Does Tee Height Matter In Golf – Ultimate Guide & Correct Height For Each Club

Does Tee Height Matter In Golf – Ultimate Guide & Correct Height For Each Club

     

Teeing the ball up is one of those things that golfers do and many do it without thinking about it. Just throw the tee in the ground, place the ball on top of it and hit it, but is there more to it?

Yes, tee height matters especially the consistency of the height you tee each club at. Tee height can have a profound effect on the spin rate of the ball during the shot. You can even gain significant yardage by getting the tee height correct with the driver.

Let’s take a deeper dive into this subject and see if you can take anything from it to help your game. Teeing the ball up correctly can make a noticeable difference to your tee shots. Read on to find out how to do it properly and consistently.

How does tee height affect ball flight?

Ball flight can be affected by backspin and the path of your club into the golf ball can affect this. Your tee height can have a role in this and the driver is a great way to illustrate this.

By teeing up your driver you will hit up on the ball, this launches the ball higher with low spin causing a high ball flight.

Do You Need Different Tee Heights For Different Clubs?

With irons and hybrids, I like to tee the ball very low, just above the grass. With fairway woods you want to tee the ball up slightly more, just a couple of centimetres.

This one can change depending on personal preference, some people like hit fairway woods from a minimal tee instead.

We covered the driver but it is also mentioning that some golfers like a lower tee for the driver. This can help produce a more “sweeping” swing path which produces low launch and low spin, a perfect wind-beater.

Club	Loft(°)	Recommended Tee Height(mm)
460cc Driver	10	30.26
350cc Driver	10	20.88
3 Wood	15	11.63
3 Iron	21	11.63

Table adapted from T-Levl.com

Does Tee Height Effect Driver Distance?

The height of your tee effects your swing path into impact, especially with the driver. This, in turn, will have an influence on the spin that the ball will have on it.

Teeing the ball up can help vastly reduce the spin on your drives and so increase distance.

How Does It Affect Trajectory?

Trajectory is highly influenced by spin, hitting down on the ball causes much more spin and a stalling trajectory.

Lower spin will help with a more penetrating trajectory, teeing the ball up slightly will help you improve the trajectory of your ball.

How Does It Affect Accuracy?

A high tee helps you hit the ball more consistently this will help you improve your accuracy. Another advantage of a higher tee is that it helps reduce sidespin which should also help you hit straighter shots.

Where On The Driver Face Do You Want To Hit The Ball?

Interestingly, depending on where on the face you hit the ball with the driver, the loft is different. There is some debate around this issue though, some say that hitting higher on the face can produce more distance but some prefer the sweet spot.

Hitting the ball in the centre line is imperative, you can lose a lot of speed by striking on the heel or toe.

Can Tee Height Fix A Slice?

Tee height can reduce a slice as it can make you improve your swing path into the ball. By concentrating on hitting up on the driver, you will reduce sidespin and this may reduce your slice.

It is always worth having a professional look at your swing to help you with the root cause of the slice so that you can remedy it properly.

Does The Loft Of The Driver Make A Difference?

Tee height can affect how much of the loft of your driver you can actually use. Having more loft on your driver will help you if you have a slower swing.

If you fall into that category, it is important to maximise your loft and tee the ball up properly with the driver.

Pros And Cons Of A Low Tee Height

A low tee height, with the driver, would represent a ball that is below the height of the crown of the club.

Pros

A lower tee height can help you shallow out your angle of attack into the ball and create low launch conditions, it can also reduce the effective loft of your driver.

If you get this right you can launch the ball low and with low spin, this will give you a beautiful wind-busting trajectory.

A low tee can also help you shape the ball with sidespin.

Cons

One of the main cons is that without a shallow attack angle you will add significant backspin to your ball, this can cause a stalling trajectory.

You can also be more susceptible to sidespin with a lower tee height.

Who Needs To Use A Lower Tee Height?

Golfers playing on links courses or in harder ground conditions will benefit from a lower tee, this will give you a low running ball. If you are struggling with a high flight then a low tee will help you too.

Pros And Cons Of A Regular Tee Height

A regular tee height with the driver would mean a ball where the equator is as high as the crown of the club.

Pros

This by definition is your normal tee height and should be a height that you are most used to. This can help you achieve a better strike and aid distance.

This should also help you feel more confident at address as it is a set-up that you are comfortable seeing.

Cons

The cons on this are that you may be missing out on distance by teeing it sub-optimally. The other cons could include more spin on your driver than needed.

Who Needs A Regular Tee Height?

This is a good height to tee the ball for those who are struggling with a low ball flight. Teeing the ball up slightly can help you get more height on the ball and improve your launch conditions.

Pros And Cons Of A Higher Tee Height

A higher tee height with the driver would be a ball teed up so that most of the ball is above the height of the crown of the club.

Pros

We’ve spoken about the higher tee a wee bit already, the benefits here include low spin and further carry distances. It can also increase your smash factor which is a measure of ball speed as a result of club speed.

Cons

One con is that it can look off-putting at first. You may be afraid to commit to hitting the ball as you fear getting under the ball. The strike doesn’t feel as nice, however it does work.

Who Needs A Higher Tee Height?

From my experience, most club golfers could tee the ball up a little higher. Modern clubs and the modern ball is designed to fly as much as possible and so you should try to get it in the air for as long as possible.

Tee Height Tips For Fairway Woods

Teeing up a fairway wood is as tricky as the driver, some like it low like and iron and some like to tee it up a bit more. I personally prefer to tee the fairway wood up a little higher to reduce the spin and fly it as far as possible.

In saying that, Henrik Stenson tees his three-wood low and no-one hits a fairway wood like him.

Tee Height Tips For Hybrids

Hybrids are to be teed up like irons, nice and low perfect for nipping the ball off the turf. This will help you get a little extra distance and some extra spin control to help you stick it in tight on a long par three.

Tee Height Tips For Irons

Just like hybrids, irons should be teed low. I use a broken tee and have the ball barely off the ground. This way of barely having the ball teed up makes the shot mechanically very similar to a fairway shot whilst giving you a little extra yardage and more spin.

Does The Loft Of The Club Make A Difference?

The more loft on your club, the more you will want to tee it down so that you don’t get right underneath the ball.

Long irons with low lofts can be teed up slightly higher than short irons and wedges.

I am talking about a difference of around a centimetre here.

Should High Handicappers Be Teeing The Ball Up Higher?

I would say no to this one. I think that high handicappers should tee the ball at a regular height and learn to hit that consistently.

Teeing the ball at different heights depending on the shot is an advanced technique and a layer of complexity that high handicappers don’t need at his point in their golfing journey.

Consistency Is Key

As a beginner, you will want to find the tee height that works for you with each club and make sure you are using the same tee height consistently to perfect your swing and improve quickly.

If you are adreessing the ball at a different height everytime, it will hinder your ability to form a consistent swing, esepecially with your driver.

Do Pros Tee It Lower?

If you watch tour golf, you will notice some golfers tee it high, some tee it low and even that the same player tees it both high and low at times.

Players will alter tee height depending on what each particular tee shot requires.

One thing you will notice though, when they want to hit one far they will tee it high to let it fly!

Different Types Of Tees For Different Players

There has been a huge increase in the weird, wonderful and tech-packed tees that have hit the market recently. Many of these make claims of longer and straighter drives and some are worth trying.

I would say that nothing beats the classic wooden tee coupled with good practice to give you longer straighter drives though.

Best Tees On Amazon

Wooden tees

PTS Tees come in many different sizes to suit the size of your driver and have a paint mark so you know how far to put the tee in the ground. These are fantastic tees and great for every golfer. These are the tees I’ve used loyally for many years.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Game Improvement Tees

Martini Tees look mad but they can help your game. Tee the ball up leaning the tee toward your target. Now, let rip, if you swing it well the tee will end up behind you and if it ends up going to one side then you have something to work on.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Tee Tech

Brush Tees are designed to reduce the friction acting on the ball during impact and so increase the distance the ball goes. They take a bit of getting used to but many golfers love them. Give them a shot and see what you think.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

FAQs

Is There A Tee Height Tool I Could Use?

The most effective tee height tool is the castle tee.

These can only be put into the ground a certain depth and so are great for consistent height. Unfortunately, they aren’t allowed in competitions.

Why Does My Ball Fly So Low On Every Shot?

This is because your launch angle is too low as it your spin. There are very many reasons that this could be the case but teeing it up a bit and hitting up on the ball could help you lift it into the air more and use more loft.

I’m Driving Too High, What Should I Do?

This is only a problem if you are getting too much spin and your ball is stalling.

You could tee it higher and hit up on it to reduce the spin or you could tee it lower and work on sweeping the ball rather than hitting down on it.

Get some practice in and try different tee heights to see what works best.

Why Am I Driving Low And Left?

Low and left could mean you are swinging too slow for your shaft and your grip is too strong.

There are so many potential causes for this though so you should go see a coach and get a plan to fix it.

Why Am I Driving Low And Right?

This is the same as above. Your grip could be too weak in this case but you are best going to see a pro and have them help you remedy this problem. It is probably more than a tee height issue.

Should I Get A Lesson For My Tee Set-Up?

This is definitely something you can ask your pro to have a look at when you are having a lesson. This would be extra-helpful during a playing lesson.

Conclusion

It may seem like something trivial, but tee height can make a difference to your tee shots. When you are just starting out then you want to just tee the ball consistently, but as we start to get better we can start thinking about some of the tips in this article.

Get out and try different tee heights on the course and at the driving range. See what happens when you tee it high, you may be amazed at the extra yards you gain just by teeing it up and changing your set-up appropriately.