Par 3 Basic troubles

[BigDStars187]

I can't for the life of me figure out how to tee off a par 3.... I try putting the tee almost all the way down to give it some height but I never know if I'm suppose to hit down onit the EXACT same way as a ball laying in a fairway or if I'm supposed to swing it so the face is level to the ball since it's heighted a little bit. All I've been doing is giving up and just hitting it from off the ground the entire time and while I guess it works I know teeing it off would be a better thing to do. How do I do it exactly ? Thanks

[newtogolf]

What works for me is to place the ball on a tee that is almost entirely embedded into the ground so I get a clean lie.   I hit down with my higher lofted clubs and take close to a normal divot, but if I use a 4i or 5i I take much less of a divot.

[David in FL]

I tee it just high enough that it gives me what I'd consider a perfect lie in the fairway.  Maybe up 1/8 inch or so, no more.  Then play my normal shot for the club I'm using.

[carpediem4300]

i dont bother with a tee, used to but no matter how far i push it down i cant hit down on it properly, must be psychological but alot of my buddies suffer the same,

i just find a really good lie on the tee box and place it there, and play as a normal fairway to green shot,,...........i find it to be the same sort of lie as placing a tee all the way into the ground, it just removes the thought of it being tee'd up

my buddies followed suite and none of us tee on a par3 now, one guy went from regularly missing every par 3 green, to hitting them all the time now,.......sometimes i should keep the advice to myself...

[David in FL]

i dont bother with a tee, used to but no matter how far i push it down i cant hit down on it properly, must be psychological but alot of my buddies suffer the same,

i just find a really good lie on the tee box and place it there, and play as a normal fairway to green shot,,...........i find it to be the same sort of lie as placing a tee all the way into the ground, it just removes the thought of it being tee'd up

my buddies followed suite and none of us tee on a par3 now, one guy went from regularly missing every par 3 green, to hitting them all the time now,.......sometimes i should keep the advice to myself...

If it works for you, that's great, but this game is hard and I'd recommend that anyone take every little advantage the rules give you.  Allowing you to have a perfect lie on the teebox by using a tee is one such advantage.....especially given that most of us don't play courses where even the teeing area is pristine all the time.

[BigDStars187]

Perfect. Never thought about just giving myself a clean fairway lie with a tee and hitting down normally. Makes so much more sense . Thanks I'll try it out and post an update. [quote name="David in FL" url="/t/73453/par-3-basic-troubles#post_968124"] If it works for you, that's great, but this game is hard and I'd recommend that anyone take every little advantage the rules give you.  Allowing you to have a perfect lie on the teebox by using a tee is one such advantage.....especially given that most of us don't play courses where even the teeing area is pristine all the time. [/quote] [quote name="carpediem4300" url="/t/73453/par-3-basic-troubles#post_968119"]i dont bother with a tee, used to but no matter how far i push it down i cant hit down on it properly, must be psychological but alot of my buddies suffer the same, i just find a really good lie on the tee box and place it there, and play as a normal fairway to green shot,,...........i find it to be the same sort of lie as placing a tee all the way into the ground, it just removes the thought of it being tee'd up my buddies followed suite and none of us tee on a par3 now, one guy went from regularly missing every par 3 green, to hitting them all the time now,.......sometimes i should keep the advice to myself... [/quote] [quote name="David in FL" url="/t/73453/par-3-basic-troubles#post_967093"]I tee it just high enough that it gives me what I'd consider a perfect lie in the fairway.  Maybe up 1/8 inch or so, no more.  Then play my normal shot for the club I'm using. [/quote]

[carpediem4300]

I agree with what you say to an extent,

but if i find a patch of grass that offers the perfect lie for me to tee the ball up on, i do that, and i know "mentally" "subconsiouly" whatever i gotta hit down on it ala fairway shot

If i in that same patch of grass, use a tee pushed all the way day to replicate the lie i could of achieved with the above method, 1) I dont see the actual gains to be had? 2) mentally or whatever i know its on a tee, i know i should hit down on it still, and i know that the tee is practically doing nothing at this point anyway cus the grass offers just as good a lie without it, yet i still hit up on it?

I see your point about less than pristine tee boxes being a problem,

[rightdraw]

I always put the ball on a tee on par three. The top of the tee is pretty much level with the group or just above. This insures the ball has a good lie, my swing is the same as hitting from the fairway.

[David in FL]

I agree with what you say to an extent,

but if i find a patch of grass that offers the perfect lie for me to tee the ball up on, i do that, and i know "mentally" "subconsiouly" whatever i gotta hit down on it ala fairway shot

If i in that same patch of grass, use a tee pushed all the way day to replicate the lie i could of achieved with the above method, 1) I dont see the actual gains to be had? 2) mentally or whatever i know its on a tee, i know i should hit down on it still, and i know that the tee is practically doing nothing at this point anyway cus the grass offers just as good a lie without it, yet i still hit up on it?

I see your point about less than pristine tee boxes being a problem,

One of the benefits to using the tee is that it allows for consistency. You get the same "lie" every time.  If you use a tee when conditions are poor, but no tee when they're good, you're likely to continue to have a mental block because you're doing something different, and know it.

I honestly don't know of a single good player that doesn't use a tee when the rules allow them to do so.  Including the tour pros.  I'm sure there may be one or two out there, but even if there are, they're in the vast minority, and there's a reason for it.

Again, if it works for you, go for it.  I think you're hurting yourself though.....

[carpediem4300]

Thats the point though, he's a 20 handicapper, who has by the sounds of it that mental block,.........with all the tuition out there for the driver of sweep the ball, hit up on the ball, and all that, the first moment you put a ball on a tee whatever its height off the ground, subconciously you go back to those thoughts,

he knows he shouldnt, i know i shouldnt, but until you reach a certain level of good consistent golf, why not take that out of the equation?

im not saying this is better, or forever, and i shant do it forever, but whatever works for now, even if it engrains it psychologically that on the par 3's after so many rounds of hitting it off the floor he knows the swing he needs, start teeing it up again and see if he can replicate it, if not start again

its all in between the ears

[MikeRanaldo]

like every one else said, i just put the ball on a tee and give myself basically the best lie i can get in a fairway. i also try to forget that it's on a tee, so i get myself to think that it's just a normal iron shot into a green. for longer irons i tee the ball up maybe 1/4 of an inch, but anything lower than a 5i i just stick the tee all the way in the ground. hope this helps!

[bradsul]

I just thump the ground with my club to pop up a small amount of turf and use that.  I actually do this for everything except my driver unless the tee box is in pretty nasty shape.

[BigDStars187]

I just thump the ground with my club to pop up a small amount of turf and use that.  I actually do this for everything except my driver unless the tee box is in pretty nasty shape.

what

[WUTiger]

... but if i find a patch of grass that offers the perfect lie for me to tee the ball up on, i do that, and i know "mentally" "subconsiouly" whatever i gotta hit down on it ala fairway shot ...

A few years ago, I played low-profile FWs. On longer par 3 holes, I sometimes had trouble with skying the tee shot with the FWs.

So, I would put the ball on a tuft, and pretty well eliminated skying the shots.

I no longer use low profiles, so I tee up the ball on par 3s for all shots, woods and irons.

[BENtSwing]

I just thump the ground with my club to pop up a small amount of turf and use that.  I actually do this for everything except my driver unless the tee box is in pretty nasty shape.

This. Works really well, actually, for iron shots off the tee.