Overview
Serious golfers spend large amounts of money on drivers and golf balls. They then take that equipment to the course and commit a common error of not teeing the ball high enough to maximize the benefits of the latest equipment.
Teeing the ball too low can cost the average player up to 17 yards in distance loss. The distance loss is greatest if a player hits down on the ball (negative angle of attack).
A simple fix, raising the tee, can potentially bring your distance up to two clubs closer to the green.
Test
To test this we set up the robot to duplicate the swing of the average player. We used a 10 degree lofted S flex driver and set it up at 92 mph of club head speed (an average players club head speed).
We then set up three different tee positions: Forward, Neutral, Back.
Finally we tested by hitting balls in the geometric horizontal center of the club head, hitting impact positions from the bottom of the clubface to the top, moving up in .25” increments.
Results
The greatest distance gain occurred with the negative angle of attack player’s shot but all players’ shots benefited from raising the ball on the clubface.
For players that play the ball forward in their stance and hit the ball on the bottom of the clubface they can gain 14 yards in distance by moving the ball .5 inches higher from the bottom.
For players that play the ball in a neutral position in their stance and hit the ball on the bottom of the clubface they can gain 16 yards in distance by hitting the ball .75” inches higher from the bottom.
For players that play the ball back in their stance and hit the ball on the bottom of the clubface they can gain 17 yards in distance by hitting the ball .75” inches higher from the bottom. (See data below)
Conclusion
If you are teeing the ball low you are not taking advantage of the loft and spin characteristics of new drivers. Driver technology maximizes the upper 1/3 of the clubface.
A simple test to see if you are teeing it to low is to watch your driver ball flight. If the ball goes out low and then rises at the end you can benefit from a higher tee position.
As with any recommendation try it out on the range before you do it on the course.
Data
