Teeing off without a Tee

[pingwizard]

So Ive been having a meltdown off the tee box with my irons, I decided id loose the tee's and find a nice fluffy bit of grass to tee off from. Its worked a treat. Has anyone ever experienced this?

 

[CMAC]

yes

 

[Slab]

I do this quite often when its 5w or less I'm using

If there's no suitable 'proud' lie available I'll make my own with the club, raised around 5-10 mm (& flatten after shot if required)

 

[Coatsy79]

Currently really really struggling to hit anything off a tee, no idea why, but my driver I hit so well is now rubbish, as is the 3 wood

5 woods a but hit and miss, so I'm starting to come round to the idea of teeing off without or with a very very low tee and just use my hybrid or a longer iron

Need to find the fairway more often as the rough at our place is awful

 

[mab]

A rarely use a tee with anything but a driver. A wise man once said that by playing that way you are giving up an advantage, but it seems to work for me.*

* though my handicap is only reducing very slowly...

 

[ScienceBoy]

I say take any advantage you can get, if you do ditch the tee I guess you can see that as ditching a mental block to make the game easier for yourself.

Always try and make the game as easy as possible!

 

[3565]

I've seen Laura Davies beat the living s*** out of the tee area with her driver to tee ball up at Lytham St Anne's, sacrilege!!!

not brave enough to say anything and I wouldn't, but she is a big lady?

 

[RobertB]

I remember reading this same sentiment from Jack when I learnt to play years and years ago...

"JACK NICKLAUS: I've hit some memorable shots on par-3 holes during my career. Two that are special to me are the 1-iron on 17 in the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach that hit the pin, dropping to within tap-in distance, and the 5-iron on 16 at the '86 Masters that spun down the slope, just missing the cup, finishing three feet away.Both of those shots contributed to major-championship victories, and each time I was proud of my execution. Before the shot, I spot-lined at my target (using intermediate targets to set my aim) and stuck to my routine. That includes finding a level place on the teeing ground so my stance is comfortable--I don't want to stand on the edge of a divot or even a gradual sideslope. And I tee the ball a little higher than most players do.
I always felt that air had less resistance than dirt. What puzzles me is when players take a tee, jam it all the way in the ground and then put the ball on top of it. Why is the tee there? You have the opportunity on a par 3 to tee it up, so why not take advantage of that and give yourself the best lie possible. In the fairway, when the ball sits on the ground, you might hit it thin or fat. But if you tee the ball a little higher on a par 3, you can make more of a sweeping swing, and you've just eliminated the two things you don't want to happen."

linky... http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-03/flick-nicklaus-tee-highter

Good enough for him, it'll do me.

 

[3565]

I remember reading this same sentiment from Jack when I learnt to play years and years ago...

"JACK NICKLAUS: I've hit some memorable shots on par-3 holes during my career. Two that are special to me are the 1-iron on 17 in the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach that hit the pin, dropping to within tap-in distance, and the 5-iron on 16 at the '86 Masters that spun down the slope, just missing the cup, finishing three feet away.Both of those shots contributed to major-championship victories, and each time I was proud of my execution. Before the shot, I spot-lined at my target (using intermediate targets to set my aim) and stuck to my routine. That includes finding a level place on the teeing ground so my stance is comfortable--I don't want to stand on the edge of a divot or even a gradual sideslope. And I tee the ball a little higher than most players do.
I always felt that air had less resistance than dirt. What puzzles me is when players take a tee, jam it all the way in the ground and then put the ball on top of it. Why is the tee there? You have the opportunity on a par 3 to tee it up, so why not take advantage of that and give yourself the best lie possible. In the fairway, when the ball sits on the ground, you might hit it thin or fat. But if you tee the ball a little higher on a par 3, you can make more of a sweeping swing, and you've just eliminated the two things you don't want to happen."

linky... http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-03/flick-nicklaus-tee-highter

Good enough for him, it'll do me.

why would you not listen to the greatest golfer ever? Whether it's mental, physical, routine, course management or technical. Makes no sense to me.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Tee up ( or don't ) with whatever method you most feel at ease with - whatever keeps you relaxed whilst you take your shot

 

[ScienceBoy]

why would you not listen to the greatest golfer ever?

Every person is different. Some people get a mental block using a tee and it can make them tense up. I used to really struggle with my tee game until I realised the tee was the problem not my swing. I chose to keep the tee but get over the mental block with practice, others choose to ditch the tee.

I see the tee as an advantage and being able to tee it up a little higher a good thing, some people see it different.

We should try and make the game as easy as possible, rather than give in to peer pressure and machosim.

 

[la_lucha]

I remember reading this same sentiment from Jack when I learnt to play years and years ago...

"JACK NICKLAUS: I've hit some memorable shots on par-3 holes during my career. Two that are special to me are the 1-iron on 17 in the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach that hit the pin, dropping to within tap-in distance, and the 5-iron on 16 at the '86 Masters that spun down the slope, just missing the cup, finishing three feet away.Both of those shots contributed to major-championship victories, and each time I was proud of my execution. Before the shot, I spot-lined at my target (using intermediate targets to set my aim) and stuck to my routine. That includes finding a level place on the teeing ground so my stance is comfortable--I don't want to stand on the edge of a divot or even a gradual sideslope. And I tee the ball a little higher than most players do.
I always felt that air had less resistance than dirt. What puzzles me is when players take a tee, jam it all the way in the ground and then put the ball on top of it. Why is the tee there? You have the opportunity on a par 3 to tee it up, so why not take advantage of that and give yourself the best lie possible. In the fairway, when the ball sits on the ground, you might hit it thin or fat. But if you tee the ball a little higher on a par 3, you can make more of a sweeping swing, and you've just eliminated the two things you don't want to happen."

linky... http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2012-03/flick-nicklaus-tee-highter

Good enough for him, it'll do me.

This is exactly the way I think. I usually tee it up higher than most people that I play with. I.E a strong 5 or 6 Iron is on a yellow or white castle tee. I want it way off the ground so I can really think about sweeping through the ball and not making the correct contact with the ball and ground at the same time.

 

[mab]

Mine isn't a mental block, nor is it to look cool in front of my playing partners.

Playing devil's advocate...

The vast majority of golf shots are played from the deck, not the tee box. I take a divot with all my clubs when hitting the ball from the deck. Accordingly, why would I choose to play the handful of non-driver shots hit from the tee box on a high tee requiring me to change my standard swing otherwise risking hitting the ball too high on the club face?

This 10 handicapper is certainly not trying to argue with one of the greatest players the world has ever seen, but it's hard to go against your mind's logic.

Note that I do sometimes use a tee for my longer irons, but teed low so I can replicate my standard swing.

 

[ScienceBoy]

yellow or white castle tee

I don't tee it that high, I want it to have plenty of grooves to run up. I go for about 2-3 cm off the ground, 2 for shorter irons and 3 for longer irons, I think I use about 3-4 for my hybrid and 3 wood.

that is off the ground usually the first cm is grass or so where the ball would normally sit, so its a cm or 2 above that.

For my 3 wood and hybrid that finds the middle of the face really well and pretty much eliminated by thins off tees. Also kept me straighter as I was putting less sidespin on the ball as I got better at hitting down and through rather than trying to pick and flick off a tight lie.

 

[la_lucha]

I don't tee it that high, I want it to have plenty of grooves to run up. I go for about 2-3 cm off the ground, 2 for shorter irons and 3 for longer irons, I think I use about 3-4 for my hybrid and 3 wood.

that is off the ground usually the first cm is grass or so where the ball would normally sit, so its a cm or 2 above that.

For my 3 wood and hybrid that finds the middle of the face really well and pretty much eliminated by thins off tees. Also kept me straighter as I was putting less sidespin on the ball as I got better at hitting down and through rather than trying to pick and flick off a tight lie.

A white castle is 2.9cm and the yellow is slightly shorter. So I guess you do tee it up that high without realising?

 

[ScienceBoy]

yellow or white castle tee

I don't tee it that high, I want it to have plenty of grooves to run up. I go for about 2-3 cm off the ground, 2 for shorter irons and 3 for longer irons, I think I use about 3-4 for my hybrid and 3 wood.

that is off the ground usually the first cm is grass or so where the ball would normally sit, so its a cm or 2 above that.

For my 3 wood and hybrid that finds the middle of the face really well and pretty much eliminated by thins off tees. Also kept me straighter as I was putting less side spin on the ball as I got better at hitting down and through rather than trying to pick and flick off a tight lie.

 

[la_lucha]

I don't tee it that high, I want it to have plenty of grooves to run up. I go for about 2-3 cm off the ground, 2 for shorter irons and 3 for longer irons, I think I use about 3-4 for my hybrid and 3 wood.

that is off the ground usually the first cm is grass or so where the ball would normally sit, so its a cm or 2 above that.

For my 3 wood and hybrid that finds the middle of the face really well and pretty much eliminated by thins off tees. Also kept me straighter as I was putting less side spin on the ball as I got better at hitting down and through rather than trying to pick and flick off a tight lie.

I hope that was a copy and paste if not, well done for writing it out word for word.

 

[chrisd]

I never tee off without using a tee

 

[la_lucha]

I never tee off without using a tee

But do you ever hit the first shot on a hole without a Tee therefore making it the first shot instead of the tee shot?

 

[Jack_bfc]

I don't.

Even on a short par 3. Placing the ball on a tee, even if the tee is pushed right into the ground is giving yourself the perfect lie.

Why wouldn't you???