Tips on How to Tee-Up, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles
Tips on How to Tee-Up, Golf (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now, we all know that one of the fundamentals of golf is that you have to play the ball as it lies. But when you are placing the ball on the teeing ground, that’s one of the only opportunities that you have to decide where you want to play the ball from. Although, a teeing ground is a defined section where you have to play from, within that teeing ground, there is a little scope a little margin where you can move that ball around a little bit.

If you’ve got the two-mark to either side of the teeing ground, the ball has to stay within them. You are allowed to stand out aside the mark because so you can actually stand so the marker is between you and ball as long as the ball is inside the markers, your feet don’t have to be, that’s okay.

You are also allowed to tee up to two club lengths back from the markers. So, taking your driver for example, two club lengths back could get you a decent distance away from the tee markers. That would give you opportunities to have a more even patch of turf if it’s a bit worn out on the teeing ground. It also allows you to be moving further away if you are between clubs. Occasionally, you might be between a 6 or a 7-iron, but if you take the 6-iron and get back a little bit, you’ve just taken… that would be two to two-and-a-half yards off your shot. It made it a little bit longer. It’s something worth considering so just take it a little bit further back.

Then, if we look at the long holes like par-three and par-fours, we can tee up in certain sections of the teeing ground to allow us to shape the ball a little bit more. If there’s danger down the left hand side of a hole, I would actually go and stand on the left hand side to the teeing ground, giving me an opportunity to get away from the danger. A lot of people would feel that, “Danger on the left, I want to get away from it. I want to tee up on the right.” But actually from the right, you’re aiming more towards the danger, and likewise if there’s danger on the right, tee up on the right, playback away from it.

You could also consider how you could widen a dogleg or make a dogleg a little bit less severe by playing from the left or the right hand side of a teeing ground. The other thing is that you’ve got the slice or a hook, if I am a slicer of the golf ball and I stand on the left hand side of the teeing ground, aim at the middle of the fairway, my slice doesn’t have to go far to miss the fairway. But if I slice the ball and I go to the far side of the teeing ground, play more to the left hand side of the fairway, I’m actually widening my fairway. I’ve got more margin of error.

So think about how you position on the teeing ground left to right and forwards to backwards could actually give a bit more margin for error and a bit more opportunity to shape the ball. Because don’t forget, the teeing ground is the only time you’ve got to choose where to play from. So, use that choice wisely. Don’t just throw you tee back down in the middle of the teeing ground like everybody else. But pick and choose where you are and it will make a small difference to how confidently you feel about hitting your next shot.

 2012-06-01

Now, we all know that one of the fundamentals of golf is that you have to play the ball as it lies. But when you are placing the ball on the teeing ground, that’s one of the only opportunities that you have to decide where you want to play the ball from. Although, a teeing ground is a defined section where you have to play from, within that teeing ground, there is a little scope a little margin where you can move that ball around a little bit.

If you’ve got the two-mark to either side of the teeing ground, the ball has to stay within them. You are allowed to stand out aside the mark because so you can actually stand so the marker is between you and ball as long as the ball is inside the markers, your feet don’t have to be, that’s okay.

You are also allowed to tee up to two club lengths back from the markers. So, taking your driver for example, two club lengths back could get you a decent distance away from the tee markers. That would give you opportunities to have a more even patch of turf if it’s a bit worn out on the teeing ground. It also allows you to be moving further away if you are between clubs. Occasionally, you might be between a 6 or a 7-iron, but if you take the 6-iron and get back a little bit, you’ve just taken… that would be two to two-and-a-half yards off your shot. It made it a little bit longer. It’s something worth considering so just take it a little bit further back.

Then, if we look at the long holes like par-three and par-fours, we can tee up in certain sections of the teeing ground to allow us to shape the ball a little bit more. If there’s danger down the left hand side of a hole, I would actually go and stand on the left hand side to the teeing ground, giving me an opportunity to get away from the danger. A lot of people would feel that, “Danger on the left, I want to get away from it. I want to tee up on the right.” But actually from the right, you’re aiming more towards the danger, and likewise if there’s danger on the right, tee up on the right, playback away from it.

You could also consider how you could widen a dogleg or make a dogleg a little bit less severe by playing from the left or the right hand side of a teeing ground. The other thing is that you’ve got the slice or a hook, if I am a slicer of the golf ball and I stand on the left hand side of the teeing ground, aim at the middle of the fairway, my slice doesn’t have to go far to miss the fairway. But if I slice the ball and I go to the far side of the teeing ground, play more to the left hand side of the fairway, I’m actually widening my fairway. I’ve got more margin of error.

So think about how you position on the teeing ground left to right and forwards to backwards could actually give a bit more margin for error and a bit more opportunity to shape the ball. Because don’t forget, the teeing ground is the only time you’ve got to choose where to play from. So, use that choice wisely. Don’t just throw you tee back down in the middle of the teeing ground like everybody else. But pick and choose where you are and it will make a small difference to how confidently you feel about hitting your next shot.