults. I've tried to make my weight shift more of a by-product of my turn than something I specifically think about. They are still things I battle day-to-day, but I feel like more and more I am winning that battle.

But that darn stinger was still rearing its ugly head nearly every shot I made. I decided that if I'm this consistent in hitting that low stinger, then I obviously should tee it high as I had no doubt improved since the last time I experimented with higher tees. I got 3 1/4 inch tees, which are the longest I've ever used. I put them in the ground as shallow as I can without it falling over. Pop-up city right? Well, for some reason, I haven't. I've been hitting everything high on the face, which has dramatically improved my distance and launch angle. My average drive since I started doing this 36 holes ago has gone to around 230-240 from the 200-210 I was previously.

I even had my longest ever drive during my last round. The wind was slightly breezing right to left and the fairway was slightly uphill, but not by much. I used a Pro-V1. When I measured the distance with Sky Caddy, I had hit the ball 289 yards, which is by far my longest drive. I really can't explain how happy I was. I proceeded to wait 10 minutes to hit my next shot due to the slow play on the course, and of course, I ended up topping my 2nd shot into a fairway bunker and I ended up with an 8 (it was a par-5).

Obviously a good drive will only take you so far, haha, as I just proved, but this new tee height thing and a more stable head through the swing has made the tee box something I look forward to, rather than something I used to be self-conscious about.

Keep in mind that I've only used these tees for two rounds, and both of us realize that stuff can change at any moment in this game, so take what I say with a grain of salt!

[David in FL]

I do have a trajectory and shape I like. I guess I am wondering of I go higher, and further forward, will I be able to keep those while getting longer distances.

Remember, nothing happens in a vacuum. Move the ball, either up, down, fwd, or back, and either your swing will change, or the manner in which the club impacts the ball will change......likely both.

Raising the height of the ball will usually tend to cause your swing to flatten out a bit. Lowering it can steepen the swing. Neither is bad, just different, and both will impact the shot. How, or to what degree, only trial and error, or better yet, a good instructor, will tell.

[Damien45]

I got 3 1/4 inch tees, which are the longest I've ever used. I put them in the ground as shallow as I can without it falling over.

I have the same length of tees (just bought them) to try out. The mark on them are considerably up the length (higher than 1/3 up). When you say you "put them in the ground as shallow as I can" do you have any guess as to how much tee you used?

[JetFan1983]

I have the same length of tees (just bought them) to try out. The mark on them are considerably up the length (higher than 1/3 up). When you say you "put them in the ground as shallow as I can" do you have any guess as to how much tee you used?

By the look of the dirt collected on the tee I have next to my desk, it looks as if I put only 0.4 inches in the ground, probably slightly more than this? I've been putting it as shallow as I can without the ball on the tee looking like a mini-Leaning Tower of Pisa. I've been close to grounding my driver at address though, just above the grass so there's no friction, but not behind the ball. For me, this has worked.

PS- Is this a bad habit of me playing to my misses, or am I just doing the right thing for me here? Opinions, anyone?