Tee height new confusion

[Nickc]

I always thought that for Driver the norm was to use a tee height so that 1/2 the ball was above the crown of the Driver.

I was just pondering around on Google and noticed several people saying that the bottom of the ball should be level with the crown is the norm.

Never tried the latter ...should I?

 

(BTW At moment have given up on Driver for a while and using a 3 or 5 wood off the tee - both of which I tee very low or even hit off the deck. ... there also seems to be varying advice on the tee height for a 3 wood)

Edited September 21, 2023 by Nickc

[nitram]

The simple answer is it's player/swing dependent . . .

 

The best way to find out what works best for you is to start with the ball teed to where the equator is equal to the center of a grounded club face, and using foot powder spray on your club face, hit some balls to see find your vertical strike pattern. You're basically looking for the tee height that consistently gets you slightly above center.

 

This thread can help you greatly:

 

[Nickc]

3 hours ago, nitram said:

The simple answer is it's player/swing dependent .

Ok agree and for me about half the ball above the crown seems to be about best.

My question was really to do with some people saying the normal / best tee height is to have the base of the ball level with the crown.

 

I just had not really come across this in the past and was wondering if this is now commonly recommended.

I also did come across a video the other week (I think by Golfmates) where they claimed pros teed the ball higher than most ams.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Nickc

[me05501]

The correct tee height is the one that allows you to repeatedly contact the face in the ideal spot with an on-plane swing. 

Edited September 21, 2023 by me05501

[KD1]

41 minutes ago, Nickc said:

normal / best tee height is to have the base of the ball level with the crown

 

Can't say I've seen many tee that high, through my anecdotal experience I'd be very surprised if that's norm.

[Ri_Redneck]

I use a 4" tee and barely stick it in the ground. I have no idea how high that is above a soled driver because I don't sole my driver. THAT is why it is it is player/swing dependent.

 

BT

[golf-RN]

Like everyone has already said, it is completely dependent on the player. The rule of thought is (at least to my understanding) is: teeing it higher will promote a more upward angle of attack for those who may not have a positive enough AoA, as to where teeing it lower will encourage a lower AoA for those that are too upward into the ball. Obviously this is not gospel, but if you know your AoA numbers, it is something you can play around with until you find your sweet spot. I have found that the higher I tee it, the higher my AoA gets (to my detriment I might add). There are times when I have to "feel" that I am hitting down with the driver to get a more optimal AoA and using a lower tee height to promote it.

[erikro]

I agree on the height that allows you to hit the sweet spot. But even where the sweet spot is on a driver is up for debate. I’ve read it’s not right in the middle of the face but the upper half. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[jholz]

Some players (like myself) will even vary their tee height with a driver depending on conditions and shot selection. 

 

[Nickc]

Ok as I half suspected the articles I read saying to normally tee the ball with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh!

Edited September 22, 2023 by Nickc

[Sean124]

20 minutes ago, Nickc said:

Ok as I half suspected the articles I read saying to normally tee the ball with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh!

The problem is half the golfing world thinks you need to hit up 8 degrees to hit the ball far. 

[nova6868]

It completely depends on the player and also the type of shot you're trying to hit. I've seen lots of pros who have 3 different driver tee heights they will use depending on the shot. 

[Ri_Redneck]

Not necessarily. Tee height matter a lot to those who sole their clubs to setup for the swing. It is a method of measuring how far they need to stand from the ball. Then as they swing, they tend to bring the club through slightly higher so that they catch the ball where they want. Everyone doesn't work that way though. For instance, I started playing golf when woods were actually made of wood. Average tee height then was pretty low cause the heads were tiny compared to today's clubs. I remember teeing the ball only finger-width off the ground with my persimmon driver. But still, that "midline of the ball" rule seemed pretty prevalent. Most golfers would rest the club on the ground, then swing through slightly above the ground to avoid any contact with the ground that would spoil the shot. Hitting up on the ball was rarely mentioned in those days, even when early metal woods came out because of the CoG of the heads.

 

Once the "Low Spin" craze hit, hit, hitting up on the driver became almost a necessity. Many had serious issues getting the ball airborne using the same lofts they were used to using (me included). TM even came up with the "Loft Up" slogan because of it. Suddenly, we needed to tee the ball higher and get a more positive AoA. Of course, some go overboard as is always the case.

 

Above, I mentioned that I use a 4" tee and probably have the ball at least 3.5" off the ground. However, I do this because 1.) I like to be consistent and 2.) I sometimes need to increase my AoA like hitting with a strong tailwind. So I tee the ball at that height and then vary the ball location in my stance to adjust my AoA WHEN NEEDED. Typically, my AoA is around +2 which gives me the trajectory/spin combination I want with my 10.5° drivers. With a strong tailwind, I will move the ball forward in my stance about 3/4"-1" which will add a good bit more height to my trajectory. I can't go any more forward than that without having to change my swing, which I will not do.

 

BT

[aggiegolfer21]

It sounds like someone is making a universal claim that really isn't universal.  The answer to what your tee height should be is - it depends on where you contact the ball on the clubface (too high or too low) and what angle of attack do you want (do you want to hit more up or down on the ball).  If you contact the ball too high on the face and/or hit up on it too much, tee it lower, and vice versa.

[North Butte]

It depends on whether you're trying to uppercut the ball vs. making contact just past low point of your swing.

[dvq9654]

I'm sure it's all personal preference and swing driven, but I cannot stand teeing it up high. Anything even close to more than half ball above the crown and I'm going to hit an awful drive. Probably largely mental, but likely due to not hitting up all the much. 

 

I was actually telling my friends last weekend how I wish they abolished 4+inch tees cause they're worthless to me. To each their own

[nova6868]

48 minutes ago, dvq9654 said:

I was actually telling my friends last weekend how I wish they abolished 4+inch tees cause they're worthless to me. To each their own

 

An engineering student just discovered this one neat trick where you push the tee further into the ground.  

[bladehunter]

4 hours ago, Nickc said:

Ok as I half suspected the articles I read saying to normally tee the ball with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh!

It’s not likely to improve your results.  It will cause you to tilt more.  Or go under it. Which is worse. Ball above the crown at address if you sole it , would  have to be +5 or more aoa I’d guess and very few humans can control that.  Very few.  Most who can are over 80 years old. 
 

I tee it with the top of the ball even or just barely peeking over the crown for a Normal shot. If I want to hit it higher  I’ll go up to half a ball above the crown.  Never a full ball up. That’s nuts.  I could hover and pick it off that tee , but why ?  It won’t make for any difference in shot if you start from the even position.  You don’t see anyone tee up a ball 4 inches and hit a hybrid off it.  Right ?  So why don’t they ?  And better question is why would you want to ? 

[nsxguy]

7 hours ago, erikro said:

I agree on the height that allows you to hit the sweet spot. But even where the sweet spot is on a driver is up for debate. I’ve read it’s not right in the middle of the face but the upper half. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

The sweet spot is very close to dead center, but physics dictates that a ball hit a little bit higher launches a bit higher and spins a bit less.

 

High launch + low spin is the formula for max carry,,,,,, and acceptable rollout - assuming launch isn't too high. There is a "window" of best launch conditions, outside of of which produces less, rather than more, distance.

[nsxguy]

On 9/21/2023 at 10:52 AM, Nickc said:

Ok agree and for me about half the ball above the crown seems to be about best.

My question was really to do with some people saying the normal / best tee height is to have the base of the ball level with the crown.

 

I just had not really come across this in the past and was wondering if this is now commonly recommended.

I also did come across a video the other week (I think by Golfmates) where they claimed pros teed the ball higher than most ams.

 

4 hours ago, Nickc said:

Ok as I half suspected the articles I read saying to normally tee the ball with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh!

 

I don't understand.

 

Most of the early posts (and the rest) have told you it's player dependent.

 

You come back and say you agree and you like it halfway to the top of the crown.

 

And now you say "with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh". (<-- guessing here "tosh" in Aussie/Anglo for something not very good, yes ? 🙃)

 

Make up my mind, will ya ?!?!?!

[ThinkingPlus]

I tee the ball at various heights depending on shot selection. Tee it high where half the ball (maybe a little less) is above the crown for down wind or max carry type shots. Tee it a little lower for a stock drive. Tee it low (ball at center face height or a little lower) for a squeeze stinger wind cheater and fairway finder. No reason not to vary setup to make different shots easier to execute.

[KD1]

31 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

 

I don't understand.

 

Most of the early posts (and the rest) have told you it's player dependent.

 

You come back and say you agree and you like it halfway to the top of the crown.

 

And now you say "with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh". (<-- guessing here "tosh" in Aussie/Anglo for something not very good, yes ? 🙃)

 

Make up my mind, will ya ?!?!?!

 

 

OP was asking if crazy high was normal, he wasn't asking what was best. Everyone answered what was best but didn't answer the specific question which was what is "normal".

[Hstead]

Attended the tour championshil in ATL on Sunday and watched all 30 guys warm up on the range.  One of my key takeaways was how much lower they tee the ball than I was.  Nearly all of them had at least half the ball or more below the crown like bladehunter suggested.  I lowered my tee height and have seen an increase in accuracy and no distance loss at all.  I actually hit it higher with it teed lower.

[nsxguy]

1 hour ago, KD1 said:

 

 

OP was asking if crazy high was normal, he wasn't asking what was best. Everyone answered what was best but didn't answer the specific question which was what is "normal".

 

OK, my bad.

 

So what IS "normal" ?

[KD1]

About half a ball over the crown for a 135 yard worm burner

Edited September 22, 2023 by KD1

[Cwebb]

1 hour ago, Hstead said:

Attended the tour championshil in ATL on Sunday and watched all 30 guys warm up on the range.  One of my key takeaways was how much lower they tee the ball than I was.  Nearly all of them had at least half the ball or more below the crown like bladehunter suggested.  I lowered my tee height and have seen an increase in accuracy and no distance loss at all.  I actually hit it higher with it teed lower.

 

The difference with most good players and guys on tour, is that they don't try to hit up on the driver.  Instead they tee the ball only high enough so that they can find the hot spot on the face, without brushing the turf.  If that results in a slighty upward AOA, then fine.  If it doesn't, then that's fine too.

[golfarb1]

Spray some foot powder on the face and see where you are hitting the ball.Optimum should be just above center  line and very slightly favoring the toe

To achieve this , there are two factors which golfers can do that involve little change in the swing -tee height and placement of the tee relative to their stance
The higher the tee the more likely that contact will be above the center line and the more forward  the tee the greater the AOA  and the more outside-in the path.

 

Although Long drive competitors often achieve AOA from +6 to +8, a high AOA is hard to consistently control and is not viable for 

most PGA pros. Consequently many PGA pros , who generate considerable clubhead speed choose a slightly negative AOA for control purposes.Their are a number of exceptions to a negative AOA , notable Rory and Bryson , who approach an AOA of +4.5 to +5.
The average amateur , whose club head speed is considerably less than PGA pros will probable suffer with a negative AOA , so their goal should be closer to an AOA of +3.5 , similar to the average on the LPGA tour. 

Golfers who are interested in maximizing 

their tee height and placement of the tee 

need to experiment using a Trackman 

Edited September 22, 2023 by golfarb1

[Nickc]

22 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

 

I don't understand.

 

Most of the early posts (and the rest) have told you it's player dependent.

 

You come back and say you agree and you like it halfway to the top of the crown.

 

And now you say "with the base of the ball at the height of the crown are peddling a load of tosh". (<-- guessing here "tosh" in Aussie/Anglo for something not very good, yes ? 🙃)

 

Make up my mind, will ya ?!?!?!

If you read what I originally posted you will see that I read a few articles that said you should tee the ball with the base level with the crown. I did not say I agreed or disagreed but wondered what others thought about such statements as had not heard this before.

Was not really looking for specific advice on how high to tee it only on the what I read that this was the norm....but admittedly did pose the question as to whether I should try it! But life's too short.!

 

Edited September 23, 2023 by Nickc