Tee Height Test Discussion Thread

[Tarheelvolvo]

Let's discuss the MGS latest test about Tee Heights!

 

Article here: https://mygolfspy.com/tee-height-test/

 

What are your thoughts? Does a Tee Height make a difference in your distance or dispersion on the course?

[cnosil]

I actually tee the ball a bit lower since I tend to have a descending AoA. Teeing the ball up puts me in danger of skying the ball and losing considerable ball speed since I hit it too high on the face.

Because if this my distance lass
Is negligible.

Not sure it will solve the “distance problem” as many pga pros hit down with the driver.

[aerospace_ray]

I really enjoyed this article and the explanations of the results. Like many that have played a long time, definitely in era's without launch monitor and other modern technologies, we discovered through trial/error how tee height affects ones ball flight and ability to hit certain clubs. I definitely hit ball further with ball tee'd higher.

 Additionally, I remember how I learned that I did not have mechanics/swing speed/strike angle to launch a 3 wood off the deck but I could hit one off the tee. This article/test helps me correlate or better understand my history with certain lofted clubs and launch angle and benefits from teeing ball certain height.   

[jddaigneault]

Is there a tee height the fixes the distance problem associated with the ball not flying in a straight line? Asking for a friend...

[MattF]

My fitter and I messed around with that a bit last month when I did a driver fitting. I got the best results having the ball teed up a lot higher than I normally do. The AoA was a lot better, dispersion improved as well as distance. Taking that into account, I ordered some slightly higher tees for this year.

[03trdblack]

I hope the USGA keeps in mind (if tee height gets reduced) that not all of us play these pristine, perfectly mowed tee boxes.  Half of the courses I play require different tee heights just to be above the level of grass on the tee box that didn't get cut that week....

[LeftyRM7]

Good information but nothing surprising. Tee it high and let it fly as they say! Consistency is key also, I always use my index finger as a gauge every time I tee up so know exactly where I’m at. Also a good tool when you’re wanting to flight the ball down or work it a certain direction.

I disagree with the idea that it could solve any distance problem on tour. It would turn driver technology and design in a whole new direction but they would fairly quickly get that 15 yards back. Hell, Bryson would have his delivery changed by the weekend lol


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[Nolan220]

Great article and topic to discuss .. I guess they could mandate that each player uses a smaller tee or a tee length restriction to enforce. I hit the ball on the up swing not down so when I miss I am really low on the face and its a chunk so I tend to tee it up higher so I dont look like an idiot on the tee box.  

[eddiex72]

I don’t think it solves the USGA distance problem. Because, there isn’t a distance problem. The USGA has a leadership and focus problem.
I did always believe there was a rule of thumb with tee height. “The ball must be sitting halfway above the crown.” This test was awesome. I can start at 1.5” and do my own test to find the right spot. The distance gains from this test are too dramatic to not consider working from your results. Awesome as usual. 

[Beakbryce]

I learned to play golf a long time ago and the theory then was to sweep the ball off the tee. Hitting a drive high on the face with an average  wooden driver was not the way to go. Golf now is overly complicated when a specific driver swing needs to be learned, i.e., hit up on the ball which is so different from what is needed for every other club. Pro's and elite amateur's have the time and desire. The problem with golf club design right now is the clubs we used are designed for pro's who can swing up on the ball. The sweet spot is high on the club. Most golfers can't learn one swing, much less multiple swings for each type of club. The company that realizes that they need to be designing clubs for the rest of us is going to sell a lot of clubs. This is what would actually happen if there was a requirement for a shorter tee. The driver swing would have to approximate what most amateur's are doing anyway. So go for it.

[Smellis745]

38 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

I hope the USGA keeps in mind (if tee height gets reduced) that not all of us play these pristine, perfectly mowed tee boxes.  Half of the courses I play require different tee heights just to be above the level of grass on the tee box that didn't get cut that week....

Exactly.  Taylormade has a gift set of tees that all of their pro players play.  Guess what...none of them were the 3-4" tees.  Guess why...because they all play on pristine, level, perfectly mowed tee boxes.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Funny I posted this a while back In the Bifurcation is coming

•  

Posted February 3

Either I saw an interview or read an article. But in any case I think it was Greg Norman. He said the easiest way to address this issue was to restrict the tee height. Then they proceeded to show how they are now using longer tees to hit up on the ball much more than in the past. They showed Bryson's ball on the tee and his swing path and compared it to a shorter tee and the path it needs to take.

Could this help? I don't know, but I thought it was a very different approach to the distance issue.  

 

Glad to see this does make a difference. But then they would just change the face angle of their driver from  6 or 8 degrees to our normal 10.5 or something and we would be right back where we are.

[Cruskater]

I always used a normal tee height. Maybe 1/2 to 1/4 of ball above the club face. After a fitting last year, I began teeing it much higher for AoA and launch. I concur with the findings but always thought I had a better chance of finding the fairway with the ball teed lower and hitting my low cut. Anyway...great article.

[Murdawg]

I've always teed it lower if I want a lower ball flight.

I found this article to be very interesting and passed it on to my golf group.

 

[GolfSpy BOS]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

I actually tee the ball a bit lower since I tend to have a descending AoA. Teeing the ball up puts me in danger of skying the ball and losing considerable ball speed since I hit it too high on the face.

Because if this my distance lass
Is negligible.

Not sure it will solve the “distance problem” as many pga pros hit down with the driver.

Tee it high and watch it fly!  

 

I'm similar to you.  I'm fairly neutral to maybe 1-2 degrees up, but when I'm not swinging well I have a tendency to hit down and pop it sky high.  

I feel like the tour pro's would just move to shallower faced, more compact designs where they could still get the launch and spin they want, albeit they might not be as forgiving driver heads as they play now, which could lead to more missed FW, but maybe not the drop in distance they're after.  

[phvanvle]

I have ball in hand, top of tee against the ball, as I start to push the tee into the ground, I extend my index finger and when the finger touches the ground I stop pushing.

Consistent ball height every time.

[cnosil]

Pro's and elite amateur's have the time and desire. The problem with golf club design right now is the clubs we used are designed for pro's who can swing up on the ball.

While pros can swing up on the ball the average across male pros is that they swing down with the driver.

https://blog.trackmangolf.com/trackman-average-tour-stats/

Time and desire is an individual thing and shouldn’t be a blanket statement. There are players that do nothing to improve and there are players that dedicate lots of time to improvement.

As with any tool, you have to figure out the best way to use it. I can use a hammer to drive screws and I can use a screwdriver to hit in nails. While that works I don’t get the best performance. Same goes for golf clubs. I can hit down with a driver or I can hit up and I can use tee height to influence. In this case, don’t think the tools are the problem.

[Beach84]

I just recently started teeing the ball a little higher. Not sure what the distance difference is yet because of it being winter since I made the change. The dispersion seems to be a lot better. 

[RonW]

Limiting tee height to try to limit distance... From what I have seen in the last 2 weeks, which is when this topic was first raised on "No Putts Given" (Great show, by the way guys), I started to take notice, Pebble Beach and yesterday at Riviera

Both Phil M and Bryson tee theirs up, I would say nearly 2 inches (to the naked eye).... Neither of them hit too many fairways.

Point is, let them hit big.... if they're good enough they'll hit straight. If not, they'll miss big and it's not even worth the extra 10 or 20 yards they might gain.
Just to add, long drivers, like Kyle B etc.... are hitting 2 out of 8 inside the grid (which is generously wide).... See where I'm going with this??.... Risk vs Reward, always been part of the game, my opinion only of course.

[null]

Good stuff, but this isn’t anything new. TXG did a video on this a year or so ago, as did Mark Crossfield  it’s all about angle of attack and spin loft

Sure, the governing bodies can limit tee height, but give these world class athletes and brilliant golf oems time and they will create equipment and techniques that will offset any dumb tee limitations 

 

[BMart007]

So- the folks at Club Champion would disagree with this article and it's findings. Having a recent shaft fitting done for my driver and considering I have a downward AoA with this club, I was fitted for a shaft that was tailored to my teeing the ball lower to reduce the imparting of spin.

Not claiming CC is the be all end all answer - but - I am a bit confused now as I was teeing the ball higher prior to this fitting. I do get more run out from the lower teeing of the ball but can't say accuracy nor distance in total has been significantly affected.

[Beaumissy]

I use Martini tees for my driver that are preset for height.  The height appears higher than I used to place a regular tee and I have been more consistent in my driving.

[Bahamamoe]

the lower i tee it the higher the ball flight and the frequency of hitting the big ball increases

 

[RanMan]

Sure, having played golf for many years, I believe my ideal height is right at one inch.  I check this with my thumb when placing the ball on the tee.  Thanks 

[null]

1 minute ago, BMart007 said:

So- the folks at Club Champion would disagree with this article and it's findings. Having a recent shaft fitting done for my driver and considering I have a downward AoA with this club, I was fitted for a shaft that was tailored to my teeing the ball lower to reduce the imparting of spin.

Not claiming CC is the be all end all answer - but - I am a bit confused now as I was teeing the ball higher prior to this fitting. I do get more run out from the lower teeing of the ball but can't say accuracy nor distance in total has been significantly affected.

A shaft doesn’t spin the ball. It may change your delivery and thus your angle of attack or strike location which in turn could reduce spin. 

[null]

14 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

 

I feel like the tour pro's would just move to shallower faced, more compact designs where they could still get the launch and spin they want, albeit they might not be as forgiving driver heads as they play now, which could lead to more missed FW, but maybe not the drop in distance they're after.  

Bingo. Pros would adjust technique and manufacturers would adjust equipment and the governing bodies will be left, yet again, chasing their tales

[pj_engel]

Short tees, tighten the fairway around 320–380, and plant trees near the tee boxes so they have to shape drives if they are longer hitters. 

[cnosil]

Limiting tee height to try to limit distance... From what I have seen in the last 2 weeks, which is when this topic was first raised on "No Putts Given" (Great show, by the way guys), I started to take notice, Pebble Beach and yesterday at Riviera

Both Phil M and Bryson tee theirs up, I would say nearly 2 inches (to the naked eye).... Neither of them hit too many fairways.

Point is, let them hit big.... if they're good enough they'll hit straight. If not, they'll miss big and it's not even worth the extra 10 or 20 yards they might gain.
Just to add, long drivers, like Kyle B etc.... are hitting 2 out of 8 inside the grid (which is generously wide).... See where I'm going with this??.... Risk vs Reward, always been part of the game, my opinion only of course.

Couple of comments: I’d suggest reading up on strokes gained. The 10 to 20 yards you discuss does provide an advantage and it isn’t about hitting fairways. Also
The faster you swing they farther the ball goes and the farther it goes offline. A 1* open clubface will be farther offline at 300 yards than it is at 200 yards; that is how angles work.

While the strategy may not work every hole the percentages play out over time.

[cnosil]

Bingo. Pros would adjust technique and manufacturers would adjust equipment and the governing bodies will be left, yet again, chasing their tales

Most definitely. I heard on a podcast where they addressed going back to persimmon drivers and the feedback from manufacturers was that they wouldn’t be built or designed like they used to thus would get better performance.

[cnosil]

Tee it high and watch it fly!  
 
I'm similar to you.  I'm fairly neutral to maybe 1-2 degrees up, but when I'm not swinging well I have a tendency to hit down and pop it sky high.  
I feel like the tour pro's would just move to shallower faced, more compact designs where they could still get the launch and spin they want, albeit they might not be as forgiving driver heads as they play now, which could lead to more missed FW, but maybe not the drop in distance they're after.  

Pros don’t miss the center of the face so while it would impact most of us, pros and manufacturers would solve the problem and it would be a very short term fix.