When it comes to full swing technique, there is a never ending list of training aids and devices to help you with your game. However, I’m going to resort to showing you how to work on your game using the simplest of tools available, the humble golf tee.
From driving to short game, the golf tee will have you covered!
Driving
Low Tee - Angle of Attack Up
Lot’s of golfers struggle with hitting too much down on the ball with their drivers. This causes a lack of distance and often unneeded curvature. Most golfers would then tee the ball higher and higher to try and encourage an upward blow on the golf ball. However, this is often a flawed process.
So instead, try teeing the ball much lower (as pictured) and then actively try to launch the ball up in the air. You’ll be able to generate an ascending attack on the ball with ease.
Swing Plane
High Tee Drill
This drill is a great way to work on one of the key aspects of your swing. All you need is a pack of high tee (Orange Castle Tees or at least 2 & 3/4 Inch Wooden Tees).
If you suffer with the dreaded slice, ‘coming over the top’ or are fed up with coming down steeply into the golf ball, then look no further than this high tee drill.
By teeing the ball up way higher than normal, if you come down steeply into the golf ball there’s a good chance you will either go straight underneath the ball or make contact high up on the face. To retain a centred strike you will need to instinctively move the club on a shallower swing plane into the ball. If you can hit the ball a good distance with a sweet strike you’ve mastered this drill!
Impact
Picture The Divot
If you struggle with taking divots or getting proper ball first then turf contact with your irons, then this drill is perfectly suited to you.
Place a tee roughly 3-4 inches ahead of the ball. The location of the tee resembles the end of an imaginary divot. With a well struck iron shot, we need the low point of the swing arc to be ahead of the golf ball (descending blow). Therefore, if you can make a solid contact with the ball and the tee then you’ve created a nice downward blow on the golf ball
Lofted Chip Shots
Snap!
For most golfers the lofted chip or flop shot is a dreaded task. It’s so tempting to try and help the ball up into the air and this often leads to miss strikes and a lack of consistency.
With the tee snap drill, it will give you the incentive to create a descending blow down under the ball and will help eradicate the dreaded thinned or fatted lob shot.
Tee a ball up with a small amount of tee left above the surface. The aim is to snap the head of the tee clean off or bend it into the floor. If you can do this, you know you’ve created a descending strike and have made proper contact with the turf under the ball.
Sam Truman is a PGA Professional based at The Surrey Golf Lab at Reigate Hill Golf Club.
Current Roles Include: Performance Coach - Hugh Marr Golf Surrey Boys (U12’s & U14’s) and Girls (U18’s) County Coach Elite Academy Coach for Whitgift School
Sam Truman is regarded as one of the best young performance coaches in the region. Under the tutorship of European Tour Coach Hugh Marr, Sam prides himself in providing the best holistic coaching experiences for his players. Sam works with all levels of golfers from the young aspiring junior all the way up to European tour professionals.
Based at The Surrey Golf Lab, renowned as one of the best practice facilities in the UK, Sam is able to provide clients with access to the most up to date golf coaching technology. Clients are exposed to Trackman club and ball tracking and also to the SAM Putt Lab Analysis System in his new indoor putting studio.
For more information follow Sam on: (Twitter Logo) @SamTrumanGolf (Instagram Logo) @SamTrumanGolf Or Email Sam - SamTrumanGolf@gmail.com