By T.J. Tomasi
Universal Press Syndicate
When you're on the tee box, the idea is to give yourself the best possible lie. A big part of that is selecting the correct height to tee the ball.
With an iron or hybrid, push the tee into the ground so that you can slide the thin portion of a tee under the ball but not the crown of the tee. You want to trap the ball between the face and the ground, so tee it low. This will ensure that your clubface makes contact with the ball first and then the turf, but it will be at just the right height to make contact in the center of the face.
When teeing a driver or fairway metal, the top edge of the clubhead should be level with the bottom of the ball. Since you're sweeping the ball off the tee, you want to catch it slightly on the upswing, so tee the ball as high as you comfortably can.
Your high-teed ball will work with this sweeping motion in two important ways. First, it will give your club extra loft at impact, and second, it will position the ball to perfectly strike the hot spot of the clubface, which is actually slightly above the center of the clubface.
A common misconception is that teeing a ball high will result in pop-ups with your driver or fairway wood. The only way this can happen is if you're incorrectly hitting down on the ball using a swing that is too steep rather than sweeping the club up through impact.
Ball position is also important. There are two ball positions you should experiment with: (1) normal, where the ball is played off the front heel, and (2) forward, opposite the tip of your target shoulder. Only experience can tell you which is best for you.