Golfers of all skill levels struggle a lot with hitting a tee shot into play. Within our player profiles submitted by each client, the #2 request for improvement is driving the golf ball better and hitting good tee shots. “Being consistent” is the #1 request that almost always bleeds back into tee shot accuracy and length. This is why we tend to break down the details to tee shots and advise you of the 15 common tee shot mistakes your making when you participate in one of the best golf schools in Florida, John Hughes Golf.
I am constantly reading in player profiles that make the paraphrased statement, “I need to get my drives into play.” Or “I need to hit my driver more consistent.” This is all fine and dandy to make that statement. But are you taking the time to evaluate your tee shots and determine what might be the fundamental cause or causes to your poor tee shot?
Within this blog post, we’ll examine in brief the most common tee shot mistakes your making and provide a simple way to think about how to improve each mistake.
Failing to Properly Prepare at the Practice Facility for any Tee Shot
Before ever you ever step on property at any golf course, you’re probably committing at least one if not all these tee shot mistakes. Yes, these are contributing causes to you not being able to hit consistent tee shots.
Poorly Fitted Equipment
There is a lot of information within our website about golf club fitting the need to have properly fit golf clubs, at any skill level. Whether you choose to have me fit you using Omni ChampionsGate Golf Club’s Callaway Fitting cart. Or schedule an appointment at one of the many stores around the country of my fitting partner, Club Champion, you’ll benefit immediately from better fit golf clubs. That produces better tee shots.
Not Practicing
Do you take any time to practice hitting a tee shot? For that matter, do you practice at all in a purposeful fashion? Chances are you don’t and have high expectations of what your tee shot should look and feel like. How can you assume that is what will happen with every tee shot you attempt if you’re not practicing? Enough said.
Lack of Warm Up
Yes, warming up is essential to good tee shot results. You can’t expect to make the bigger faster swing necessary off the tee if you’re not properly warmed up. At the very least, simple stretches such as lunges and lunges with rotation that focus upon core stability and mobility is better than totally ignoring a warmup at all.
Ignoring Course Conditions
Not considering wind, weather, or other course conditions can affect how you swing the club and how the golf ball behaves can cause major issues with your ability to putt a tee shot into play. Did you bring the correct clothing and gear for the elements you’ll face that day? Are you adjusting as you warm up to accommodate for windy or wet conditions. Not doing so will always lend itself well to you being unsuccessful with tee shot quality and consistency.
Simulating
Are you pretending to hit the first tee shot, or even the second hole tee shot, before you leave your warm up? If you’re not, it’s time to start “envisioning” and simulating what the pressure of those first few tee shots might feel. Hit 2-4 extra balls at the practice facility imagining your hitting your first shot on the first hole. Doing so build confidence and an awareness of what is the next task at hand.
As You Set Up for a Tee Shot
Here we are, back to the basics. Yes, set up can attribute as much as 80% to 90% of the reason you miss hit a tee shot. For that matter, any shot! Insuring you set up correctly provides a better chance of being successful when hitting any shot.
Lack of Pre-Shot Routine
Your pre-shot routine provides you a “security blanket” to stepping into any shot on the course. For your tee shots to improve, your pre-shot routine must include understanding the elements. Understanding where you are on the course in relation to the round you’re playing and the need to be conservative or aggressive with your decisions. As well as creating focus upon a very specific and distinct target your eyes can focus upon without distraction. If you’re skipping this step, you deserve to hit poor tee shots.
Not Using the Correct Club for a Tee Shot
Many beginners or even intermediate golfers will use a driver for every tee shot, regardless of the hole. Sometimes using a more controlled club, such as a 3-wood or hybrid, may result in better accuracy and better overall distance control. Understand the tee shot necessary for each hole and determine what club is best suited to insure your tee shot is in play and is hit as far as needed to make your next shot the best if can possibly be.
Poor Aim
Tons of material are within my website about aim. Aim with the leading edge of all clubs. With driver and fairways woods, the leading edge is smaller and tends to look more round than other clubs. But it is vital to aim using the leading edge of all clubs, not you! If you do this consistently, it may lead to more consistency with any tee shot you face.
Poor Alignment
Because you’re probably attempting to aim you fist versus the club, you’re misaligning yourself to the club and target. Making it almost impossible to hit a good tee shot without major compensation to the movement of your swing. You set and align yourself to club, not the target, after properly using the leading edge of your golf club to aim at the target. If you do so, you’ll most likely check the boxes of proper alignment which include your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders all being parallel to your target line.
Grip Issues
A common mistake is an improper grip. Some golfers grip the club too tightly or too loosely, which can affect control, causing hooks, slices, or inconsistent ball striking. When you regrip the club as you take it back or at the top of your back swing, you are almost guaranteeing you hitting an errant tee shot. Also, the position of each hand can grossly effect the outcome of any tee shot. Be sure both hands are gripping the club in a neutral position” to provide maximum potential of the hands and arms working properly throughout your tee shot swing.
Poor Posture
Bad posture, such as slouching or standing too upright, can lead to an inconsistent tee shot. Proper posture, with a slight bend at the hips and keeping your spine straight, is essential for a consistent and powerful swing. And typically results in better balance throughout any of our golf shots.
Incorrect Ball Position
The position of the golf ball in relation to your stance is vital to insuring a better chance of hitting a good tee shot. Placing the ball too far forward or too far back can result in mishits. Remember that when swinging a driver, it needs to be swinging “up” at the golf ball. Requiring you to place it more forward in your stance. Most likely off the inside of the front foot. As the club your using for a tee shot shortens in length, such as a fairway wood or hybrid, make the proper adjustments to insure you’re hitting a tee shot with the ball at or just prior to the swing’s low point.
Not Using the Right Tee Height
Tee height plays a significant role in how the ball is struck. Too high or too low can cause mishits. The general rule for drivers is that the top of the ball should be level with the top edge of the clubface when the club is resting on the ground. All other clubs should be teed just off the ground to insure the design of those clubs are making good contact with the golf ball as you execute each swing.
As You Make Your Tee Shot Swings
It is the common belief that it is the way you swing that is the root cause of your poor golf shots. Wrong! Count how many mistakes are being executed in the categories above this heading and you’ll see that swing errors should be the least of your worries.
Tension in the Body
Excessive tension in the body, particularly the arms, shoulders, or hands, can hinder a smooth swing. What is the #1 reason for causing tension in your swing? Keep reading.
Overthinking the Shot
Amateurs over think every shot. And when you place all the weight of the entire hole on your tee shot, the thought provoked tension is overwhelming for your brain and body to manage. Causing tension in not only your body but your brain too. Mental paralysis is what we tend to fix most at our golf schools. Simplifying and prioritizing thoughts, while working on relaxation techniques tends to produce a better tee shot and more confidence over time. You either trust yourself or you don’t. And if you don’t, then maybe you need an Orlando golf lesson with me or one of my staff. But you have to practice eliminating too many thoughts from occurring during any golf shot.
Over-Swinging
Amateurs often try to hit the ball as hard as possible, thinking it will lead to more distance. This usually results in a loss of control, less accuracy, and even poor contact with the ball. What should you be doing? Swing fast. And that requires you to train fast. Confusing the brain with the verbs hard and fast is the oxymoron that prevents your tee shot swing from succeeding. Developing a smooth and controlled swing that allows the club face to square itself as it makes impact with the golf ball is always the preferred and most effective way to hit a golf shot.
Lack of Focus on Swing Tempo
In conjunction with the word/verb hard, amateurs often focus too much on power and not enough on tempo and rhythm. Hard develops a very violent and disconnected swing when hitting any shot. Doing so disrupts the natural timing of your swing, leading to off-center hits and a lack of consistency. Try singing a very melodic and smooth song in your head. Or using a metronome to gain a feeling for tempo and rhythm of your swing.
Conclusion
By addressing these common tee shot mistakes, you can improve your tee shot consistency. Which can lead to more accuracy, distance, and confidence with every tee shot you attempt.
Stop blaming your swing first for errant tee shots. Start blaming everything else but your swing for the cause of a poor tee shot. Doing so, you’ll mot likely fix the issue sooner than you think.
If you’d like to improve ability to drive the ball well and be more consistent off the tee, contact us to schedule a golf improvement program that is custom designed to fit your specific improvement goals. Call 407-852-8547 or email us at John@JohnHughesGolf.com
