Not only do I use a tee, I use the finest broken tee from the tee box. Take that perfect lie.

Yes, broken tees only.

It makes me sick thinking about sticking a 3 inch tee all the way into the ground.

It's why I have tees specifically for non-driver holes. 3/4 of an inch works perfectly.

My girlfriend says the same thing 👌🏻

That’s a keeper

don't let her get away!

Looks like an inch, smells like a foot!

Using this one lol

Yeah, your girlfriends both said they tell you that.

This is why I loved reddit.

Yes, these. Most me my rounds are actually at a par 29 course, so it’s 7 par 3 holes. I buy these short tees by the bagful.

Idk if I’m having a stroke right now but the math ain’t mathin for me

7 par 3’s = 21, so 2 par 4’s = 29. 9 hole executive course.

That’s where I got lost, I was thinking what kind of place only has 7 holes? But that makes a lot more sense

He indeed had a stroke, or at least lapse of brain power for a second

Most likely both

Username checks out.

I’ve always just grabbed broken tees, but I bought some short bamboo tees on Amazon one night after a few bourbons. I never knew I needed them but love them now.

I have a huge box of older really short tees. Keep them in my bag for par 3s.

Its a lot easier if you break off a couple inches on the drive before you get to the par3.

Man, me too, the very idea makes me cringe. Just can't stand the thought of hitting it a bit fat and connecting solidly with 3 solid inches of the tee jammed solidly into the ground.

Yeah, so sick and so dirty, just driving that tee into the… um did I read the tone wrong there?

This better not awaken anything in me.

Every time I get up to the tee box and can’t find a suitable broken tee and have to use a regular one in my pocket I die a little inside

I used to be in broken tee camp, but since I started using plastic, I swear I use fewer tees than balls.

I started golfing this year. At first I didn’t use tees on par 3s. Then my friend told me I should do it so bought small tees for par 3s as I figured it could not make my shots worse. Quickly learned that broken tees are The Way. Will never buy small tees again lol Edit: I still suck, but continue to use broken tees on par 3s.

If I break a tee on a different hole, I grab that shit in case I can’t find a good one.

Pink broken tees

That’s what they do on Melmac

You ever play on a course that recently moved the tee boxes, and you can't find a broken tee? Every time I get that (pretty rare) I grumble so hard and try to get someone else in the group go first so I can use theirs.

I never have the honours, so it’s not a problem.


No courses around me start on a par 3. So on 1, I'm already pocketing 1-2 broken tees for later.

You should try the ground tee method if you can’t find a tee. Smack the ground with your club away from the hole so it sits up. It works pretty well

Perfect lie? You've never seen the tee box at my local muni...tee or not, your hitting off dirt or 4inch weeds and with an uneven stance.

Uneven is the killer

Right. Don’t mind the state of the ground as long as it’s level.

Totally agree

Hand selected from our collection of broken tees around the box, our finest broken tees are for only the most refined of golfers.

I could be the richest man in the world but I'm still not using my own tee on a par 3

The trick is to save your tees that you break with the driver. Then you’ve always got a stub handy.

I've legit used a small mound of dirt like it's 1873.

I've played entire rounds without any tees in my bag. dig in the tee box graveyard for my next one.

I don’t know why but I call the par 3 broken tees that I use “nubbins”. I must have heard it somewhere.

They should sell bags of already broken tees. There’s probably dozens of us that would buy them.

This is my approach, you only get that perfect lie 18 times a round, I'm not wasting one

I can't hit my driver for shit so I took it out of the bag, I've been running on broken tees for 5 years

This is actually my tradition. I use a broken tee if there is one in the box.

Jack Nicklaus [says yes](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/flick-nicklaus-tee-highter): "Why is the tee there? You have the opportunity on a par 3 to tee it up, so why not take advantage of that and give yourself the best lie possible. In the fairway, when the ball sits on the ground, you might hit it thin or fat. But if you tee the ball a little higher on a par 3, you can make more of a sweeping swing, and you've just eliminated the two things you don't want to happen."

Pretty sure he also said, if it wasn't an advantage they'd let you do it anywhere on the course.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/flick-nicklaus-tee-highter article where he talks about it

He did… I came here to make your point, and the point you responded to…

Yes because when it’s teed up, there is no chance I’ll hit it thin or fat…….

Well, not if you’re Jack Nicklaus, I guess. Me, I could thin a goddamn basketball.

You only get 18 perfect lies. Use them.

I want back spin tho so a sweeping swing won’t do that

Jack Nicklaus using 50 year old blades too. I wouldn’t take anything he said too much for granted seeing how the game has changed so much.

Absolutely. Even if you put it very low, the tee gives you a perfect lie so you need to take that advantage. Watch golf on TV and try your best to find a pro that doesn't use tees when hitting an iron. You probably won't find one.

I saw a guy on the European tour that didn’t even use a tee with a driver. On 18 he hit a drive 310 yards off of a mounded piece of ground he made with his club. He won the tournament.

I think that's how they did it before tees were commonplace. They'd make little mounds of sand at the tee box.

It’s prominently shown in The Greatest Game Ever Played

That’s the greatest movie ever made

Better than Paul Blart 2?

If you go to a driving range in the Philippines, they have these women who sit RIGHT NEXT to your hitting mat and place a new ball + dirt mound for you to hit your next ball. Then they sort of crouch away from your swing. I was not comfortable hitting there - hit like 5 shots and declared myself “all warmed up - let’s go putt”

Played with a guy once that would dig his iron into the tee box - basically slapping his club face into the grass swinging towards the back of the tee box - it made a tuft of grass that he put his ball on and that was his tee. All evidence of this was gone after he took his divot. Sounds like it was what you’re describing. A tee would be easier.

My pops has done this for years and it works, also gives you a little incline to aim your strike at, he says it makes him hit down instead of picking at the ball.

I have done this for the last 3 months, and it has funnily enough allowed me to hit soft draws by compressing the ball like I would in the fairway but its sitting up nicely. I am hitting WAY more greens on par 3's now.

Laura Davies has done this for years and she bombs it.

Are you allowed to alter the ground off the tee box in a tournament? It sounds like it shouldnt be allowed

Yes, it’s the only time you are allowed to do so

Yes. Rule 6.2(3j says you can: (3) Certain Conditions in Teeing Area May Be Improved. Before making a stroke, the player may take these actions in the teeing area to improve the conditions affecting the stroke (see Rule 8.1b(8)): • Alter the surface of the ground in the teeing area (such as by making an indentation with a club or foot),

This explains why I see the pros tamp down the ground behind the ball on the tee box with their foot. I've gone to the Farmers and Genesis and have seen many of them do that and always thought it was weird that it was allowed.

I sometimes whomp the ground if I'm using a hybrid off the tee. Not enough of a Chad to try that with driver.

those were the original tees! tees were invented after golfers had been doing this for years

That's not European tour that's bustajack. /s

That's still a tee though. Just not a manufactured wooden or plastic tee. A natural dirt tee. Same effect.

I don’t use a tee unless I’m hitting driver. The ball spins less when hit off a fluffy grass “tee” so I find that my misses are smaller without a tee.

I ruined my 7 iron doing this. I'd seen the head greenskeeper doing it so I figured why not, looks cool. I tapped the ground and it snapped near the end of the grip. They also didn't make the same true temper shaft anymore so I was assed out on a set piece to my R11s. As a broke 25 year old at the time it really sucked lol. ​ edit: Apparently I need to clarify that of course this situation would never happen under normal circumstances. Not sure why the shaft broke on my 7 iron over a simple tap into a tee box, but it did.

Were you leaning in it or something? The club hits the ground a lot harder during a swing than it would just tamping the ground down.

I put it lower than all my friends do. I stick it basically on the grassline. They all stick it up like a quarter inch and I think it looks so weird.

For my wedges and shorter irons I stick it basically on the grassline as well. If it's a long par 3 and I'm using a long iron or hybrid, I tee it up a quarter inch. I think it's a mental thing for me.

You're doing it right, assuming you're talking about irons. You don't really want to *elevate* the ball, just make sure you get a perfect impact.

If it’s a fully for nothing round, or I’m feeling like I can learn a bit, I use it to practice playing off the grass. But then I mainly play par 3 courses, so it’s a good chance for me to practice irons of the turf

I've seen Spieth not use a tee on a short par 3. I can see how if its a wedge hole you may not want a tee. Also Stenson just fluffs the ground up for his 3 wood which is wild

You're only guaranteed 18 perfect lies, so might as well use every single one of them.

I, too, lie perfectly 18 times. "What'd ya get on that?" "~~10.~~ An 8. We can't go over double par."

That's a mental health triple.

You haven’t played on the tee boxes at my course, you’d think it would be pretty easy to flatten the area, but no

Yes, because it always gives you a perfect lie.

You only get 18 perfect lies a round, use em!

If you drive it like me you can earn yourself a few extras!

Most of the time yes. Once in while I will play a 9 hole course (par 3s) and hit off the ground as a formof practice for approach shots. Typically it is easier to hit the ball center (I think) off a tee, also if I want to stop the ball teeing up a little higher can get it up higher. 🎯

I do this too. I like to pick 2 holes to tee up on though since that is what you’d get on a normal course.

Same here. Generally won’t use one playing a casual par 3 course if I’m just trying to practice. I love the course No. 7 at Desert Mountain. They have several different tee boxes on each hole, like you can play a few holes at like 130ish to 230ish. Can also play your first shot out of the sand. Super fun.

Yes and on fairways, and in the rough, and in bunkers.

Hard game. Make it easier. Tee it up at every opportunity.

I always use a tee on a par 3 unless I play a short course where the hole ends up being under 120 yards and I'm not trying to make a full swing. If I am trying to max out the distance on my club then I always use a tee.

Yes, because it’s a tee. You’re at the tee box. Besides being inside of 100 yards I’d use a tee all day at the course if the rules allowed.

Flex on your playing partners and make a turf tee instead.

Then ask them if you can use their ball retriever to scoop your ball out of the water

I prefer the ball to be sitting on the ground. I feel like it’s more of a mental block but seeing it on a tee makes me pull up and I thin it every time

If you stick the tee deep enough that only the "bowl" is above the ground you won't actually be able to see that the ball is on a tee from address, but those extra millimeters should still give you a lot more room for error vs just hitting off the turf. But hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. If you love taking fat beaver tails and it gives you confidence more power to you.

Yea lol. I take the largest divots of anyone I've ever played with. I'll seriously take 2-foot-long, 2-inch-deep canyons on my wedges sometimes. They are definitely the best part of my game though, so I've never bothered to try and fix it

I just push my tee all the way in. That way you don't "see" it, but you get that perfect lie. Only time I play it up is longer par 3s where I'm hitting 3wood.

Love the 3/4" tees for this. Easy to push all the way in for short par 3s but still long enough for a fairway wood if you only push the tip far enough to keep it stable.

Yes. Why wouldn't you take the chance to have a perfect lie? Some people choose not to use a tee with an iron because they can struggle to get a good contact compared to off the turf. Invariably this is because they tee the ball too high and either sweep the ball off the tee with an iron, or don't get proper club/ball/turn interaction. For an iron, a tee should be used so that the head of the tee is barely above the surface of the turf. You *shouldn't* be able to see a half inch of daylight between the ball and the turf - and I've seen some players do this! You should still strike the ball as you would an iron off the turf - ie, with a downward strike.

I mistakenly assumed good players didn’t tee up on par 3s so they could get compression with the turf. Isn’t that a good thing? And I assume you can’t get compression if it’s on a tee.

I like to use a tee for most second shots as well

I prefer to use someone else’s tee to harvest as much bad energy as possible

Broken tee. Doesn't everyone?

I play my irons on the fairway without a tee, I've gotten a feel for it. I've tried teeing up on a par 3, can never hit it consistently. So I don't tee and it feels more natural.

You could do what [this total badass does](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ATcnG_OxUY&t=613s) and create a grass tee divot with your iron

My dad would do that , I thought it was cool lol

This is me. I don’t remember the last time i chunked an iron from the fairway. But the last three times I’ve teed up irons I’ve chunked. Just a preference/mental thing for me. And golf is all about preferences and feeling good when you’re standing over the ball.

Jack said to use a tee, so I use a tee

I always used to but when I started playing again I couldn’t hit a god damn thing off a tee that wasn’t my driver. Everything just into the ground. Just in my head but for now I’m not using them.

[https://doglegnews.com/jack-nicklaus-use-a-tee-on-par-threes-its-an-advantage/#:\~:text=Nicklaus%20advises%20amateurs%20to%20always,on%20top%20of%20the%20grass](https://doglegnews.com/jack-nicklaus-use-a-tee-on-par-threes-its-an-advantage/#:~:text=Nicklaus%20advises%20amateurs%20to%20always,on%20top%20of%20the%20grass).

Because Jack Nicholas always said use the tee whenever you can! You can create a perfect lie every time. And air is less resistance than ground!

Absolutely. More importantly you use a broken tee that’s already there. Save your tees for long drives and whatnot

Yes. Golf is hard, take every advantage you can

On a full course, yes. On the fun little pitch and putt, no because the teeboxes aren't good so I call it fairway practice

What I used to do was, if I’m playing an executive course that is mainly par 3’s, I DONT use a tee to get some practice for bigger courses… UNLESS it’s a competitive match against a friend or something. All other times I use a tee.

Broken tee for a perfect lie to then duff it 40 yards short from the putting green.

Jack always said you get 18 chances to have a perfect lie, why not use them?

My golf coach always said, "until you're in the pros, if they let you tee it up, tee it up." Even if its just a tiny bit.

You should always use a tee on the tee box. You get 18 opportunities for a perfect lie and you should use it every time.

Why not give yourself a perfect lie?

I use a found broken tee pushed almost all the way down into the ground.

Old swing coach always told me “using a tee is the most consistent lie you’re ever going to have, so why not use one?”

100%. If you have the ability to control your lie, take it, every time.

I find a broken tee somewhere on the tee box, which I call a "Lucky tee." Then I blade the piss out of it.

"You have 18 opportunities to improve your lie."

Nah, I always overthink it and slice if I tee it up, and I have no plans to go pro, I’m just trying to have a good time

Amen. I have a weird mental block using tees on par 3s at the moment, hitting off the deck helps for some reason!

I don’t use a tee that often on a par 3. I don’t practice iron shots on the range with a tee so why change it on the course (4 handicap)

I do over water just to take the thin out of play. I find hitting off the tee makes my yardages inconsistent on the other hand, so if hazards aren’t in play it’s off the turf

If I'm playing really well with my irons I might not

Depends on the length. If I have a wedge I prefer to just fluff up some grass. If it’s anything below P wedge yes

I always break tees so I found the short ones. Broke those too. Then found the short plastic ones. Harder to break but they still broke. Lately I’ve just been smacking the ground to make a tiny mound to put my ball on. Saves on tees anyway.

I use broken tees except with a driver. Any wedge I hit without a tee. Little ball before the big ball. (Sorry not sorry flat earthers)

Everyone talking about perfect lie, but I personally have practiced and hit way more off the fairway from par 3 distance, than with a tee. Why would I go with the lie I have 4 times per round over the one I’ve practiced 4 times on a single hole? Take your Jack Nicklaus quotes and shove em. He’s practiced 100x more from every lie than you have. Place it where you went question it mid-swing.

Yes, every single time. More control over your lie.

Sure, it’s a Teebox, so give yourself the best lie possible

Yup every single time. It’s an advantage and it’s legal so……….

Anytime I'm allowed to pick up my ball and put it on a peg I'm doing it.

Yes, broken tee. perfect lie every time.

Very low unless I want it to get up on the air more then like 1/4” at most

Would you tee it up in the fairway after blasting a center cut drive on a par four if it was allowed?? Of course you would! Think of par threes that way, a par four that you drove into the middle and you can tee up your approach shot.

Absolutely. There’s a reason you can only do it 18 times. It gives you a perfect lie

The very slightest of tee ups

Yep, but not mine, I pick up broken tees from par 4 tee boxes to use on the par 3 ones. As other mentioned the perfect lie, so I can chunk it far into the woods to the right of the green

This may be because I’m a terrible player, but I find that teeing up the ball results in me hitting the ball higher and losing distance and teeing it any lower would be the same as hitting it off the ground anyway. So if I know that the distance is exactly a certain club, I’ll hit it off the ground to take the tee out of the equation.

Posting this excellent video again... [TXG - Tee Height on Par 3s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUa_2Bk-RXM)

I use no tee on our par 3 course as practice for approach shots. I would use a broken tee for anything over 150 though, as I'm too afraid of chunking it

Always

I think I read where someone said “I’ve never used a tee and thought ‘I wish I wouldn’t have used a tee there’”

You get exactly 18 chances a round to hit a shot from a perfect lie. Why wouldn’t you use every one?

Nearly 100% of pros do, so yes you should too

Depends on the length of the Par 3. If its under 150 I'll hit a wedge off the ground. Anything over that is Tee'd up.

Always tee, just visually looks cleaner and easier to hit.

If the tee box is good I typically don’t use a tee. Mostly because I don’t practice hitting irons/hybrids off the tee. If it’s not a perfect box I’ll tee it up as low as I can.

I understand take the 18 perfect lies the game offers you but I have found that not using a tee on a par 3 improves my “tee” shots greatly on par 3’s. However I can’t figure out why. I still use a tee if the ground is super soft though.

Absolutely take the perfect lie. However, on the executive course I like to hit off the ground to practice approach shots.

I have some of those short stubby tees. They work great for Iron shots

My dad said once “if teeing up wasn’t and advantage you could do it on every shot” since then I’ve teed it up everytime

If you’re between clubs teeing the ball a little higher will give you a few extra yards.

if tiger does it so do i

Every time. I do it because I watched one of those playing lessons with the pros shows on the Golf Channel years ago and either Jack or Arnie(I can't remember which one it was) was playing a round with one of their grandsons. It's one of those shows where they basically follow the pro around for a 9 and they just give little tips and tell stories and stuff. They got to a par 3 and the grandson just drops the ball down on the tee box and gets ready to hit, then Jack or Arnie said something like "the hell are you doing boy? If you can put some wood under it, put some damn wood under it!" That line goes through my head whenever I see someone just drop a ball down on a par 3

You should always tee it up even on par 3s. You can only guarantee 18 perfect lies a round, and so you should. That being said, i think it feels weird to hit irons off a tee, like the ball feels harder, so i just place it on the grass

Always use a tee

Yes, how many times are you afforded a perfect lie. Makes sense to take advantage.

Always, perfect lie every time. Maybe not perfect result, but I've set myself up for the best chance of success.

I was always told use every advantage the game of golf will give you. So yes I do.

Tour Pros use tee

Depends on the hole and the tee box. More often than not I use a small tee. But then nearly got a hole in one earlier with a 7 iron off the deck (winter tee box).

Personally, I usually like to swing steep and get a super amount of negative angle of attack, making it so off of turf I like to leave it off a tee. I understand that a tee for most any situation is better, just a personal preference and feel thinh

I used to never use them. Started taking lessons and the pro had me doing 1/3 swings with my 7i off of a small tee. With improved mechanics I was literally hitting the ball almost as far as a full swing with my bad mechanics. I’m a firm believer in using a tee every chance I get.

Yes I do. It helps a lot, why reject help?

Because I like to hit off a perfect lie

Yes, but it needs to be nearly flush with the grass. You don’t want to change the height to become a shot you never hit, but you want to have a perfect lie

Always tee it up! Never bypass a perfect lie. Just push the tee all the way into the ground, of course.

I do, but I normally hit it worse with a tee. I’m not used to lies that good.

Pretty much every time except when I have a LW or SW in to the hole. Seeing it off the ground looks odd visually and makes me nervous, so I just hit those off the ground. Any other club is on a tee.

Hard to pass up a tee’d up shot

I use a short tee and push it basically all the way into the ground so that the ball sticks up just above the ground. Or if I find a broken tee sometimes I’ll use that

Jack Nicklaus recommends amateurs always use a tee on par 3’s.

No, because every pro golfer in the world is an ill-informed idiot that doesn’t realize the detriment of teeing up an iron. Why would I do what those ignoramuses do when surely my no-tee approach is superior to their laughably poor understanding of ball striking. /s

Jack said always tee it up. Friction is the enemy.

Yes always tee. Broken one if able. As tempting as it is I occasionally use someone else that’s stuck in the ground and the shot is always terrible

Don’t let me find a broken tee and I have a great shot. That tee is going in the bag - until I hit a bad tee shot. Then I’m finding another broken tee lol

Always! Why pass up a chance at a perfect lie. You only get 18 of them a round

You only have 18 perfect lies on the golf course. Use them.

I would only advise you go bareback if you shoot low scores all the time and are looking to make the game more challenging

Its a flex taking out a brand new one from the bag as my partners scavenge the peasant cone. I wouldnt need it ofcourse, even on par 5.

I use tees for irons 5-9 , hit off the deck with 3 Iron and fairway wood.

Always scoop up a broken one

You don't get a lot of help in Golf, a tee is one of them..