How High Should I Tee The Ball

Thanks to space technology, golf club manufacturers are making clubs much differently than in the past. Titanium and graphite have allowed the clubs to become bigger, longer, stronger, and lighter. The club head size on a new driver today is around 460 cc (cubic centimeters)!

This is good news for golfers as it allows more potential for distance and forgiveness on off center hits. However, testing has revealed that most golfers are not teeing the golf ball the correct height to take advantage of the club’s features. For the club to hit the ball with the most effective ballistics, you need to catch the ball as the club is just beginning to move upward in the forward swing. This requires:

• 1. Correct ball position forward of your shoulder (see previous article); and,
• 2. Proper tee height. This produces a higher launch angle and less backspin leading to greater distance.

The “sweet spot” on these new, larger drivers is actually above the center of the face so you need to tee the ball higher than you might think. The proper tee height would place the bottom of the ball even with the top of the clubface.

How significant is the tee height? In testing, golfers of all skill levels hit drives using a low tee compared to a high tee. Low handicap golfers lost an average of 11 yards with the low tee and high handicap golfers lost an average of 18 yards! So, tee it high let it fly!