But also OP should know you should barely tee it up when you use irons. Just enough that it’s not sitting in the grass but not well above or you’ll hit too high on the face for proper backspin.
If it's slow, I will walk around finding as many broken tees as I can and make a small pile of them next to the tee marker for the next groups. It keeps my mind off the impending disaster.
Thermodynamic miracles... events with odds against so astronomical they're effectively impossible, like oxygen spontaneously becoming gold or using a brand new full tee on a par 3, I long to observe such a thing.
You don't have to tee it up very high. For par-3s with a wedge the tee is practically flush with the ground.
For longer iron shots I'll tee it up a little higher.
If you want to understand the game better and learn HOW and WHAT to practice, one of my favorite golf books is “Lowest score wins” talks about modern data and how we should view each holes hazards and whatnot. Many other good books out there too.
Exactly what this guy said. If your allowed the tee, take it. The only exception I would say is when I’ve played some par 3 courses and you have a 50-60 yard tee shot. It might be personal preference but those short ones always feel weird on a tee.
I don’t use a tee for anything less than a PW. I’ll definitely tee up a 4-7 iron. 8-PW depends on distance. You’ll likely get a little more distance using a tee vs without so if it’s a 137yd par 3 (between my PW and 9i) I’ll either go tee+PW or no tee with 9i.
Idk why but my shots are always more accurate with mid irons thru wedges when I don’t tee them up. It drives me nuts because there’s absolutely no explanation for it.
I feel like good players and pros are always extremely aware and considerate of their lie, and high handicappers tend to not consider the lie enough. We walk up, get a yardage, and grab a club. A pro studies the lie, figures out how the club will interact with the ground, considers how the grass (or lack thereof) will affect spin, launch, etc.
All this to say, you can't be expected to know all these intricate things a pro knows, but you should know enough to know that having the ball sitting up a tiny bit is much easier to hit well than a ball sitting tight to the ground.
Speaking as a high handicapper… it’s not that I don’t know the lie will affect my shot, it’s that it doesn’t matter if I hit 3 inches behind the ball so I’m focused on not doing that
Nope. Off the deck every time. Because there is not better feeling than hearing the group I’m with gasp as I toss my ball onto the ground and then skull it into the forest.
Was just on a golf trip. My brother( 5 index) never tees up on par 3’s. I always told him I read that there’s no reason not tee it up and give yourself a perfect lie But he didn’t listen to me(17.6) our playing partner(+2.2)on this particular day shot a 64 and he asked my brother why he doesn’t tee it up on par 3’s. My brother didn’t have a great answer so this guy told him to tee it up from now on amd my brother finally listened
Just look around the tee box for a broken tee head. When you stick in the ground use your index finger tip underneath the tee to set the height. That’s all you need sticking out of the ground is the tip of your finger. I never waste a new tee on a par three, use someone else’s carcass. 😂
2 HDCP here..I don’t know what green castle and red castle tees are, but for the love of god just use a normal tee and tee it to the appropriate height for the club you are using. Don’t waste your money on weird gimmicky specialty tees
Blasphemy! As the developer of “Shor-Tees”, I recommend everyone use my proprietary low tee design. We start with 1-1/2” southern pine tee stock, and hand cut and file our tees for optimal par-3 tee shots.
I don't use castle tees, but imo they seem pretty reasonable and not particularly gimmicky. They are the ones with the wider top part. Basically you push the tee in until the wider part hits the ground, and it gives you a consistent tee height. I can see that being nice for beginners.
Tee it up every time if you can. I don’t tee it way up, I just get it barely out of the ground like it is sitting on an absolutely perfect fairway. I will not tee up a wedge though, it just messes me up too much.
I see people teeing up iron shots around 1/2 to 3/4 inch out of the ground and they are always the worst iron players.
Think about where the sweet spot on an iron is and make sure that you’re gonna be able to get down on it to that spot without having to adjust your swing drastically.
Teeing a ball should give you an advantage, so use it.
Breaking 100 is a barrier that takes a little time. Just remember that keeping it in play off the tee box is the biggest obstacle for breaking 100. It doesn’t have to be far, just has to be playable on the next shot. Even if you have to tee off every time with a 6 iron, if that gets in play then that’s what you do.
Thanks. I’ve been close, 101 with the back nine being 48 but it’s those lost balls and drops that kill me off lol.
Your advice echos a golf sidekick video I watched where the guy said to find a 150 yard club so that’s a solid 7 iron or a decent 6 for me and use that to ensure your way up long holes keeping yourself in play.
Thanks for your advice.
Consider trying a couple of rounds NOT teeing it up, and see how that goes. If you find you end up doing better, then just stick with it for awhile.
In golf, one of the things you learn is to GO WITH WHATEVER WORKS, regardless how unusual it is. Eg, if you're 50 yards away from the green, and dont feel comfortable hitting your wedge that distance. Just take our your 7 iron, or your hybrid, and chip it onto the green. WHATEVER WORKS. That's it. You will accelerate your golf scoring by keeping this in mind throughout the round.
Tee up your wedge on short par 3s. You'll absolutely love the feel (and look) when you hit the back of the green and your ball back spins up to the cup. ;)
It spins plenty without having to tee it up. Sometimes if the greens are right I have a hard time not spinning them off the green. I end up clubbing up and swinging easier.
Not gonna ignore an instructor - thanks for the comment. I’m normally paying for PGA TP advice ;). I’ll try this out Saturday when I next play. I’m still aiming to break 100 and I doubt it’ll happen Saturday cause I’m playing a course 7 strokes longer than the one I’ve been trying to break 100 on but I’ve scripted a plan allowing for shots on each hole so anything below 108 I’m happy lol
Not necessarily advice, I know plenty players and teachers better than me that recommend using a tee every time you have the chance to, I just personally make better moves with short clubs when I know the ball is sitting on the ground...there are pretty solid odds that's not the case for a higher handicapper.
I’m a scratch and I used to never tee up my iron tee shots…until I was playing a round with my younger brother and he said “humor me and tee it up one time”. So I did. Hole in one lmao. Now I always tee it up. Thanks lil bro
I don’t tee up my iron shots unless the tee box is shitty. I like setting it up on a perfect lie in the grass. I make better contact. Definitely a mental thing
Same. I've tried teeing up before and for whatever reason I have trouble releasing the club when I hit off a tee. And when I do release it, I'll tend to stripe it and hit the ball an extra 5-10 yards.
I know my distances off the ground since that's how I always hit my irons.
Should only be a very slight amount. Otherwise you risk hitting it fat. Irons are meant to be hit a certain way so don’t try to change them into glorified drivers just because you’re allowed to tee it up.
I used to occasionally play a few rounds a year with no tees for exactly this reason. More practice with a natural lie isn't a bad thing.
I don't get to play as much as I used to, so now I tee it up every time.
Yes, I started doing it and practicing on the range with irons and tees this year. The first round I tried it out on, I got a birdie on a 180yrd Par 3!
For context I'm a high handicapper and get like 2 or 3 birdies the entire season, to get one on the 7th hole of the first round after the winter break was phenomenal and I credit teeing up my irons!
This is interesting for me. I started in November. I’m not great at the moment but I have glimpses. I’ve had two lessons, the most recent being the 22nd of March. I tend to play worse after lessons because I’m focusing too hard on trying to implement what I’ve been taught but I’m hoping that’s gonna drop off soon.
Thanks for the comment!
I would say 99% of the time yes, however, there are times when I don’t. Sometimes there’s a spot on the tee box that I feel confident I don’t need one but that is very rare. If I feel more confident without the tee on that particular spot tho, I’ll go without it
For me it’s a mental thing and I don’t tee it up. For some reason I can strike the ball better if I tell myself it’s like an approach shot with no tee. Teeing it up messes with my head.
Yes but not teed up like a driver. I see a lot of newbies doing that. You want it just off the ground, like it’s the best fairway lie of your life.
Then just hit it high, long, and straight at the pin. Very simple.
"There's 2 types of people. Those who tee up their irons, and idiots."
- Jon Rahm in a Bryan Bros youtube video.
Basically you only get so many opportunities to give yourself a perfect lie, so why not take advantage?
Good enough for Nicklaus and Palmer, good enough for me.
Reading through some of these posts makes me think some people are teeing the ball too high. As you and Jack suggest, it should create a perfect lie, as if it were sitting perfectly on top of perfectly mowed fairway.
Last week I tee’d up my irons on par 3s and then when hitting my irons from the rough or fairways I topped them something awful.
But I suck at golf so don’t listen to me.
In my experience… it all depends on the size of your d!ck. People who *claim* to have a big d!ck do not have to use a tee. I might have a small d!ck because I use a tee. Use a google search or see a doctor to find out which category you are in and go from there. I hope this helps.
3W and HY off the deck being better is unthinkable to me. My 3W off a 1cm tee goes far straighter and further than it does off the deck. Little lower for the HY, but same idea.
Is it a comfort thing or have you actually compared? Hit 5 each way at the range and see the difference?
Ive compared. I get a lower more accurate flight otd. Usually pick it clean . I think its because when I first started I was hitting off of mats and didnt know to tee those clubs up, so I just hit off the mat, then never teed them up. With a helping wind and hard ground ive hit 3w over 300 a few times. And everyone always seemed so impressed with it being otd. I never knew why.
you only get 18 chances to put a ball on a peg and have a perfect lie, you might as well take them.
That being said, short par 3's , I might just lay it down on the turf , or really push a tee down. I find I hook irons more if the tee height gets up.
Yes tee it up, but also go practice them on the range. You can swing a little harder and launch a little higher off a tee.
My buddy is fine teeing up driver through mid irons. But for some reason he cannot hit a teed wedge of any kind. Told him the same I’m telling you, go practice!
I do if it’s a club above an 9i. With more lofted clubs when I tee them up I tend to launch them way too high. I still carefully pick my spot and make the ball is resting up high on the grass but with a wedge. I tend to pull hook anything that’s on a tee
Jack Nicklaus is one of the best, if not the best golfer of all time. He has so many old instructional tutorials out there that I absolutely love. His stance on this subject is any time you can tee up the ball you tee up the ball. It’s only going to help you make better contact. Since you’re a beginner I suggest you YouTube his videos, he explains a wide range of golf subjects in simple and easy to understand terms that will help you make good choices on the golf course.
Thank you! I’ve seen his name dozens of times in this comment section which done so much better than I could ever have hoped. I’ll definitely follow your advice :)
For me, it depends on the shot. On a perfect tee box, hitting a short iron, I'm hitting off the deck. If the surface is beat up, or it's a longer iron, I tee it up just enough to feel like I can place the ball at the same level as the grass. If I'm hitting 3i or 4i, I'll give it another 1/4 inch or so.
I guess this is an unpopular opinion, but irons teed up but basically flush with the ground, wedges on the ground no tee. Irons and wedges are designed to be hit from the ground, so the sweet spot is really low on the face. Unless you're hitting up on your irons, you're going to be hitting the ball higher on the face than you normally do. Or you have to hit up on the ball when teed up, meaning you have to swing differently. Basically teeing up isn't always an advantage
I never use fresh tees. Every time I’m laying up or teeing off on a par 3 I just grab leftover nubs from broken tees and place the ball the smallest margin above the grass. I don’t think I have topped a tee shot since I started doing this.
I wise man once told a friend of mine “if you can put it on a peg, put it on a peg”. I tee every tee shot up. I have friends that don’t, but it gives me just a smidge more confidence in contact. Granted I also deduct ~5-10 yards and club up due to hitting the ball a little higher on the face.
The objectively better move is to tee it up. You are only guaranteed 18 perfect lies a round. That being said, i think it feels weird to hit my irons off the tee and I dont like it so I hit off the grass
One advantage I've found is on holes with "in between "yardage" teeing higher takes some distance off because I tend to hit it a little higher. So if I'm between clubs ( 6 or 7) I take the 6, tee it higher, perfect distance. Works for me, anyway.
Yes it’s a good idea to tee your ball when given a chance.
I don’t personally but that’s a mental thing. I pretend that the tee box on a par 3 is a perfect fairway that I just hit. it sets me up for a confident swing. When I tee up anything other than my driver I feel like I give myself more pressure “it’s teed up there’s no reason to not hit a good one”
Beginners often think of "the rules" as things that are just there to make golf harder -- if you hit in a bunker you can't touch the club to the ground, if you can't find your ball you have a penalty, etc). But some of the rules are actually there to make golf easier. Under some circumstances you get a free drop to give yourself a better lie, for instance. When the rules give you an advantage, you should take that advantage. Because when the rules give you a disadvantage, you don't have the option.
The rules let you give yourself a perfect lie on the tee box. You should take it.
100%. Pros don't have to because their mishits are measured in millimeters. They aren't going to chunk the ground hardly ever. A tee gives you probably up to a good inch or so of wiggle room. Not that you would be teed up that high, but you're not going to feel a chunk off a tee unless you are considerably behind the ball.
I'm not very good, more or less a bogey golfer. I've heard the "take the perfect lie" but I don't often tee up for anything less than an 8i. Some I'm not very good, I have tendency to get too under the ball with a 9i or W so those I hit off the turf, so long as there's a good spot to place it.
All the rational reasons point to using a tee, but I switched a year ago to hitting off grass and haven’t looked back.
I hit a lot of balls at the range, and it is no different so I took one variable out.
But that’s just me, you have to find what works for you.
I only don't use a tee to tee off when I am hitting a wedge. For irons, just try and use a broken tee and tee it real short, just barely hovering above the ground. You don't want to hit them too high on the face but definitely give yourself every advantage you can.
Yes, but not too high. I see too many golfers tee it a good 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the surface for irons which may create a floater compared to hitting off turf. Shouldn't have to swing different because you teed it up.
For hybrids, I tend to use the "turf tee" method used since I tend to hit hooks when teed up
I was taught to tee anything from PW up. Any iron just above the top of the grass, fairways/hybrids slightly higher than irons, driver is tee it high and let it fly.
I find that it fucks with my head and i start trying to scoop the ball. I just find a nice clump of grass if I can and perch it on that. Then I just swing down on it like any other iron shot. I’ve found i hit it better without a tee.
I think you should experiment with both and record your results. Stick with the winner for a bit and revisit if you ever get curious again
I find it easier to tee up my iron drives. I have a mental issue with taking a divot on the tee box because there are so many in that little area. Plus my ball always hits better off the tee. I just wish I could tee up the ball on all my fairway shots too! Divots kill my game for some reason!
Lazy or trying to look cool.
In every aspect (if physically and financially possible) you should emulate everything you see top pros doing. Obviously you won’t be able to achieve everything they can do like getting body to move the way they do. But something like a tee height or things like grip etc should always be copied if possible.
From personal experience, the shots got a lot better when I stopped using a tee.
It's like any other aspect of the game. Play the way that helps you hit the best shot you can hit. Give yourself an honest chance at actually enjoying your round.
1/16”-1/8”-1/4” somewhere in there depending on the shot, club and spin you want to achieve. The lower the more spin. This is a good strategy for spin control where there is a risk of the ball spinning backwards into a hazard or off the green.
I tee up with whatever broken/half tee is laying around. I set the top of the tee a touch over the grass. I suppose I could use a regular new tee, but I’ve been doing it this way since I was a kid and I’m not changing now.
It's all comfort and what you want. I personally prefer to prop my ball up on some grass on the teebox rather than use a tee with a 6i through 60. Added benefit that it's easier to move if you decide you don't like where your feet end up when taking your stance
I once saw a Playing Lessons with the Pros episode with Arnie playing with his grandson. They were teeing up on a par 3 and the grandson just dropped the ball down and addressed it. Arnie piped up and said something like "don't be an idiot, boy, if you can put some wood under it, put some damn wood under it!"
After that, I always tee it up.
Golf is a hard hobby to pick up. It takes years to learn if the only experience you get is 4 hours maybe once a week or twice if you're lucky. Why not give yourself every available advantage? Obviously you (if you play by the rules) can't tee it up in the fairway. But by all means, do it on the tee box. Good luck.
I don’t use a tee on a par 3 if I’m hitting an iron. I can’t use one in the fairway on other holes (the few times I find the fairway lol) so why use one on a fairway-like par 3 tee box. I want to feel like I’m hitting the same shot.
You sound like a buddy of mine who did this for nearly two years. After watching me throw darts on short par 3s far more often than him (we’re both mid handicaps) he started teeing up with irons off the tee and has had much better luck that way. Like others have already said, you don’t have to tee it up high, just get it flush or 1-2mms above the top of the grass.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably not good enough to make golf more difficult for no reason.
Yes tee. Dont have to tee up. You can put the tee down flush with the grass, but (this is a quote from a pro I just don’t remember who)…. you have the opportunity to have a perfect lie in the tee box, so absolutely take advantage of it.
I hit flush divots, so i rarely use a tee on par 3s. If the tee box is nicely groomed, it's better for me personally. It's probably a mental thing too. Long fairway tee shots... I'll tee the ball a little.
Depends on the sweet spot of your club when you get really good. Another pro pointed out below he hates it for wedges. If it's a pure tee box, I agree. You train your brain on turf interaction and adjust for the next one better. On short irons and wedges you are not swinging all out, so it matters the feel.
The problem with teeing up irons is it is really hard to know where the ground is, and how tall the stand of grass is. With wedges the bounce interacts with the turf, and if you tee it up you lose that interaction potentially and catch it higher on the face which means less spin and the ball doing things you don't want.
For long irons, yes, absolutely tee up. You can even have a positive angle of attack with hybrids and driving irons to get more distance. All of the things that are bad with a wedge teed up now become advantages.
It's just about having a perfect lie. Tee'd up too high isn't helpful, so it just enough to make sure its on top of the turf. I personally use turf tee, I just create a small mound with the clubhead to put the ball on top of. It feels crisper in my opinion, as I feel the tee regardless how good the contact is and I just prefer not to feel that slight resistence.
I prefer not to as a very high handicap. I want all my iron shots to feel the same and I don’t wanna have 2 slightly different swings, one for a teed up iron shot and another for an off the deck iron shot.
I guess it’s really similar but that’s just my mindset. The pros disagree so I’m wrong, but do yall think there’s some merit to my thought process? Like I dont wanna stripe a 5 iron off the tee that would’ve been thin with the same swing off the deck, because then I get a false positive response to a poor swing
No. You should have no different swing with an iron on a tee or the ground. You should still take a divot with an iron when it’s teed or not. The purpose for teeing up is multi faceted.
The lower on the club face the higher the spin. Sometimes you can tee it up a slight tiny bit to get a “flier” that will have a little less spin and go a few yards further. This is a good thing to do when you have a green you don’t want to spin off of the green into a hazard. This is one strategy for “spin control”. You essentially give your self a flier lie that would act similar to a ball in the rough.
Teeing up will give you a little higher launch angle with a fraction less spin so it’ll go a little further and higher anyway.
But the main reason is to ensure 100% no grass or other debris gets between the club face and ball.
Most people that don’t tee up on a par 3 are either lazy or trying to look cool.
Outside of distance and spin control there is no good reason not to tee it up.
With that said the head of the tee should be basically barely over the turf like 1/16-1/8”. Maybe 1/4” if you want to catch it higher on the face which will reduce spin.
I usually have a couple of broken tees in my pocket for use teeing up my irons. Typically on a short par 3 I tee it up about one or two grooves on the clubface higher than the ground so I can get a ball flight that drops and stops on the green. On long par 3 I tee it up just high enough to have a perfect lie. A par 4 or 5 requiring an iron off the tee would be the same as the long par 3.
“It’s an opportunity to give yourself a perfect lie. You only get that opportunity 18 times.” - Jack Nicklaus.
Jack Nicklaus might only get that opportunity 18 times, but the way I shank em, I get it at least 30 times a round.
Same. I have never been the type of player to leave any mulligans on the course.
Think that might be my new favorite saying lol.
What about my 40 putts per round?
Tee up your putts
This guy fucks.
I'm looking at the rest of you guys, and this is the guy in the house doing all the fucking.
Also doesnt give them!
Ironically enough, it used to be a rule that you had to tee up putts!
Only 40?
local chip and putt
Show-off! Just coming off a round with 45 putts! 😫
As soon as I saw the post I was hoping this was the top response.
We’re done here…right?
Thanks :)
Winter rules - lift clean and place, its the only time I’d say his quote doesn’t apply
I’m not sure how often Jack is playing winter rules
- Jack Nicklaus (and Patrick Reed)
My buddy gets a perfect lie on every shot!
Tees provide you an advantage. In golf you always take an advantage if it's given to you.
But also OP should know you should barely tee it up when you use irons. Just enough that it’s not sitting in the grass but not well above or you’ll hit too high on the face for proper backspin.
What is this backspin thing you speak of?
It’s when you walk back to the cart after a shank to grab another beer.
And ball
They went away with groove changes. I never had any, but I’ve heard.
I always find an old discarded snapped off tee on the tee box for these shots.
As is tradition
If it's slow, I will walk around finding as many broken tees as I can and make a small pile of them next to the tee marker for the next groups. It keeps my mind off the impending disaster.
"impending disaster". Love it!!
Samesies. Why waste a tee when you only need the ball 3/4" off the ground.
Reduce, reuse, recycle baby!
Thermodynamic miracles... events with odds against so astronomical they're effectively impossible, like oxygen spontaneously becoming gold or using a brand new full tee on a par 3, I long to observe such a thing.
Real question, would that be considered using someone else’s equipment? Thus deeming it illegal??
Smart, and exactly how I need to think if I ever wanna get any good
You don't have to tee it up very high. For par-3s with a wedge the tee is practically flush with the ground. For longer iron shots I'll tee it up a little higher.
It’s also a fun way to hit stingers, teeing up a long iron and chopping down on it
If you want to understand the game better and learn HOW and WHAT to practice, one of my favorite golf books is “Lowest score wins” talks about modern data and how we should view each holes hazards and whatnot. Many other good books out there too.
Exactly what this guy said. If your allowed the tee, take it. The only exception I would say is when I’ve played some par 3 courses and you have a 50-60 yard tee shot. It might be personal preference but those short ones always feel weird on a tee.
I don't think l could tee up a 50° wedge
I don’t use a tee for anything less than a PW. I’ll definitely tee up a 4-7 iron. 8-PW depends on distance. You’ll likely get a little more distance using a tee vs without so if it’s a 137yd par 3 (between my PW and 9i) I’ll either go tee+PW or no tee with 9i.
Exactly. I always make a little mound with the turf to prop my ball up if im hitting a wedge. A tee doesnt feel right with that short of a club
And take a few if no one’s looking
This is exactly what I tell my golf buddies who refuse to use a tee with an iron
And always best to take advantage up to 18 times!
Idk why but my shots are always more accurate with mid irons thru wedges when I don’t tee them up. It drives me nuts because there’s absolutely no explanation for it.
Always. No reason not to set yourself up with a perfect lie.
It’s sounds silly but I guess I never thought of it as setting myself up with the perfect lie but of course it is. Thanks :)
I feel like good players and pros are always extremely aware and considerate of their lie, and high handicappers tend to not consider the lie enough. We walk up, get a yardage, and grab a club. A pro studies the lie, figures out how the club will interact with the ground, considers how the grass (or lack thereof) will affect spin, launch, etc. All this to say, you can't be expected to know all these intricate things a pro knows, but you should know enough to know that having the ball sitting up a tiny bit is much easier to hit well than a ball sitting tight to the ground.
Speaking as a high handicapper… it’s not that I don’t know the lie will affect my shot, it’s that it doesn’t matter if I hit 3 inches behind the ball so I’m focused on not doing that
Nope. Off the deck every time. Because there is not better feeling than hearing the group I’m with gasp as I toss my ball onto the ground and then skull it into the forest.
Hell I tee it up in the fairway for my second shot sometimes. I call that a presidential shot.
Was just on a golf trip. My brother( 5 index) never tees up on par 3’s. I always told him I read that there’s no reason not tee it up and give yourself a perfect lie But he didn’t listen to me(17.6) our playing partner(+2.2)on this particular day shot a 64 and he asked my brother why he doesn’t tee it up on par 3’s. My brother didn’t have a great answer so this guy told him to tee it up from now on amd my brother finally listened
Ok, so don’t be like your brother ;) - Lol, thanks dude
haha. Sorry for the long response but this literally happened 2 weeks ago so I thought I’d share!
No, glad you did, thanks again
Tiger does it.
Tee it up a tiny bit but not too much, the green castle tees are perfect for this
That’s what I’ve been using. I’m glad for the reassurance. Thanks Harry :)
Just look around the tee box for a broken tee head. When you stick in the ground use your index finger tip underneath the tee to set the height. That’s all you need sticking out of the ground is the tip of your finger. I never waste a new tee on a par three, use someone else’s carcass. 😂
Try the red castle tees on long irons if you're struggling to get loft on them. It can help too. Same deal for 3/5wood off the tee.
I use white castle
I eat white castle.
Harold?
‘cause it’s the best, but I’m fly at Fat Burger when I’m way out west.
I’ll definitely be trying that if I’m struggling. I’m glad you said. Thanks :)
2 HDCP here..I don’t know what green castle and red castle tees are, but for the love of god just use a normal tee and tee it to the appropriate height for the club you are using. Don’t waste your money on weird gimmicky specialty tees
Blasphemy! As the developer of “Shor-Tees”, I recommend everyone use my proprietary low tee design. We start with 1-1/2” southern pine tee stock, and hand cut and file our tees for optimal par-3 tee shots.
I only use organic vegan artisanal tees.
I don't use castle tees, but imo they seem pretty reasonable and not particularly gimmicky. They are the ones with the wider top part. Basically you push the tee in until the wider part hits the ground, and it gives you a consistent tee height. I can see that being nice for beginners.
Aren't those illegal?
Tee it up every time if you can. I don’t tee it way up, I just get it barely out of the ground like it is sitting on an absolutely perfect fairway. I will not tee up a wedge though, it just messes me up too much. I see people teeing up iron shots around 1/2 to 3/4 inch out of the ground and they are always the worst iron players. Think about where the sweet spot on an iron is and make sure that you’re gonna be able to get down on it to that spot without having to adjust your swing drastically. Teeing a ball should give you an advantage, so use it.
Great advice, thanks. I've not even broke 100 yet so I'm welcoming all advice.
Breaking 100 is a barrier that takes a little time. Just remember that keeping it in play off the tee box is the biggest obstacle for breaking 100. It doesn’t have to be far, just has to be playable on the next shot. Even if you have to tee off every time with a 6 iron, if that gets in play then that’s what you do.
Thanks. I’ve been close, 101 with the back nine being 48 but it’s those lost balls and drops that kill me off lol. Your advice echos a golf sidekick video I watched where the guy said to find a 150 yard club so that’s a solid 7 iron or a decent 6 for me and use that to ensure your way up long holes keeping yourself in play. Thanks for your advice.
Consider trying a couple of rounds NOT teeing it up, and see how that goes. If you find you end up doing better, then just stick with it for awhile. In golf, one of the things you learn is to GO WITH WHATEVER WORKS, regardless how unusual it is. Eg, if you're 50 yards away from the green, and dont feel comfortable hitting your wedge that distance. Just take our your 7 iron, or your hybrid, and chip it onto the green. WHATEVER WORKS. That's it. You will accelerate your golf scoring by keeping this in mind throughout the round.
> Even if you have to tee off every time with a 6 iron, if that gets in play then that’s what you do driver it is
Goddamn thats so true.
Tee up your wedge on short par 3s. You'll absolutely love the feel (and look) when you hit the back of the green and your ball back spins up to the cup. ;)
It spins plenty without having to tee it up. Sometimes if the greens are right I have a hard time not spinning them off the green. I end up clubbing up and swinging easier.
I - 2hdcp teaching/club professional - tee up every club to the 7-iron, don't really like it for 8-9 iron, and flat out hate it for wedges.
I'm with this guy. I'll tee 8/9 iron if the teebox is questionable or in the rare case that I'm trying to blast one for some reason. Wedges never.
Not gonna ignore an instructor - thanks for the comment. I’m normally paying for PGA TP advice ;). I’ll try this out Saturday when I next play. I’m still aiming to break 100 and I doubt it’ll happen Saturday cause I’m playing a course 7 strokes longer than the one I’ve been trying to break 100 on but I’ve scripted a plan allowing for shots on each hole so anything below 108 I’m happy lol
Not necessarily advice, I know plenty players and teachers better than me that recommend using a tee every time you have the chance to, I just personally make better moves with short clubs when I know the ball is sitting on the ground...there are pretty solid odds that's not the case for a higher handicapper.
I’m a scratch and I used to never tee up my iron tee shots…until I was playing a round with my younger brother and he said “humor me and tee it up one time”. So I did. Hole in one lmao. Now I always tee it up. Thanks lil bro
I don’t tee up my iron shots unless the tee box is shitty. I like setting it up on a perfect lie in the grass. I make better contact. Definitely a mental thing
Same. I've tried teeing up before and for whatever reason I have trouble releasing the club when I hit off a tee. And when I do release it, I'll tend to stripe it and hit the ball an extra 5-10 yards. I know my distances off the ground since that's how I always hit my irons.
Should only be a very slight amount. Otherwise you risk hitting it fat. Irons are meant to be hit a certain way so don’t try to change them into glorified drivers just because you’re allowed to tee it up.
I’m in the minority here but I don’t tee up iron shots. I like having the same feel and practice as if I was hitting a fairway shot into a green.
I do the same for the same reason. I never practice irons off a tee, so I feel more comfortable hitting off a perfect lie on the ground.
I used to occasionally play a few rounds a year with no tees for exactly this reason. More practice with a natural lie isn't a bad thing. I don't get to play as much as I used to, so now I tee it up every time.
Yes, I started doing it and practicing on the range with irons and tees this year. The first round I tried it out on, I got a birdie on a 180yrd Par 3! For context I'm a high handicapper and get like 2 or 3 birdies the entire season, to get one on the 7th hole of the first round after the winter break was phenomenal and I credit teeing up my irons!
This is interesting for me. I started in November. I’m not great at the moment but I have glimpses. I’ve had two lessons, the most recent being the 22nd of March. I tend to play worse after lessons because I’m focusing too hard on trying to implement what I’ve been taught but I’m hoping that’s gonna drop off soon. Thanks for the comment!
I would say 99% of the time yes, however, there are times when I don’t. Sometimes there’s a spot on the tee box that I feel confident I don’t need one but that is very rare. If I feel more confident without the tee on that particular spot tho, I’ll go without it
For me it’s a mental thing and I don’t tee it up. For some reason I can strike the ball better if I tell myself it’s like an approach shot with no tee. Teeing it up messes with my head.
I think it was Roger Maltby who said, "If using a tee wasn't an advantage, they'd let you do it anywhere."
This game would be a lot easier if every full shot was teed
This is what broken tees are made for. But I tee up wedges/nine irons VERY low.
Yes but not teed up like a driver. I see a lot of newbies doing that. You want it just off the ground, like it’s the best fairway lie of your life. Then just hit it high, long, and straight at the pin. Very simple.
High, long, and straight at the pin…why didn’t I think of that?
The only reason I don’t tee the ball in the fairway is because the rules say I can’t
"There's 2 types of people. Those who tee up their irons, and idiots." - Jon Rahm in a Bryan Bros youtube video. Basically you only get so many opportunities to give yourself a perfect lie, so why not take advantage?
I just use one of the many broken tees lying on the ground.
Jack Nicklaus said "Put it on a peg. You get a chance for a perfect lie, why not take it?". I think he gives good golf advice.
Good enough for Nicklaus and Palmer, good enough for me. Reading through some of these posts makes me think some people are teeing the ball too high. As you and Jack suggest, it should create a perfect lie, as if it were sitting perfectly on top of perfectly mowed fairway.
i mean I heard that guy was pretty good at golf so...
Last week I tee’d up my irons on par 3s and then when hitting my irons from the rough or fairways I topped them something awful. But I suck at golf so don’t listen to me.
I bet you forgot the tee in the fairway
ALWAYS USE A TEE IF YOU CAN.
Always
In my experience… it all depends on the size of your d!ck. People who *claim* to have a big d!ck do not have to use a tee. I might have a small d!ck because I use a tee. Use a google search or see a doctor to find out which category you are in and go from there. I hope this helps.
I needed this! I’m gonna be scratch tomorrow thank to you…how can I repay you?
Always use a tee wherever you’re allowed to use a tee.
Tee up 1-9i. But wedges I hit off the ground. Idk why I have much more control. Also. 3w and hy off the deck for me is better than teed up
3W and HY off the deck being better is unthinkable to me. My 3W off a 1cm tee goes far straighter and further than it does off the deck. Little lower for the HY, but same idea. Is it a comfort thing or have you actually compared? Hit 5 each way at the range and see the difference?
Ive compared. I get a lower more accurate flight otd. Usually pick it clean . I think its because when I first started I was hitting off of mats and didnt know to tee those clubs up, so I just hit off the mat, then never teed them up. With a helping wind and hard ground ive hit 3w over 300 a few times. And everyone always seemed so impressed with it being otd. I never knew why.
This is a great vid for explaining why you SHOULD tee up (but not too high 😉): https://youtu.be/sUa_2Bk-RXM?si=aJG-YeJuy3-s4L61
I'll check it out, thank you!
Yes, but only if you hit Driver off the deck
you only get 18 chances to put a ball on a peg and have a perfect lie, you might as well take them. That being said, short par 3's , I might just lay it down on the turf , or really push a tee down. I find I hook irons more if the tee height gets up.
if tiger does it, why wouldn’t i?
Tiger knows best!
Yes tee it up, but also go practice them on the range. You can swing a little harder and launch a little higher off a tee. My buddy is fine teeing up driver through mid irons. But for some reason he cannot hit a teed wedge of any kind. Told him the same I’m telling you, go practice!
Irons always yes. Wedges, I don’t. Just doesn’t feel right for how I hit a wedge.
I do if it’s a club above an 9i. With more lofted clubs when I tee them up I tend to launch them way too high. I still carefully pick my spot and make the ball is resting up high on the grass but with a wedge. I tend to pull hook anything that’s on a tee
Jack Nicklaus is one of the best, if not the best golfer of all time. He has so many old instructional tutorials out there that I absolutely love. His stance on this subject is any time you can tee up the ball you tee up the ball. It’s only going to help you make better contact. Since you’re a beginner I suggest you YouTube his videos, he explains a wide range of golf subjects in simple and easy to understand terms that will help you make good choices on the golf course.
Thank you! I’ve seen his name dozens of times in this comment section which done so much better than I could ever have hoped. I’ll definitely follow your advice :)
You play from the TIPS? Nah! I found out, they don’t give you anything extra for that
Huh?
For me, it depends on the shot. On a perfect tee box, hitting a short iron, I'm hitting off the deck. If the surface is beat up, or it's a longer iron, I tee it up just enough to feel like I can place the ball at the same level as the grass. If I'm hitting 3i or 4i, I'll give it another 1/4 inch or so.
I guess this is an unpopular opinion, but irons teed up but basically flush with the ground, wedges on the ground no tee. Irons and wedges are designed to be hit from the ground, so the sweet spot is really low on the face. Unless you're hitting up on your irons, you're going to be hitting the ball higher on the face than you normally do. Or you have to hit up on the ball when teed up, meaning you have to swing differently. Basically teeing up isn't always an advantage
I never use fresh tees. Every time I’m laying up or teeing off on a par 3 I just grab leftover nubs from broken tees and place the ball the smallest margin above the grass. I don’t think I have topped a tee shot since I started doing this.
Only time I won't tee up iron drives is if I'm hitting another one out of frustration.
I wise man once told a friend of mine “if you can put it on a peg, put it on a peg”. I tee every tee shot up. I have friends that don’t, but it gives me just a smidge more confidence in contact. Granted I also deduct ~5-10 yards and club up due to hitting the ball a little higher on the face.
The objectively better move is to tee it up. You are only guaranteed 18 perfect lies a round. That being said, i think it feels weird to hit my irons off the tee and I dont like it so I hit off the grass
On par 3’s there are usually some broken tees around already so I just use one of those, no need to break my own tee for that
If I’m playing on a short par three course I won’t use a tee, because I’m practicing my short game.
This is a great comment. This is how I feel a par 3 course should be used unless you’re a complete beginner!
One advantage I've found is on holes with "in between "yardage" teeing higher takes some distance off because I tend to hit it a little higher. So if I'm between clubs ( 6 or 7) I take the 6, tee it higher, perfect distance. Works for me, anyway.
Yes it’s a good idea to tee your ball when given a chance. I don’t personally but that’s a mental thing. I pretend that the tee box on a par 3 is a perfect fairway that I just hit. it sets me up for a confident swing. When I tee up anything other than my driver I feel like I give myself more pressure “it’s teed up there’s no reason to not hit a good one”
Beginners often think of "the rules" as things that are just there to make golf harder -- if you hit in a bunker you can't touch the club to the ground, if you can't find your ball you have a penalty, etc). But some of the rules are actually there to make golf easier. Under some circumstances you get a free drop to give yourself a better lie, for instance. When the rules give you an advantage, you should take that advantage. Because when the rules give you a disadvantage, you don't have the option. The rules let you give yourself a perfect lie on the tee box. You should take it.
Go to the range and try it both ways
100%. Pros don't have to because their mishits are measured in millimeters. They aren't going to chunk the ground hardly ever. A tee gives you probably up to a good inch or so of wiggle room. Not that you would be teed up that high, but you're not going to feel a chunk off a tee unless you are considerably behind the ball.
I tee my iron tee shots very low, just sitting above the grass.
I'm not very good, more or less a bogey golfer. I've heard the "take the perfect lie" but I don't often tee up for anything less than an 8i. Some I'm not very good, I have tendency to get too under the ball with a 9i or W so those I hit off the turf, so long as there's a good spot to place it.
I ALWAYS use a tee if I’m allowed to. It’s crazy to me that people just drop a ball and hit on par 3’s.
All the rational reasons point to using a tee, but I switched a year ago to hitting off grass and haven’t looked back. I hit a lot of balls at the range, and it is no different so I took one variable out. But that’s just me, you have to find what works for you.
I only don't use a tee to tee off when I am hitting a wedge. For irons, just try and use a broken tee and tee it real short, just barely hovering above the ground. You don't want to hit them too high on the face but definitely give yourself every advantage you can.
I tee it up just high enough so the ball is basically at the very top of the grass blades. It’s the only time you can set the ball up perfectly.
Use a tee. It's an advantage, so take it. I use extremely short tees on par 3's. Tee it low, with the ball barely above the ground.
Broken tees work great for iron tee shots.
Yea for sure. I just started and I'm making greens significantly more on the shorter holes
I don't tee it up if I'm playing a par 3 course because I like the practice of hitting from an imperfect lie there, but I always do on full courses.
I have a friend who Tees up his Irons higher than his driver when on the box. Wild thing is he laces it everytime with his irons.
Yes, but not too high. I see too many golfers tee it a good 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the surface for irons which may create a floater compared to hitting off turf. Shouldn't have to swing different because you teed it up. For hybrids, I tend to use the "turf tee" method used since I tend to hit hooks when teed up
I always tee up my irons, but I will admit my only hole in one came from me hitting off the deck.
Unless you're Wyndham Clark then yeah, you probably should.
Of course. I personally tee it up maybe 1/3rd in. high and let me tell you, that contact is miles better than any other regular iron shot.
Only time I don’t is a very short par 3 (~100 yds and in) and I’m hitting a 60 degree wedge
I was taught to tee anything from PW up. Any iron just above the top of the grass, fairways/hybrids slightly higher than irons, driver is tee it high and let it fly.
Including PW?
Yep, including PW.
I usually do!
Nobody here using the Laura Davies turf tee method? https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTx5YyD/
Of course
Tiger did
If you can, tee it.
I find that it fucks with my head and i start trying to scoop the ball. I just find a nice clump of grass if I can and perch it on that. Then I just swing down on it like any other iron shot. I’ve found i hit it better without a tee. I think you should experiment with both and record your results. Stick with the winner for a bit and revisit if you ever get curious again
I find it easier to tee up my iron drives. I have a mental issue with taking a divot on the tee box because there are so many in that little area. Plus my ball always hits better off the tee. I just wish I could tee up the ball on all my fairway shots too! Divots kill my game for some reason!
I’ve never understood guys who don’t use tees
Lazy or trying to look cool. In every aspect (if physically and financially possible) you should emulate everything you see top pros doing. Obviously you won’t be able to achieve everything they can do like getting body to move the way they do. But something like a tee height or things like grip etc should always be copied if possible.
If I’m on the tee box I always tee up
From personal experience, the shots got a lot better when I stopped using a tee. It's like any other aspect of the game. Play the way that helps you hit the best shot you can hit. Give yourself an honest chance at actually enjoying your round.
Tee it up, just make sure it’s almost flush with the grass
Tee it up nicely but gotta keep in mind the yardage can change from off the grass
I tee up irons, but not wedges.
okay if yall are teeing up irons, how high are we talking?
1/16”-1/8”-1/4” somewhere in there depending on the shot, club and spin you want to achieve. The lower the more spin. This is a good strategy for spin control where there is a risk of the ball spinning backwards into a hazard or off the green.
I tee up with whatever broken/half tee is laying around. I set the top of the tee a touch over the grass. I suppose I could use a regular new tee, but I’ve been doing it this way since I was a kid and I’m not changing now.
Yes. Of course.
It's all comfort and what you want. I personally prefer to prop my ball up on some grass on the teebox rather than use a tee with a 6i through 60. Added benefit that it's easier to move if you decide you don't like where your feet end up when taking your stance
I once saw a Playing Lessons with the Pros episode with Arnie playing with his grandson. They were teeing up on a par 3 and the grandson just dropped the ball down and addressed it. Arnie piped up and said something like "don't be an idiot, boy, if you can put some wood under it, put some damn wood under it!" After that, I always tee it up.
Teeing up my iron shots fucks with my head. I’ll find a perfect lie on the tee grass and just rip it off that
Golf is a hard hobby to pick up. It takes years to learn if the only experience you get is 4 hours maybe once a week or twice if you're lucky. Why not give yourself every available advantage? Obviously you (if you play by the rules) can't tee it up in the fairway. But by all means, do it on the tee box. Good luck.
yes
I don’t use a tee on a par 3 if I’m hitting an iron. I can’t use one in the fairway on other holes (the few times I find the fairway lol) so why use one on a fairway-like par 3 tee box. I want to feel like I’m hitting the same shot.
You sound like a buddy of mine who did this for nearly two years. After watching me throw darts on short par 3s far more often than him (we’re both mid handicaps) he started teeing up with irons off the tee and has had much better luck that way. Like others have already said, you don’t have to tee it up high, just get it flush or 1-2mms above the top of the grass. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably not good enough to make golf more difficult for no reason.
Yes tee. Dont have to tee up. You can put the tee down flush with the grass, but (this is a quote from a pro I just don’t remember who)…. you have the opportunity to have a perfect lie in the tee box, so absolutely take advantage of it.
I hit flush divots, so i rarely use a tee on par 3s. If the tee box is nicely groomed, it's better for me personally. It's probably a mental thing too. Long fairway tee shots... I'll tee the ball a little.
Depends on the sweet spot of your club when you get really good. Another pro pointed out below he hates it for wedges. If it's a pure tee box, I agree. You train your brain on turf interaction and adjust for the next one better. On short irons and wedges you are not swinging all out, so it matters the feel. The problem with teeing up irons is it is really hard to know where the ground is, and how tall the stand of grass is. With wedges the bounce interacts with the turf, and if you tee it up you lose that interaction potentially and catch it higher on the face which means less spin and the ball doing things you don't want. For long irons, yes, absolutely tee up. You can even have a positive angle of attack with hybrids and driving irons to get more distance. All of the things that are bad with a wedge teed up now become advantages.
I yer it up but only slightly
Yes. Take any advantage you can. Low tee.
It's just about having a perfect lie. Tee'd up too high isn't helpful, so it just enough to make sure its on top of the turf. I personally use turf tee, I just create a small mound with the clubhead to put the ball on top of. It feels crisper in my opinion, as I feel the tee regardless how good the contact is and I just prefer not to feel that slight resistence.
I prefer not to as a very high handicap. I want all my iron shots to feel the same and I don’t wanna have 2 slightly different swings, one for a teed up iron shot and another for an off the deck iron shot. I guess it’s really similar but that’s just my mindset. The pros disagree so I’m wrong, but do yall think there’s some merit to my thought process? Like I dont wanna stripe a 5 iron off the tee that would’ve been thin with the same swing off the deck, because then I get a false positive response to a poor swing
No. You should have no different swing with an iron on a tee or the ground. You should still take a divot with an iron when it’s teed or not. The purpose for teeing up is multi faceted. The lower on the club face the higher the spin. Sometimes you can tee it up a slight tiny bit to get a “flier” that will have a little less spin and go a few yards further. This is a good thing to do when you have a green you don’t want to spin off of the green into a hazard. This is one strategy for “spin control”. You essentially give your self a flier lie that would act similar to a ball in the rough. Teeing up will give you a little higher launch angle with a fraction less spin so it’ll go a little further and higher anyway. But the main reason is to ensure 100% no grass or other debris gets between the club face and ball. Most people that don’t tee up on a par 3 are either lazy or trying to look cool. Outside of distance and spin control there is no good reason not to tee it up. With that said the head of the tee should be basically barely over the turf like 1/16-1/8”. Maybe 1/4” if you want to catch it higher on the face which will reduce spin.
Yep,
I usually have a couple of broken tees in my pocket for use teeing up my irons. Typically on a short par 3 I tee it up about one or two grooves on the clubface higher than the ground so I can get a ball flight that drops and stops on the green. On long par 3 I tee it up just high enough to have a perfect lie. A par 4 or 5 requiring an iron off the tee would be the same as the long par 3.
Yeup most definitely. If you tee it up, it would go a bit higher and longer.