I was giving a playing lesson several days ago. My student, JM, revived an old question: should he tee it up on a par three. He’d seen a few Tour pros in the fall season NOT tee it up. And JM was about the thrid guy in a week who asked me. So I thought it was time to refresh everyone’s memory with an article I wrote several months ago.
Golfers from PGA Tour players to high handicappers play par threes both ways. Some like the ball up, some prefer it down on the deck. Some tee it up sometimes, and sometimes not. Is there any rule or rationale for whether you tee it up or not?
Let’s start with examining if there is a rule out there for using a tee or not. One of the greatest players ever, Ben Hogan, had a strong opinion on this tee it up issue. I am sure he is quoted as saying something to the effect, “I play for money, so I tee it up on par 3s.” That is certainly one powerful and positive affirmation for using the tee.
I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Hogan’s par3 tee strategy and always tee it up. Why? Because any time you can tee it up you should. When the ball is teed up, you improve your odds immensely for having a cleaner and more solid hit. This is especially true for higher handicap golfers. This improved percentage or probability for a more solid contact is the reason many pros re-tee on a par three after hitting into the water rather than use a ball drop, which may even be closer to the green. They now know the club and the distance, but just as important, teeing it up gives them the better lie as compared to taking a chance of dropping it in the ball drop and rolling into a bad lie, or even worse, a divot.
I would also say that this tee it up rule should apply to par fours and fives when teeing off. Teeing it up improves the odds of a clean and solid impact and a better shot whether you are using a three wood, hybrid or long iron, especially for hitting a low screamer.
I have one, I guess you could call it, quirk — call it conservation: saving a tee and ultimately a tree. On par threes, I only use broken tees! I’ll scout around to find a broken tee, because I don’t want to use a good one that will get whacked in two using an iron. I really like the courses that have a container by the tee marker for players to throw their broken tees into. This makes finding a half tee easy and you have a good selection to choose from, all in one place.
Now there is one alternative to this tee it up or not issue that provides a middle ground answer, the kick tee. Some players prefer making their own tee by kicking the heel of their foot into the ground to push up a small mound of dirt to be their tee. They stand facing the green and kick backwards. This creates a mound with a gentle up-slope to the ball, just like it is on a tee. Many pros do this on par threes and on tee shots when they want to hit a driver or 3 wood off the deck for accuracy and or to keep it low into a head wind.
A final question is, since we are teeing it up, how high should it be? I always play with the ball teed just slightly off the ground. I tee it up around 1/8 of an inch for wedges through 8 iron, to a max of ¼ of an inch for the rest of my irons and hybrids. I go just a smidgen higher for a 3 wood.
So, improve your odds for a cleaner, more solid impact. Tee it up on all tee shots.
The Surge!
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I once read that the great Sam Snead said regarding using a tee on par 3s, “if they let you put it on a peg, put it on a peg, nobody is that good!”
Dear Mr Trahan;
I am a golf teacher. I teach golf in Spain from more than twenty years, I’d make a lot of clinics with many greats teachesr llike Bob Toski, Jim Flick, Jesus Arruti, and more.
May be your ideas are a fresh air to the golf, specially in europe. I am reading your tips for months, learning many things from you, and hearing others that I heard before.
Could be in one next future you like to make something in Europe.
By the moment, you have all my admiration,
best regards
Emerson
Don, you do a great job explaining this teeing it up problem. I certainly agree on teeing it up. I liketo tee it a little higher with certain clubs.1/2 ” for 3 woods,3-4-5 irons.1/4″ for 6-7-8-9. Keep up the good job you do. Norm
Don,
A few eeks back, you wrote about cutting down the shaft of the driver. I respectfully somewhat disagree. I am 66, 5′9” and 200, with both hips replaced (’05 & ‘06). I need all the swing arc I can handle, thus use a 45″ shafted driver, BUT it only weighs 48 grams– 45A flex Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue- really fits my swing & tempo. I believe the root cause of poor driving, is not lenght of shaft, but shaft weight & stiffness, and too little loft on driver head (puts more side spin on ball, as you know). If your students want save more strokes, cut 1″-3″ off their PUTTERS! The “money club”!
Respectfully,
Mikey
Don,
Over the last few years, I have made several changes with my golf game that have included longer shafts (5″ over), big shoulder turn and early wristcock. I suddenly was hitting the ball much farther. My 150 yard club became my 9 iron instead of the 7 iron. I hit the 8 iron 165 yards. Unfortunatley, my back hurt so bad that I could not play 18 holes.
I have been trying your swing method on the range with wonderful results. The ball does not go as far, but my back feels a lot better. I think I can live with the shorter yardage if this takes away the pain.
Thanks,
John
DEAR DON:
LOVE YOUR GOLF TIPS.
I NEED YOUR ADVICE NOW.
I AM 85 IN PRETTY GOOD HEALTH.
I HAVE HAD 2 ROTATOR CUFF REPAIRS ON MY RIGHT SIDE AND I ON MY LEFT SIDE.
AS A RESULT I HAVE A SHORT BACK SWING.
I PLAY 9 HOLES A WEEK WITH MY GROUP OF 30 GOLFERS. I TEE OFF FROM THE FORWARD TEES AND USUALLY SCORE FROM 48 TO 52.
MY LOW HANDICAP PARTNERS WANT ME TO CREATE A BETTER STRIKE BY EARLY WRIST COCKING ON THE BACK SWING INSTEAD OF MY ONE PIECE TAKE AWAY.
YOUR COMMENTS PLEASE.
KINDEST PERSONAL REGARDS.
MITCH MAYER
Dear Surge,
While playing at the Bobby Nichols Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky I was taught a good lesson on conservation. You mentioned in your “To Tee or Not on a Par 3″ that you always use a broken tee on par 3’s. A friend of mine named Russ who works at the Bobby Nichols Golf Course taught me this lesson on conservation and you always get a nice good tee as the result. He went out and bought a length of automobile vacuum line and cut it into short lengths. He then takes two broken tee;s, a top part and a bottom part which he pushes into the ends of the cut vacuum line. There is just a small space in the middle of the vacuum line that doesn’t have any tee inside of it. This gives you a very flexable golf tee. If by some chance you break it, all that is required to have another one is to pick-up another piece of broken golf tee and replace the part that came out. This method saves Trees and at the same time is almost free and provides you a much improved golf tee over the conventional solid wooden tees. In fact I think you might just be able to hit the ball futher due to less resistance being offered by the golf tee. I just thought you and all the other golfers just might like to know about this. As always, I enjoy the insight you give us with your frequent updates Surge. Your tips have definitely improved my game. Thanks.
Ray in Kentucky
Don,
I am attempting to learn the PPGS and am haveing a very hard time as I have lost a LOT of distance on each club. I am more than happy with the tips on target line and toe line. My shots toward pin/target are much more in line. Still working on distance. I had right knee replaced 2 years ago, and it was damaged for over 30 years, so I did have to learn a new swing.
Also, I carry a plastic pencil sharpener in my bag, so I save my broken tees, and sharpen them to a point to use on the par threes. Every chance to save 1 stroke makes for a better score. I just need to get more distance from the PPGS.
I recently went through the tips, ordered the DVD’s (waiting) and working on some of the basics you have presented. I am 62, in good health, had back issues 20+ years ago that was corrected, play to a 13.5 and have a limited takeaway that protects the back. I am not sure i agree with the wrist cock as I use that to help generate club head speed at the bottom to ‘fire’ through the ball. I totally agree with the use of tees on par 3’s and basically use a broken tee and get the ball just off the ground, 1/4″ for hybrid and 3wood. I need to review the DVD’s to tune the more upright takeaway and swing as I have been having intermittant issues with a consistent inside path normally taught.
Keep up the good work. I fully expect to be more consistent with your methods.
Surge,
Fella named Deacon told his son Arnold “you have the opportunity for a perfect lie” by using a tee on a par three. “Use it.” Good advice for Mr. Palmer, good advice for me. I sometimes will ‘borrow’ a broken tee from a par three to carry in case the next has been cleaned up. I’ve tried that old kick the dirt or whack the club on the ground to make a little hill to set the ball on and quit doing so after watching too many roll off. Tees are cheap and have a very nice concave top that holds the ball still when I want to make a swing. I play golf.
Love your advice! Read every post. I have a problem, though, with the weight shift. You spoke in depth about it a few days ago. I can’t seem to get back to the ball. I love the idea and have been trying to do it. But I keep hitting behind the ball. I try to compensate by staying on my forward side, so that I don’t hit it fat. It helps me make contact but it doesn’t feel right and I know I’m giving up power & distance. What can I do?
dear don iv’e been playing golf for two half years and i cannot understand why i cant drop my handicap below 30 .i started takeing lessons because i had a ball striking problem .Which is getting better i still have a way to go. i had it under 30 for a short time now it went back up again . Also i can hit an 8 iron about 141 yards with good control but when i go up to my 3 iron i cant get it to the 200 yard what gives my driver is at 188 yards so im really confused im trying to break into 250 yard and up . im 57 years old and i cant get my club speed up any higher im in the 100 mph range on swing my clubs are callaway my irons are x22 tour with 5.5 shafts my driver is a x driver also callaway tour model with a pro launch shaft 5.5 .Maybe you can figure it out im really confused thanks any help would be appreciated..
Tee or not to tee on par 3’s
\
A previous poster attributed a similar comment to some guy named Palmer. I heard it from some guy named Nicklaus…
“Why, when under the Rules of Golf you are allowed a “perfect lie”, would you settle for something LESS than a “peffect lie”.
Made sense to me then…..makes sense to me now.
I remember Nick Faldo was asked the same question, his answer was on teeing the ball up you always have a perfect lie. so always a tee.
Greg R,
I am in the same category for age and time playing the game. I have tried to institute many changes to improve my swing and ball striking and ultimately over a short periode of time the mind and body can revert back to our natural swing ( bad habits) which can happen over the course of 3-4 holes without any warning other then bad results. Some times it is bad decision making on club choice and alignment.
If I strike the ball well for a few holes then my ego kicks in and tells me I don’t have to try so hard and then the wheels fall off.
Sometimes I try too hard, I come out swinging for distance with bad results. I get frustrated and quit trying so hard and relax, I end up doing better, so go figure.
Like most sports golf can be a competitive sport between two players. For me I am competing against myself. It is my intense ego VS the calm smart player. The ego never wins.
Randy
Hi Don
thanks for great information on your E/Mails Blogs etc
mygolf is improving well the bad weather is slowing down my progress but I am getting there.
when playing golf in the U S A in small team events I found it rather strange to have competitors
toeing up the ball on the fairway with their 3 wood etc to improve their lie and purchasing a
couple of Mulligan’s as well, however I did not indulge myself it makes a good game in to a bit of a mockery. you probably gave your views on this in the past if so forget what I have said.
Anywhere in the North West, UK that I can have lessons on the PPGS?
Please discuss shaft flex
interlocking or overlapping grip why and which one do you teach
I have a 1955 Hogan blade set, the same type Hogan used. I love them. Are these heads OK or are these new blades better. The groves are just fine, but some of the plating has wore a little, but still hits OK. They have stiff shafts. I have hit a club made up for Hogan, and the staff was so stiff it felt like a ski pole. I am a little older now, so should I get a weaker shaft as all my friends tell me, even senior M shafts. I like steel in my irons. Thanks, James
I use broken tees on par threes only because they are a convenient length not because I want to save any trees. Wooden tees are not made from old growth but from plantation trees. If you want to do the environment a favour you would actually constantly buy brand new wooden tees and use them once so that you would increase turn over through the plantations (reducing atmospheric CO2) and give me a wider choice of broken tees to choose from when I play.
Regards, Craig S