Tee-up Your Golf Ball Correctly and Save Shots

You may tee off from anywhere inside the "teeing ground", a rectangular area defined by the two tee markers and extending 2 club lengths backward. It is not a requirement the player stands in this area, only that the ball is played from within this area. But to gain maximum advantage, where exactly should you tee your ball up in this area?

Before you do anything, be sure to check exactly where you are aiming. Most people automatically line themselves up parallel to the direction of the tee area. However, very often the tee area is not aligned with the fairway; it is deliberately constructed to trick you into aiming down one side of the fairway or the other. You want your ball to finish on the fairway, so make sure you are aiming correctly.

If you tend to draw the ball, then tee up on the left side of the tee (or right side if you are left handed). This will give you more of the fairway to play with. You can set the ball off towards the opposite side of the fairway and let it draw back to the middle. If you happen to block it out, it will still likely finish on the fairway. If you turn your draw into a hook then it has a fair chance of remaining on the fairway.

Conversely if you fade the ball, tee up on the right side of the tee box (or left side if you are left handed). This again gives you much more fairway to work with and gives a sliced or blocked tee shot more chance of remaining on the fairway.

If you have a hazard such as water, deep rough or out of bounds down the side of the fairway, then general wisdom is to tee up on same side as the danger. This allows you to play away from it, giving you most of the fairway to work with.

Any ball that finishes on the fairway is going to give you a far greater chance of making a good second shot than if the ball had missed the fairway and you had rough to contend with.

Tee up your ball correctly to maximize your chances of finishing on the fairway.