Driver tee height

[jsposato]

I guess my question is:

I've always used 2 3/4" tees for the driver.  Wondering if I'd get a better launch condition with a 3 1/4" tee?  Just want to make sure I'm not potentially 'hamstringing' myself with a shorter tee.

Thoughts?

[woodzie264]

29 minutes ago, jsposato said:

I guess my question is:

I've always used 2 3/4" tees for the driver.  Wondering if I'd get a better launch condition with a 3 1/4" tee?  Just want to make sure I'm not potentially 'hamstringing' myself with a shorter tee.

Thoughts?

It's my understanding that if you tee it up a little higher and play the ball a little more forward in your stance, this allows you to catch it further on your upswing, creating a better launch angle. I would defer to launch monitor for your particular optimal set up, but I think that's the general rule of thumb.

After reading LSW which promoted this as well, I have put that into practice and improved my carrying distance by 10-20 yds without really changing my swig at all.

[DaveP043]

35 minutes ago, jsposato said:

I guess my question is:

I've always used 2 3/4" tees for the driver.  Wondering if I'd get a better launch condition with a 3 1/4" tee?  Just want to make sure I'm not potentially 'hamstringing' myself with a shorter tee.

Thoughts?

@woodzie264 echos what I understand about driver tee height.  One simple thing to do would be to use impact tape or some other means of determining where on the clubface you're making contact with the ball.  If its middle or below, you'd probably benefit from a longer tee.  This doesn't address the slightly upward angle of attack that also helps generate a higher launch, but its a simple first step.

[cnl390]

1 hour ago, jsposato said:

I guess my question is:

I've always used 2 3/4" tees for the driver.  Wondering if I'd get a better launch condition with a 3 1/4" tee?  Just want to make sure I'm not potentially 'hamstringing' myself with a shorter tee.

Thoughts?

About 3 rounds ago I switched to 3 1/4" tees and moved ball position to inline with my left armpit.  I have been hitting the ball much more solidly and my average drive has gone from 220 to 230+.

[DaveP043]

To follow up a little, this is a pretty good post about driving the ball:

The suggestion, tee the ball relatively forward, with the middle of the ball even with the top of your driver.  

[phillyk]

1 hour ago, woodzie264 said:

It's my understanding that if you tee it up a little higher and play the ball a little more forward in your stance, this allows you to catch it further on your upswing, creating a better launch angle. I would defer to launch monitor for your particular optimal set up, but I think that's the general rule of thumb.

After reading LSW which promoted this as well, I have put that into practice and improved my carrying distance by 10-20 yds without really changing my swig at all.

I would agree with checking on a launch monitor of some kind.  It all depends on how you currently swing, angle of launching the ball, and what degree driver you use.  You might already have ideal launch conditions now.

[DaveP043]

The other thing is, considering the price of tees, try the longer ones and see what happens.  Its not like buying a few different drivers in order to find the right one.

I'm laughing at myself, along with all of the rest of the posters.  How quickly we go to contact tape and launch monitors, when you can just try taller tees for an investment of just a couple of bucks.  If the ball goes further, good.  If not, just about nothing lost

[jsposato]

Thanks everyone.  I'll take the poor man option for now and buy some longer tees. Lol

[Brian W]

I have always used the 2 3/4 Pride tees.  I tend to keep the ball teed up lower and have done the impact tape to prove I don't need it teed up any higher.  I am sure I could change my swing to match a larger tee but I do not have an issue with launch angle or distance

I dont think you need to even buy a set of bigger tees but instead go to a course (or location) that has short grass and just tee it up higher.  It might take some balancing but you should get the gist of it

[Psyber]

I like the ones with the blue band (forget the exact height) which I think are a bit over 3". I can tee them my standard height for higher launch or I can just push them a little further in to tee it lower to bring my launch down on windy days.

[Liko81]

On 8/23/2016 at 11:04 AM, woodzie264 said:

It's my understanding that if you tee it up a little higher and play the ball a little more forward in your stance, this allows you to catch it further on your upswing, creating a better launch angle. I would defer to launch monitor for your particular optimal set up, but I think that's the general rule of thumb.

After reading LSW which promoted this as well, I have put that into practice and improved my carrying distance by 10-20 yds without really changing my swig at all.

While teeing further up and further forward does tend to produce better distance, to a point, it's all relative to a bunch of variables that the OP hasn't shared (including his average drive distance). This is why other members suggested hitting a few with a launch monitor. The TL;DR version is that there is an optimum launch angle and amount of backspin for a player's swing speed, and the swing path of a driver, or almost any club, is not a straight line over the ground. So, teeing it higher and more forward may help you, and in fact that's more likely than not for anyone swinging under 100mph with anything less than a 12* driver face, but if you're close to the ideal already it could actually reduce distance, and it could also give you a wicked slice that will require swing path and mechanics adjustments to bring back into line, which could in turn sap your clubhead speed and leave you back where you started.

Breaking this down to a troubleshooting questionnaire; stop when the suggestion after your answer to any question is bolded:

• Is your drive carry distance in yards better than 2.6 times your clubhead speed in mph? (80mph -> 210yd, 90 -> 235, 100 -> 260 etc)
  • Yes - Keep doing what you're doing. The best carry distance you're going to get with a PGA-legal driver over flat terrain is maybe a touch over 2.7 times swing speed (so a 90mph swing would average ~245 yards carry, plus 5-15% rollout), and that's essentially perfection. Your distance will improve as your swing speed improves, and you can make small tweaks to swing or equipment to help. Re-evaluate if your swing speed and/or distance change significantly.
  • No - OK, we need some work, keep reading.
• How's your flight path after launch? (assuming you try for a straight drive)
  • Significant (>10% of carry distance) - Fix your swing alignment. Even if you can compensate for it on the course by opening or closing your stance, you're losing quite a bit of carry with either a draw or fade of this degree.
  • Straight or minor draw/fade (<10% of carry) - OK, that's not the problem (though if you're at the threshold of a 10% fade you might want to work on it), keep going.
• What is your clubhead speed? (for a younger male golfer)
  • <80mph - Keep practicing with the driver you have; increasing your swing speed simply by making your swing smoother while keeping a relatively straight shot will do the most for your distance at this stage.
  • >80 - We can work with that. Young male golfers with a smooth swing should have no trouble hitting 90 and more athletic swingers can hit 100 or more, but 80mph with a straight ball flight says you're familiar with the swing. Next question.
• What is your "Smash Factor" with your driver? (Ball launch speed divided by clubhead speed; you'll need to determine this at a range or test bay using a launch monitor, hitting your normal game ball with your own driver)
  • <1.4 - Something is terribly wrong with your technique or your equipment. Either you lied on one of the previous questions and you're swinging slow or very wild, or else your driver is very old, damaged or defective, or your game ball is way too soft and you're wasting energy squishing it. Try a higher-compression ball and have a clubsmith check your driver.
  • 1.4-1.44 - Work on your ball striking. Your driver and ball are probably doing the best they can to transfer energy, but you need to make better contact to consistently hit the sweet spot, and/or increase swing speed to really get the driver's trampoline face going. You might double-check your equipment and fit, but this range of smash factor is consistent with slow or sloppy driving.
  • 1.44-1.5 - This is about average, up to very good if you're striping it better than 1.48. Keep going.
  • >1.5 - You're cheating. The maximum theoretical smash factor possible for a club and ball conforming to PGA rules is 1.5, and that's essentially from a perfect hit with a perfect club at >125mph. PGA/LPGA Tour pros average 1.49.
• Find your approximate ball launch speed in the below table (to convert from mph to km/h, multiply by 1.6),

  • Ball Speed (km/h)	Launch Angle (deg)	Back Spin (rpm)
    286	9.5 to 11	2450 to 2650
    272	12 to 13.5	2750 to 3200
    256	12.5 to 14	3000 to 3300
    240	13 to 15	3300 to 3550
    224	14 to 16	3500 to 3800
    208	15 to 17	3750 to 3900
    192	15.5 to 17.5	3750 to 3900
    176	15.5 to 17.5	3800 to 4050
    160	16 to 18.5	3900 to 4200

• How does your launch angle compare to the range in the table?
  • Launch is too low - Bring the ball forward in your stance and tee it higher, until launch angle is in the proper window, or you can no longer make solid contact or keep the flight straight. Then move on to the next question.
  • Launch is OK - Sweet, we're good here. Move on to the next part.
  • Launch is too high - Bring the ball back in your stance and tee it lower, until launch angle is in the proper window or you can no longer hit it square, centered and/or straight, and then move to the next part.
• With launch angle corrected as much as you need or can control, how are the new launch numbers?
  • Launch still low, Spin low - Too strong a club. If your launch is still straight, in line and centered off the clubface, but you just can't get it up in the air nor get any spin without losing control of one of those things, you are probably using a club with too little loft for your swing. Try a higher-lofted club and/or a more flexible shaft.
  • Launch still low, Spin OK or High - You're hitting it like an iron. You still have the ball teed too far back, delofting the face and adding extra backspin with the downward motion. If you can't hit it straight with the tee any further forward in your stance, you need to work on developing a driver swing that bottoms out further forward in your stance, using more weight transfer and/or bringing your swing plane around more in front of you. Once you've straightened your shots out with a more forward stance, check the numbers again.
  • Launch OK, Spin Low - Teed too far forward.  You're hitting up on the ball so much that you're taking out too much backspin. Move the ball back in your stance and tee it lower, then hit a few and ask yourself this same question. If you can't increase the spin enough before launch drops too low, then you need more loft.
  • Launch OK, Spin OK - You're doing it right. If everything's square, in-line and centered, and both launch numbers are in the proper range, then as of this moment after any adjustments made, you're doing everything right in your stance, address and swing to give yourself maximum distance for your swing speed. Grats. If it's not enough, increasing swing speed will be the best solution.
  • Launch OK, Spin High - Teed too far back. You're hitting the ball at or behind the bottom of your swing, and the downward motion coupled with the loft is giving you too much backspin for a ballooning shot. Move the ball forward in your stance and raise the tee a little, then try some more and check the numbers. If you can't get the spin numbers down before launch goes too high, you're probably using too weak a club and need less loft.
  • Launch still high, Spin OK or High - You need a stronger club. Your swing is probably OK, maybe a little far back, but that's because you need less loft and/or a stiffer shaft to bring down the amount of "help" the club is giving you. Try a lower-lofted driver with adjustments to your address as necessary until the launch angle is in the zone, then check the spin numbers.
  • Launch still high, Spin low - This is golf, not cricket. This is unlikely to be possible with ordinary golf equipment and a swing that produces a straight shot, but if you're achieving this, you're either getting handsy and casting the club, or you're hitting so far out and up on it that you must be taking a full step forward in your follow-through. If you can't control the shot any further back in the stance, you probably have what would be a severe outside-in swing that you're compensating for with extreme weight transfer and launching your hands forward and out. Work on drills to pull the swing plane back around to your trailing side and then try this test again.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Liko81

[natureboy]

9 hours ago, Liko81 said:

If you can't control the shot any further back in the stance, you probably have what would be a severe outside-in swing that you're compensating for with extreme weight transfer and launching your hands forward and out. Work on drills to pull the swing plane back around to your trailing side and then try this test again.

Not quite sure what you're saying here, especially the bolded bit. Are you talking about drills for an 'inside approach'?

[Pete F]

I like to use Dr Scholls spray foot powder on the face of the driver.

You can tell exactly where you hit it and adjust to come closer to the sweet spot.

Of course you can't do this when score counts.

[Liko81]

2 hours ago, natureboy said:

Not quite sure what you're saying here, especially the bolded bit. Are you talking about drills for an 'inside approach'?

I'm not sure. What I meant was to work on a more "inside-out swing"; downswing closer to the body and through swing heading out away, which brings the plane of the swing around the front of your body and moves the apex toward the back of your stance.

Like I said, I'm not even sure a launch and spin combination of this kind is even possible if you're hitting square, centered and in line with a legal club. Popping the ball that high with that little backspin would require hitting high on the clubface of a very low-lofted driver adjusted for maximum launch angle, aiming at a ball teed well forward of your left foot and a clubhead-depth or more off the ground. Hitting that far forward, straight? I just can't picture it.

[Hacker James]

I guess tee height is a matter of preference although the case can be made for going either direction i.e. high or low.  I did notice that at the Las Vegas Country Club,  standard length wooden tees are provided. Coincidence?   I can not say if the members use them or bring their own. (I usually grab a hand full however). I normally use standard tees and they seem to work better for me than the 3 1/4.

[iacas]

17 hours ago, Liko81 said:

Find your approximate ball launch speed in the below table (to convert from mph to km/h, multiply by 1.6),

• Ball Speed (mph)	Launch Angle (deg)	Back Spin (rpm)
  179	9.5 to 11	2450 to 2650
  169	12 to 13.5	2750 to 3200
  159	12.5 to 14	3000 to 3300
  149	13 to 15	3300 to 3550
  139	14 to 16	3500 to 3800
  129	15 to 17	3750 to 3900
  119	15.5 to 17.5	3750 to 3900
  109	15.5 to 17.5	3800 to 4050
  99	16 to 18.5	3900 to 4200

That's not entirely accurate (I converted km/h into mph).

http://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/

149, 14°, 3400 = 250.0 yards carry
149, 17°, 2400 = 258.7 yards carry

The chart feels old and could stand to be updated. Higher launch and lower spin works for a pretty wide variety of golfers.

[natureboy]

10 hours ago, Liko81 said:

I'm not sure. What I meant was to work on a more "inside-out swing"; downswing closer to the body and through swing heading out away, which brings the plane of the swing around the front of your body and moves the apex toward the back of your stance.

Not sure I follow this bit either...apex of what?

[Liko81]

14 hours ago, iacas said:

That's not entirely accurate (I converted km/h into mph).

http://flightscope.com/products/trajectory-optimizer/

149, 14°, 3400 = 250.0 yards carry
149, 17°, 2400 = 258.7 yards carry

The chart feels old and could stand to be updated. Higher launch and lower spin works for a pretty wide variety of golfers.

That was actually the point of the article I got the chart from; that most golfers were launching too low, using too much club for their ability and/or not hitting up on it enough. Lots of golfers swinging in the 80s and 90s are launching well below their optimal angle.

I'm not sure I trust the flightscope numbers, though; the launch angles seem really high and the distances much shorter than what GPS says I'm hitting on the course for an average swing speed of around 97mph.