Master Teeing Off With an Iron Thread

[wrx_junki]

I always tee it up on a par 3. I hit my irons so much better off the tee than off the of anywhere. Main reason why I hit so many greens on par-3's but hit very few GIR on par-4's and par-5's.

[alf174]

I always tee it up on a par 3. I hit my irons so much better off the tee than off the of anywhere. Main reason why I hit so many greens on par-3's but hit very few GIR on par-4's and par-5's.

I'm the complete opposite. I can't get comfortable if I don't take a divot.

[Bourbon and Coke]

I tee it about as low as possible from whatever tee is lying around the tee box. It's probably entirely mental, but I hit more GIR on par 3s than anything else, so I can't argue with the results.

[djl304]

I always tee it up on the par 3's. I tee it up so that the ball is just barely above the ground. I'm just getting to the point of working the ball both directions, and by teeing the ball up I feel that I am able to work the ball better. Also, I always carry a broken tee with me just in case there are none on the tee box.

[RogueGolfer]

I was watching Arnold Palmer talk about how Hogan always said to get some wood under the ball if you can so he took it to heart. If its good enough for those two maybe they were onto something.

[winders]

From the February 01, 1965 issue of Sports Illustrated:

Use Your Head—and Use A Tee

By Jack Nicklaus

When you can have a perfect lie, why give yourself a mediocre one? This is a question I ask on the frequent occasions when I see golfers, both good ones and bad, hitting a tee shot on a par-3 hole without teeing up the ball. These players simply drop the ball on the ground and roll it around with the club head until they get what they think is a satisfactory lie. But there is a chance that the lie is not satisfactory, and it certainly is not the best lie possible. On even the most closely mowed tees, blades of grass will come between the club face and the ball if the ball is not clear of the ground. The grass reduces the backspin that the club can put on the ball, and also accents the effect of any mistakes in the swing. The most frequent result is a shot that holds its line fairly well but "sails," ending up over the green. A par-3 hole can be hard enough, without making it tougher through carelessness. What you should do is tee the ball up so that it sits above the top of the grass. The club is then free to make clean, crisp contact with the ball.

When the ball is teed up (above) the club head can get at it cleanly and the club-face grooves can impart maximum backspin. But if the ball is simply put on the ground (below) grass can get between the club head and the ball and affect the shot.

[Garthmo]

for me it depends on the conditon of the tee box, if they are in great shape and it is a short par 3 100 - 140 yards maybe no tee. but on a long one like 200 yarder ya more than likely will tee it up a bit. but if the ball wont sit nice then i will use a tee so it sits nice for me to spank it.

[Dub]

I will tee it up on a par 3 but I'll use a broken tee that's already on the tee box. A lot of people I see will place their ball on the ground, but not on a tee but why not get a perfect lie when you have a freebie?

Same here....I don't tee it up very high at all....just enough to simulate a perfect lie.

[m11]

You always want to put it on a tee...and tee it up low enough so that you can still compress the ball into the ground. This gives you the best lie possible for a shot. I dont see why you would want it any other way.

[winders]

You always want to put it on a tee...and tee it up low enough so that you can still compress the ball into the ground.

You don't really believe that you compress the ball into the ground, do you?

S-

[m11]

You don't really believe that you compress the ball into the ground, do you?

haha no, the idea i meant to get across was that many golfers tee up their irons far too high, and end catching the balls with the top few grooves. Meant to say that you want too it up low so that you can properly compress the ball.

[rubbery]

I don't even tee the ball up when I hit 3 wood off the tee. I just find it easier to hit down on the ball without a tee.

[sacm3bill]

You don't really believe that you compress the ball into the ground, do you?

Uh, I do. That was the whole point of my earlier post (1st response in this thread.) Pinching the ball between the club and the turf will give you more backspin and a different trajectory than if the ball is teed up too high. At least, that's what dozens of books, internet sites, and personal experience tells me.

[manutd8611]

I used to not use a tee on par 3's but now I always do use one barely off the ground. Why not guarantee yourself a perfect lie?

[N.V.M.]

i watched Arnold Palmer on tv giving out tips. he said ALWAYS tee it up when you're allowed. so i do. of course i don't tee it up very high at all, just keep the bottom of the ball barely up enough to get the blade under it, but looking at it you can hardly tell there's a tee under it.

[michaeljames92]

I always use a broken tee. If I can't find one, I break one off. I hate the feel of a full tee, even a short one, on that tee shot. I can actually feel a full tee causing some resistence on the club face. I still hit down on the ball, I don't want to tee it so high as to scoop it and add loft.

Especially those crappy plastic tees. Awful feeling

[N.V.M.]

I was watching Arnold Palmer talk about how Hogan always said to get some wood under the ball if you can so he took it to heart. If its good enough for those two maybe they were onto something.

haha, see my above post, couple up ^^^^. good stuff

[jaragon126]

I don't use tees on a par 3 if I am using an iron. If I am using a 3-wood or 5-wood (on a par 3 or par 4) I will use a tee (broken one if I can find one) to tee the ball up just above the grass.