Use The Tee To Your Advantage
Posted by Double Eagle in Course Management
Most people know that the teeing ground consists of a rectangle whose width is defined by the two tee markers and whose depth is defined by two club lengths back from the markers. Too often, I see people just going right to the center of the tee markers and hitting their drive without consideration for their typical shot shape and to the shape of the shot they intend to hit on that hole.
One of my favorite course management tips: tee up your ball after careful consideration of the shot you’re about to hit.
For example, assume your typical shot is a slice. If you tee up the ball on the right side of the tee (close to the right marker) and aim for the left side of the fairway, you have a lot more room for the shape of the shot you typically play. If it does what you expect, you’ll be in the middle of the fairway. If it unexpectedly goes dead straight, then you’re on the left side of the fairway. And if it slices more than usual, then you’re on the right side of the fairway.
The same is true if your normal shot is a hook. You’d tee it up on the left side and aim for the right side of the fairway.
Now take all that one step further, and use that knowledge to set you up in the best position for your second shot. If the front-right of the green is guarded by a pond, then you want to try and get your ball into the left side of the fairway so you have a look at the green with little or no water to worry about.
One important note: when trying to plan ahead, don’t hit a shot where you end up in trouble if you strike it perfectly, even if that’s a rare occurrence. Using the example of the slicer, if you want to end up in the left side of a fairway that’s guarded on the left by a water hazard, don’t tee up on the right side of the markers and aim out into the water, expecting it to come back to the left side of the fairway. You’ll be penalizing yourself for hitting a good, straight shot.
Next time you’re playing, consider your typical ball flight and pay close attention to where you choose to tee the ball, and you might just save a few strokes.
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