Hitting from tees

[richart]

Anyone know any cures for 'teeitis' ? I can't hit an iron off a tee without sh..king. (Can't even type the word !) Hit them from the deck, which is fine when tees are in good condition,but when wet a real problem.Also hit 3 wood off deck,and used to hit old steel driver as well.New large headed drivers make this impossible.

I am sure it is mental rather than physical,but when the ball is on a tee i seem to have a huge spasm/yip. Teeing the ball very low does not seem to help either.

Played off 6 when a junior when i didn't have problem. Came back to the game recently and playing off 12.If i could cure my tee problems i am sure i could at least get back to single figures.

Any thoughts ?

 

[stevewilko]

A pro told me in a lesson, he never uses Ts only for Driving.
He just digs his iron in the ground a little to raise it up a bit, a bit like a footballer when he sticks his toe end in the ground on a goal kick/free kick.
Since then i have not used one and everything has been fine, i used to slice my irons badly of a T so try that.
His reasons were we hit the majority of shots from level lies (fairways) anyway so of a T it should be an even better lie!!
It worked for me.

 

[Smiffy]

Anyone know any cures for 'teeitis' ? I can't hit an iron off a tee without sh..king. (Can't even type the word !) Hit them from the deck, which is fine when tees are in good condition,but when wet a real problem.Also hit 3 wood off deck,and used to hit old steel driver as well.New large headed drivers make this impossible.

I am sure it is mental rather than physical,but when the ball is on a tee i seem to have a huge spasm/yip. Teeing the ball very low does not seem to help either.

Played off 6 when a junior when i didn't have problem. Came back to the game recently and playing off 12.If i could cure my tee problems i am sure i could at least get back to single figures.

Any thoughts ?

The same thing plagues me from time to time.
Off the deck I never hit a ***nk, but teed up? And it's usually on the shorter holes. Longer par 3's where I can get away with a hybrid or am hitting a lower iron I'm usually ok. But put a 7 iron or less in my hand and it's a possibility.
Maybe I'm quitting on it and trying to "steer" it?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Most of the par 3's on my course are between 178 and 229 off the whites. Why make a tricky shot harder by trying to play it off a piece of dirt. At least teeing it up gives you the chance to play of a good lie at a fixed height.

As for the OP a lot of it is probably mental now but when I had a case of the S's even with my wedges I was getting my weight too far forward. A pro will spot it in seconds and give you a fix

 

[Region3]

How low is low?

I'd say tee it so low that it's at the same height as it would be if you were playing off a perfectly level grass tee off the deck.
All the tee is doing is keeping your ball off the crap grass tee.

 

[stevewilko]

Its whatever suits each individual.
I can only say whats good for me and what has helped.
But again you are hitting these shots regular on par 4s/5s as second shots with out teeing them up so whats the difference.
I only hit a driver of a T and i have come down from 21 to 13.6 in a year so something is working!!
shot my first 77 just before christmas.
Again everyone is different.

 

[pokerjoke]

Hitting off a tee certainly helps most of the time im sure as someone said its all in your head.A shank is not caused by using a tee.Also if you hit it well without a tee you must be a relatively good striker of a golf ball.I dont understand a pro telling you not to use a tee that baffles me.

 

[THJahar]

hmmm...i'm wondering is it legal to use a bag of sand like they did in the old days?

 

[stevewilko]

The pro just stated what he prefers as advice, and like i said it worked for me so well done to him.
Whats another mans vice is another mans pleasure!!!!

 

[richart]

Thanks guys for all the feedback.

It is mental,but by hitting the ball off the ground with my irons i have cured the sh..king.We have three short par threes,which play between a wedge and a 7 iron.I hit these consistently now,and regard these as birdie holes.

Our tees are in good condition and normally i can place and hit.Occasionally i do knock up the ground slightly,when the greenkeeper is not looking! In the recent wet weather i do tend to get a faceful of earth,but that is probably from punching my shorter irons.

My main problem now is the driver.Standing over the ball i am a nervous wreck,and while i strike the ball well the yip sends the ball in wide radius left and right.As i play a heathland course with trees and a lot of heather,this is not good.I could just take a 3 wood,but that is not a long term solution.

I have had the yips chipping,never putting,but temporarily i have cured this problem,and feel confident over the ball.

How do i get the same confidence with the driver,when the ball is perched on a tee ? Any mental tips.

I have heard others with same problem,and even Laura Davies and Henrik Stenson have been hiiting drivers off the deck.Unfortunately i do not have their skill !!

 

[EaseNgrace]

I would practice hitting irons off a high tee, 2 inches off the ground and keep at it until you're clipping off the top sweetly. Then gradually move it down to a more comfortable height, this should boost your confidence and hopefully should irradicate the negative mentality you clearly have.

 

[NickSwan]

well it's either a mental thing, or maybe something wrong with your setup for using a driver. The one difference with the driver is to think of sweeping the ball of the tee rather than wanting to compact the ball when using irons.

Can you record your swing with the driver at the range and put it up for us to take a look?

Nick

 

[RGDave]

I just wonder whether if by teeing the ball up, you then stand a different distance away from the ball (we're talking cm's b.t.w.) and get out of shape on the way down.
I used to have a bad habit (back in the day) of teeing the ball up too high, hitting it out the top of the face, then clubbing up next time on that tee.
Maybe you should tee it down as low as possible to get a good lie but so it visually appears almost the same as a fairway shot??

 

[JustOne]

I can't hit an iron off a tee without sh..king.

It is mental,but by hitting the ball off the ground with my irons i have cured the sh..king.

Blimey, that was quick! Cured already.

 

[CrapHacker]

I can't hit an iron off a tee without sh..king.

It is mental,but by hitting the ball off the ground with my irons i have cured the sh..king.

Blimey, that was quick! Cured already.

I don't think you've cured anything, I think you're in denial.

So I think the only option is to shoot yourself

Either that, or get a video lesson off your pro. I bet he'll cure it in seconds.

GL

 

[richart]

Sh..k off a tee peg,not off the tee without a peg !

Thanks for feedback.I will try and video my driver swing when the snow goes.My swing is quite steep,which is good for punching irons,but not so good for woods.

Problem seems to be that my twitch/Spasm/Yip causes the steep 'hit' at the ball.Practice swings look ok,but it is a mental thing.When i played as a kid no nerves,but having come back to the game after years away,my nerves seem the biggest problem.

 

[JustOne]

I don't tee up my irons more than 5mm so in most cases I wouldn't really know a tee was there, are you teeing them too high?

To cure the shanks I'd normally look at 3 things...

weight not too much on the heels
weight not too much on the toes
hands a good 5" away from the thighs at address.

For hitting a driver off a tee peg then I'd make sure you don't have it too far back in your stance. If you can, get a vid face on and one looking down the target line.

 

[drawboy]

I think it sounds like you are not taking the same amount of concentration with a shot off of a peg. I would say that because you deem it mentally to be an easier shot you do not commit to it and as a result come up early on it leading to an open bade. Try teeing level with the surface of the ground it may improve things. Jack Niclaus advised "always tee the ball at every opportunity why make the game harder than you have to"

 

[richart]

Good point,i am sure i do come up and out of the shot with the ball on a peg.When the ball is on the deck i concentrate more on staying down and through the ball,which is fine, especially with the irons.I find i hit my best shots from the worst lies,and this must again be down to concentration.

If i could just get rid of the negative thoughts standing on the tee.When you expect to hit a bad shot you rarely let yourself down!!

Thanks again for all comments.