Not every tee shot calls for max distance. Some holes it’s imperative to keep the ball in play, and others, where you’re not particularly oozing with confidence, and you may want to play a routine drive. Point is, the more shots you have in your arsenal, the better equipped you’ll be to handle any situation off the tee.
There are three different types of tee shots I teach my players: (1) a stock drive; (2) a fairway finder; and (3) a high bomb. The good news is, you can put all three of these shots into play in your very next round. All you need to do to alter the spin rate and trajectory is to make a slight tweak in ball position and tee height. No swing changes are necessary.
JD Cuban
For the high bomb, play the ball opposite your front instep, in front of your left shoulder, and tee it nice and high so that three-quarters of the ball is above the topline of the clubhead (above). This will allow you to catch the ball high on the face and on the upswing, maximizing launch and distance. Note: Because of the forward ball position, aim more right because the club won’t catch the ball until later in the swing arc. As a result, the clubface will be slightly closed relative to the path, causing the ball to draw more than usual.
For a stock draw off the tee, move the ball one ball-width back from where you play the high bomb, opposite your front shoulder, and tee it slightly lower so only half of the ball is above the crown of the clubhead (above). This will still allow you to catch the ball on the upswing, but the launch and the flight should be a touch lower than the bomb.
Finally, the fairway finder. Position the ball even further back, behind your front shoulder, and tee it down so it’s about even with the crown (above). This brings the handle forward so that you’ll catch the ball slightly on the downswing with less loft, producing the lowest flight. Be sure to aim more left, because contact will occur farther back on the swing arc with a slightly open clubface, causing the ball to fade more than usual.
Todd Anderson, one of Golf Digest’s Legends of Golf Instruction, is director of instruction at the PGA Tour Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
