Iron Shot's off the tee on Par 3's

[lisevolution]

For some reason I have consistently had issues playing par 3's as well as I can play 4's and  5's.  I seem to have some sort of a mental block when the ball is tee'd up and I'm hitting an iron on a shot that I would normally put either on the green or just off into the rough.  Sometimes I just duff it, sometimes I'm short (which I can deal with) but most recently I've been getting a severe hook to the right (I'm a lefty) that forces me to make a real tough second shot to get onto the green.  I probably average a 5 on a par 3 right now and it's definitely effecting my overall scores.

I'm the most frustrated because I've definitely developed a pretty consistent iron approach shot from the fairway or even the rough over the last month and a half or so but it just doesn't translate to the Par 3's.  I've tried raising the tee and no tee at all and still can't seem to find something that works for me.

[JohnnyGuitar]

Not much help from me man as I find the same thing. I managed to par two 3's on my last round and it was the most satisfying thing I did all day. I guess the problem is that there's no space for error. Lately I've taken some advice from Jason Day and always aim for the centre, never the pin. Has helped a bit

[TakeItOnTheChin]

I never tee up with an iron on par threes. I create a very small elevated mound with the blade of my iron and feel no difference between that and a good fairway lie. I'm more used to hitting irons from the turf than from a tee anyway.

[Dave2512]

For me it depends on the condition of the tee box. Some are so bad using a tee is the only option unless I find a patch between divots.

[geauxforbroke]

I think it depends on your type of swing. If you have a shallow swing, don't take many divots, and "sweep" the ball off the ground, tee it up. If you have a steeper swing, take bigger divots, and compress the ball more, play it off the ground if you can. I rarely tee up any club shorter than a 6 iron. As far as playing par 3's, there are a lot of people that say you should ignore the bunker left or the water short, or whatever the case may be. I think it's more important to figure out what the worst case scenario is, then make sure you make a smart choice to avoid the trouble. If you are between a 7 and a 6, and there is water long, hit the 7, even if it means you come up short. At least you still have a chance to get up and down. Hope this makes sense.

[David in FL]

This game is hard. Take any advantage allowed by the rules.....that includes putting the ball on a peg, even if its only to give you a "perfect fairway lie" on the tee box.

[justtapitin]

I used to hate par3 because I tried to get the ball to air by scooping it up......

What I do now is tee up the ball that barely touching the ground.

This helps me thinking I'm hitting just like from FW but it's actually teed up.....

[lisevolution]

I think I just need to play more executive style courses with mostly Par 3's and work on that part of my game more.  It's just mind blowing how a shot can be so totally different even on how you miss just because you're standing in a tee box versus hitting from the fairway or the rough.  Like almost everything else in this game I'm sure it's mostly a mental roadblock more than a physical one, sort of like how if there's water on a hole some how some way I find a way to dunk my ball into it.

[newtogolf]

I use these really short Frogger tees (orange) with my irons and they work very well.  I push them all the way into the ground, so they just barely stick out above the ground.  I swing like I do from a good lie on the fairway, hitting down on the ball.  I find this preferable to hitting the ball right off the ground on the tee box.

[Clambake]

Originally Posted by David in FL

This game is hard. Take any advantage allowed by the rules.....that includes putting the ball on a peg, even if its only to give you a "perfect fairway lie" on the tee box.

I think it was Sam Snead who said "Never seen a man who was so good he couldn't use the help of a peg...", and I concur.    I think that some make the mistake though of teeing the ball too high, inducing them to take a different swipe at the ball than normal.    Tee it up, but tee it low so that you're simulating a perfect lie on the fairway, and then strike down through the ball like a normal iron shot.

[Bye Bye Ball]

I have this problem with one of the par 3's on my course. I usually take a 5/6 iron, (anything more and I'll overshoot the green) and I can't remember the last time I didn't slice or completely mishit the ball off the tee. I've done it so many times I've got so used to making par from getting up and down.

[LuciusWooding]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

I use these really short Frogger tees (orange) with my irons and they work very well.  I push them all the way into the ground, so they just barely stick out above the ground.  I swing like I do from a good lie on the fairway, hitting down on the ball.  I find this preferable to hitting the ball right off the ground on the tee box.

Those things are great. I've lost a few of them, but never broken one. At worst you can dent them a bit. They're useless with the driver, but excellent with everything else. And sometimes, if you hit one fat enough, it will stay unbroken in your divot as it flies a couple yards away. Caught hell from my playing partner for that one.