Clip the Tee for a Better Strike

A crisp solid strike of the golf ball is paramount. While many of the world’s best ball strikers have different looking swings I am willing to bet that if I put a golf tee deep into ground with only half an inch remaining above the grass every good ball striker could make that tee pop out and spin every swing , regardless of whether the player was a one planer, two planer, stack and tilter or a loader.

So while every good player can make the tee spin, the vast majority of the players I help in corporate clinics can not. When I challenge them with the simple task of “making the tee spin” they swing above the tee and miss or they go down way too deep and remove a huge piece of turf.

Every so often however, they will make the tee pop out and spin just like a tour pro. I see them play this way on the course as well. They will whiff on the first swing. The next one they will hit really fat, they continue this fat and thin game for a few holes and then bang! — they hit an amazing shot that was struck really well.

Clipping the tee is nothing new. It was first introduced to me from Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, a classic and a must read for anyone learning to golf. Many coaches will try to get you to focus your attention to a target 100 yards away. This sort of coaching is great for the golfers that can make a consistent strike (or tee spin) but for the beginning golfer I feel it is of greater importance to learn to strike the ball solidly time after time, then later you can worry about where the ball is going.

Daily Practice Drill for the Beginner

• Purchase a bag of at least 25 tees
• Find an area with a flat lie
• Stick a tee in the ground so only ½” remains above the ground
• Take your grip and stance and then swing with the intention to make the tee pop out and spin
• Try to do this 10 times in a row
• Then try on an uneven lie with the ball below and above your feet

When you get out on the course instead of hitting at the ball, just imagine the tee sitting there and your goal is to make it spin.  Hopefully this can help.

Best of Luck and Enjoy the Journey.

Patrick O’Neill BA; CPGA CPGA Assistant Coach – Henry Brunton Golf cell : 289 244 8136 | www.henrybrunton.com
Note: The teaching methodology solely reflects the views of the author and may not reflect the views or opinions of the Ontario PGA or GolfScene About the Ontario PGA Established in 1927, the Ontario Professional Golfers’ Association is a non-profit association comprised of approximately 1,300 golf professionals from Belleville to Windsor with a mandate to promote and advance the game of golf, serving the needs of both its membership and the golf public through professional and junior golf development programs and high-calibre competitive events. For more info, visit www.ontariopga.com

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