#26244 - 05/30/08 05:50 AM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: srushing]
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DON
Vance
Registered: 05/04/05
Posts: 3429
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
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Chief; One of the golf magazines did a test on tee height awhile back, and as the tee height went up, so did the yardage. This is one of the reasons that the USGA has set a limit on tee height. Can't use a tee longer than 4 inches. There was another test done a few years ago, and in that test, going from a 2-1/8 tee up to a 4" tee, there was a gain of 37 yards with a driver. That test was done with a robot swing machine to eliminate any human error. Fact is, any time you can hit the ball with a higher launch angle with less spin, the ball will fly farther. You might want to try it again, and this time hit 20 balls and see what you get in terms of distance. You might have to increase your upper body tilt to the right a bit, so you can swing more up at the ball, so you hit it higher with less back spin.
_________________________
Putting is easy, getting the ball in the hole is hard.
Later, Don.
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#26252 - 05/30/08 12:11 PM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: Chief]
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DON
Vance
Registered: 05/04/05
Posts: 3429
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
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It really doesn't matter what loft driver you use, a taller tee will allow you the hit the ball higher and farther. I really have no idea what the height of my drives is. As you say, that's really hard to measure, and I'd only be guessing if I gave you a number. I can tell you I did hit a drive about 60 feet over the top of a 60 foot (Guessing here) tree. The tree was on the inside corner of a dogleg left hole, and 185 yards from the tee. That drive was right at 300 yards total. I have drivers with lofts from 9.5* (FT-i Tour) to as much as 12*, (SnakeEyes 600TC). And I can tell you that when I hit the ball the longest, it's with the higher ball flight. Other than mishits where I hit under the ball and only catch part of the ball on the face, all my really long driver have a high launch angle. Unlike what you may have been told, it's really hard to hit the ball too high off the tee. As for tee height, when I use a 4" tee, I try to stick it in the ground as little as possible.
You mentioned a few things that I would not recommend anyone do when playing golf. One is making a big turn with the hips and let the shoulder follows. That't totally backwards of what most every pro does. The idea is to hold your hips steady, turn your shoulder back, and let the shoulder turn PULL the hips around. You want to turn your hips only as much as needed to get a full shoulder turn. The shoulder should never follow the hips going back. I stated that you might have to "tilt your upper body to the right". That's not the same as leaning your head to the right. In a good golf swing, you should be swing around your spine. If you tilt your spine (upper body) to the right, and you swing around your spine, you will have to swing more up at the ball with your driver. Which is what I was saying to do.
It's really hard to say why you hit the XL higher than you did the FT-i. Could have been the flex of the shaft, could have been the kick point of the shaft. I do know that the XL does hit the ball higher than average, but I can't tell you if it's higher than a FT-i Tour. My FT-i Tour is a 9.5" driver. I got a 9.5* only because it's not available in anything higher. The FT-i is, but not the Tour version.
And yes, you could work up to the taller tees, but if I was me, I'd do what I did when I got the 4" tees. I put two layers of clear plastice packaging tape on the top front edge of the driver, and teed it up. It took a few balls to get the hang of it, but after 50 balls I was quite comfortable with the taller tees. I did hit a few SKY balls, but the tape prevented any damage to the club head. I made it a point to tilt my spine more to the right at address, and swing up at the ball more. If you do it in little steps, you'l have to do the same drill over and over until you get up to 4" tees. My quess is that would take longer and require more range balls to do. The idea is to have the ball high enough that you can hit up more. You might have to move the ball forward more in your stance, depending on where in your swing the lowest point of the swing occurs. If you swing down on the ball with a 4" tee, you'll hit SKY balls all day. If you tilt your spine too much to the right, you might end up digging a drench a foot or so behind the tee. Not a good idea if you like your driver the way it came.
_________________________
Putting is easy, getting the ball in the hole is hard.
Later, Don.
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#26327 - 06/03/08 05:57 AM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: DON]
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Chief
Leader
Registered: 03/08/08
Posts: 233
Loc: Elk Grove Village Illinois
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OK DOn,
I played a few days ago and still teed the ball at my normal height, about 2 1/2". When cleaning my clubs this morning I noticed a slight wear area or minor abrasions where I make contact with the ball. They are dead center and slightly high. I agree with the statement you made about digging the trench, that has happened a few times. I leave today on vacation and I am supposed to play a few courses, I have some tees I think are 3 1/2" I am going to try, 4" is too big of a jump.
Next about the hip turn, I know this comes from my days playing baseball, you fire the hips forward and stay back waiting for the ball to get to the plate. I do not know if I can easily change this habit, I think it gives me a lot of power,using the big muscles of the lower body to pull the upper body through. Maybe another day, although I do this with irons especially the short irons for control.
Last, head tilt, on my drives I setup with my left shoulder as much as 3" higher than my right, and this automatically moves my head to the right, so I am swinging "up" at the ball with a straight spine. And to hit straight I have moved the ball to just off my left heel, forward in the stance. I also need to do almost the same with fairway woods, just not quite as far forward.
I always appreciate the comments, most have helped as I try to get back to where I used to play and see/feel my flaws.
_________________________
Maybe I should be fishing
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#26328 - 06/03/08 06:31 AM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: Chief]
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DON
Vance
Registered: 05/04/05
Posts: 3429
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
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Chief: Maybe I didn't understand you when you stated that you turn your hips and let the shoulders follow. THAT'S FINE IN THE DOWN SWING. In fact that's what you should do. The way I read your original post on this, it sounded like you were turning your hips first, and letting the shoulders follow, IN YOUR BACK SWING. That's where you don't want to do this. If I mis-read your post, let me know, and feel free to dis-reguard my reply.
As for head tilt, there's a difference between shoulder/spine tilt, and head tilt. Your left shoulder should be higher than your right as you tilt your spine to the right at address. That doesn't mean you want to tip you head to the right more. Your head and neck should remain fixed to you upper body, and only tilt to the right due to you tilting your spine to the right. I hope that makes sense and we are now on the same page with this.
As for the ball marks on your driver, that sounds perfect. If you can get the same ball marks with a higher tee height, you'll really start hitting the ball longer yet. Try putting a little car wax on the face of your driver before you hit balls. The wax will show you exactly where you contact the ball on every shot. It's a great way to see how your ball striking is on any day.
_________________________
Putting is easy, getting the ball in the hole is hard.
Later, Don.
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#26359 - 06/04/08 05:35 AM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: srushing]
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DON
Vance
Registered: 05/04/05
Posts: 3429
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
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The wax would not be legal during a tournament, but for a normal round of golf with friends or by yourself, it does let you know how you're hitting the ball over 18 holes. I don't know how much the wax would effect distance, but it should reduce sidespin, so your ball flight should be a little straighter. It should help the average golfer that's fighting a nasty slice a little. I have used the wax during a round a few times, and it tells a story. If you missed more fairways than you hit, and find balls marks all over the club face, that pretty much tells you why you found the rough so often. If all the ball marks are centered on the club face, good chance you had a good day driveing the ball.
_________________________
Putting is easy, getting the ball in the hole is hard.
Later, Don.
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#26360 - 06/04/08 05:35 AM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: srushing]
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DON
Vance
Registered: 05/04/05
Posts: 3429
Loc: Aurora, Colorado
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The wax would not be legal during a tournament, but for a normal round of golf with friends or by yourself, it does let you know how you're hitting the ball over 18 holes. I don't know how much the wax would effect distance, but it should reduce sidespin, so your ball flight should be a little straighter. It should help the average golfer that's fighting a nasty slice a little. I have used the wax during a round a few times, and it tells a story. If you missed more fairways than you hit, and find balls marks all over the club face, that pretty much tells you why you found the rough so often. If all the ball marks are centered on the club face, good chance you had a good day driveing the ball.
_________________________
Putting is easy, getting the ball in the hole is hard.
Later, Don.
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#26409 - 06/09/08 04:45 AM
Re: Tee height using the driver
[Re: DON]
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Ivan
Amateur
Registered: 07/03/07
Posts: 35
Loc: Utah
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I tried using a 3.25 inch tee this morning and hit two great drives (out of three drivable holes). Further than I normally do. I normally use a 2.75 inch tee. I am definitely going to try taller tees.
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