Hitting off a tee on a par three?

Hi, I've had problems hitting down on the ball for years, but just recently I've overcome the problem. Because of the initial problem, I used to tee up for par three's. Now I seem to have problems using a tee, and never get the right contact. Should I tee off without a tee? I'm a 22HC.

hi
it can depend on what club your using. if using say a 6 iron up to a driver then i would use a tee as it lets you sweep into the ball more.
with the shorter iron it depends on the shot shape you want.
if it was a 135 yd par three then i would play say a 8 iron,
if the flag was at the front of the green then i would use a tee of about an inch, if the flag was in the middle of the green then a 1/2 inch tee and if the flag was near the back of the green then no tee.
the difference from the 1 inch tee to the 1/2 tee is about 5 to 10 yards in the ball flight and run. the longer tee seems to put more spin on the ball and it flys higher and drops steeper and had no roll, with the 1/2 inch tee the ball does not fly as high and lands about 3 to 5 yards further up the green and runs another few yards.
with the ball without a tee it seems to fly like the 1/2 inch tee but the ball runs on about twice as much.
i also find that when using a tee of say an inch with shot iron you do play it about an inch forward of where you would of played it on the grass. so you must add some loft as lowpost has said in another post and this will add to the spin rate.
if your having problems hitting off the tee then pratice with just the tee about an inch high and no ball and try and catch the tee but not the ground, doing this in a flat bunker and use the club head to mark a line in the sand and put the tee down in middle of the line till only the head shows will let you see just where your club head comes into the sand and you can easily work out if it to far back or to far forward by where you enter the sand by the line you marked in the sand.
you can do the same on grass and moving the ball back to the start of each divot but i find it easer in the sand.
it does sound like its your set up with the tee as you were hitting ok before and hitting of the grass is ok too.
cheers
Bill

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I always use a tee where I can. You don't need to get the ball in the air as it's already there and it is possible to set the ball on a perfect lie. On a par 3 you can tee the ball so it is only just above the grass.

I don't believe I'm incorrect in saying this.

I would say there are exceptionally few pros who would not use tees on par three tee offs, even on short holes like 130 yards, and with wedges. They would make the conscious choice to do so, and when asked they would say it's an opportunity which the rules allow them to get a perfect lie, so why not take advantage.

The hands lead the clubhead and there is a downward attack, so even when the ball is teed up, the ball will hit the center of the face, while the bottom of the club will hit through the tee.

Ted

My son is a very good player and he doesn't use a tee on Par-3's when he is using shorter irons. I think he wants to get a little more spin on the ball. But, I accuse him of just being lazy (smile).

I can't imagine not teeing it up on a Par 3. Just tee it down and not up for the shorter irons.

On zoysia tee boxes, I prefer scuffing the grass up a bit and setting the ball directly on the grass, for iron shots. Zoysia grass really stands stiff and tall. You can place the ball on just a perfect lie. Bermuda or bent, I prefer teeing it up just a hair.

Even playing it "as it lies" in the fairways, off zoysia is almost like playing the ball "up".

Hi kbp,

It's like those bristle fibre tees.

Ted

Pretty close, Ted!

Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. It just depends on the shorter holes, on how I am hitting my irons that day. For a longer par 3 where I need to use one of my metal woods, I always tee it up. My advice is always tee it up when ever possible GJS

I used to always tee it up - just above the grass for irons. Now when I really want to spin it, I'll find a good lie and play it down, then really hit down on it.

I'm with Brian and one other authority on this one; why on earth would you pass up the opportunity for a perfect lie, the game's hard enough as it is?

The other authority?

Well I'm sure I've seen a Hogan quote to the effect that "I play for money therefore I always tee up when I can".

Works for him, I guess it works for me.

Well I took Bills advice, and nine times out of ten it works...infact last week on a championship course I missed out on a hole in one by a couple of inches from 148 meters!!!

hi
so good to hear it works for you also.
something so simple as the hight of the tee lets you control the amount of run on the green. the more you use this way of adjusting the tee then soon it will have you dialing into the flag more often.

all the best
Bill

Thanks Bill

I agree with the previous post as it depends on what club you are hitting into the green. For me personally it also depends on how you are hitting your irons on any given day. If I am striking the golf ball well then I can get away with teeing the ball down much lower. However, if I am having an average day with the irons quite often teeing the ball up a bit higher will help me make better contact.

If I were you I would experiment with teeing the ball up higher on the tee with different irons until you find a spot that's comfortable and helps you make solid, consistent contact with the golf ball.

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