Par 3 Tees - Do you Tee it up or hit off the grass?

[Vinny Cap]

I usually hit it off a Tee and have 50/50 luck with hitting the green.
I recently started hitting it straight off the grass.  I am liking this better and having better results.  Sunday I hit 3 of the 4 on the course I played.  The 4th hit the green and rolled off into the fringe so it was an almost.
Of the 3 I hit, all were within 15' and I pared them all... 2 missed birdie by 2"! The one in the fringe I ended up with a bogey.
With good ball striking this season and a big effort to be in the breaking 90 group, I think that the tee on the 3's is not good for me.  I sometimes hit it fat, hit it thin or just don't hit it well period.
My irons play is pretty good and I have my distances dialed in pretty good so it makes sense to hit it off the grass as that's what I would be doing on every other hole inside 200yards.

[woodzie264]

nice Zoysia grass, no tee. Otherwise, barely teed up

[chilepepper]

Tee for me

[DaveP043]

I always use a tee, but I tee the ball very low, so that its at basically the same level as it would be if it was on the grass.  I believe it gives me a tiny bit less variability as compared to hitting off the grass.  

[CarlSpackler]

I grab a little stubby tee and tee it very low. 

...although I have been know to hit one from the grass too.

[baller7345]

Unless the tee box is in bad shape I do not use a tee.  I do try to give it the ideal lie on the tee box though.

I used to always tee it up, but after doing some experiments for a couple of months I pretty much confirmed that I simply hit my irons better without the tee.

[woodzie264]

3 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I always use a tee, but I tee the ball very low, so that its at basically the same level as it would be if it was on the grass.  I believe it gives me a tiny bit less variability as compared to hitting off the grass.  

exactly - unless zoysia...I play a couple of courses that have zoysia and the grass is perfect

[bkuehn1952]

Always teed up, usually with a broken tee.

[Vinny Cap]

7 minutes ago, baller7345 said:

I used to always tee it up, but after doing some experiments for a couple of months I pretty much confirmed that I simply hit my irons better without the tee.

That's where I am at.  I think I tend to try and pick it because it is on the tee.  Like everyone else, I tee it very low, at grass level with a broken tee I find at the Tee box.  Yesterday got me thinking as I have tried it a few different ways the last 3 or 4 rounds and I liked the results of No Tee, concentrate on hitting down and put it on the green!

11 minutes ago, woodzie264 said:

exactly - unless zoysia...I play a couple of courses that have zoysia and the grass is perfect

Is that grass local to VA area?  I googled it and it looks very plush!

[DaveP043]

4 minutes ago, Vinny Cap said:

That's where I am at.  I think I tend to try and pick it because it is on the tee.  Like everyone else, I tee it very low, at grass level with a broken tee I find at the Tee box.  Yesterday got me thinking as I have tried it a few different ways the last 3 or 4 rounds and I liked the results of No Tee, concentrate on hitting down and put it on the green!

There's no question that this could be a mental thing, altering your swing slightly because of the tee.  I try to make the same swing, slightly descending through the ball, whether its on a tee or not.  I like when I can see the tee remaining bent over right at the very beginning of the divot, a sign that I've done what I intended to do.

[woodzie264]

7 minutes ago, Vinny Cap said:

Is that grass local to VA area?  I googled it and it looks very plush!

not sure - I just know that I know it when I see it - and it's awesome

[Vinny Cap]

28 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

There's no question that this could be a mental thing, altering your swing slightly because of the tee.  I try to make the same swing, slightly descending through the ball, whether its on a tee or not.  I like when I can see the tee remaining bent over right at the very beginning of the divot, a sign that I've done what I intended to do.

This could be a possibility, a lot going on in the brain when golfing.

I like the visual I get from reading the red.  Now that's a shot!

[Fairway_CY]

I've always used a tee.  I think I may have not used a tee only a handful of times and it's almost always been when there's a hole playing less than 110 yards (which is extremely rare) and I can use a wedge.  

I believe it allows for cleaner contact and more spin & control.  I don't tee it up very high (usually to where the actual tee part above the peg is sticking out of the ground).  I like to see the short tees I use about 18" behind where they started.  To me, that's an indication that my swing bottomed out just after the tee and it was flung backwards while my divot went forward.  

The only thing I know for certain is that if it's going to give me an advantage... I'd better use it.  

CY

[rehmwa]

I keep trying to use a broke tee, recognizing that I 'should' get better results.

But I'm mental on the par 3 tee boxes.  I keep coming back to putting on a good lie and just playing like I'm on the fairway - results are fine.

If the shot is more of a chip rather than a full swing, then I do fine with a broken tee.

 

I've actually found shorty tees (not broken, just ones built that short).....they actually build them like that......seriously?........first world problems.......

[natureboy]

59 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I always use a tee, but I tee the ball very low, so that its at basically the same level as it would be if it was on the grass.  I believe it gives me a tiny bit less variability as compared to hitting off the grass.  

Mark Broadie's amateur studies indicated that's generally the better play. While lateral dispersion was only slightly better using a tee, distance control was about twice as good vs. a 'fairway lie' from the same distance.

If you put a different swing on it because of the tee that might well offset the advantage.

Edited November 14, 2016 by natureboy

[Vinny Cap]

16 minutes ago, Fairway_CY said:

I've always used a tee.  I think I may have not used a tee only a handful of times and it's almost always been when there's a hole playing less than 110 yards (which is extremely rare) and I can use a wedge.  

I believe it allows for cleaner contact and more spin & control.  I don't tee it up very high (usually to where the actual tee part above the peg is sticking out of the ground).  I like to see the short tees I use about 18" behind where they started.  To me, that's an indication that my swing bottomed out just after the tee and it was flung backwards while my divot went forward.  

The only thing I know for certain is that if it's going to give me an advantage... I'd better use it.  

CY

Hey CY - I would think even more about loosing the Tee when hitting a wedge.  For me anyways.

Your description is throwing me off... I'm reading it get teed up a little above the grass?

I would always use anything to help me or give me an advantage but on the 3's I am finding it might be better to not use the tee.

[bm85]

I only use a tee with a driver.

Edited November 14, 2016 by bm85

[Vinny Cap]

11 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

I keep trying to use a broke tee, recognizing that I 'should' get better results.

But I'm mental on the par 3 tee boxes.  I keep coming back to putting on a good lie and just playing like I'm on the fairway - results are fine.

If the shot is more of a chip rather than a full swing, then I do fine with a broken tee.

 

I've actually found shorty tees (not broken, just ones built that short).....they actually build them like that......seriously?........first world problems.......

You are along my line of thoughts... its like a fairways shot inside 200 so hit it like normal.

As for the short tees, yea they make them.  One round I picked up like 15 or so... was wondering who was using them on every hole and not picking them up.  Didn't look like it was used so I figures someone was hitting long irons off the tee and was too lazy to pick them up.  Good for a back up if you don't see a broken one anywhere.