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Why do I break my tee on every drive?

Author

James Craig

Published Jan 12, 2026

If you tend to break tees when hitting driver, your swing is most likely too steep, and that means you're leaving yards on the table by failing to ascend through impact. Try a wider stance, with the ball positioned off your left heel, and tilt your spine away from the target.

Should you break tee on drive?

Should your tee break when you hit your drive? With most skilled players they will not break the tee. In most cases it will come out of the ground and pop straight up undisturbed. If it is totally undisturbed and does not leave the ground, chances are you might have caught the ball a bit "thin" or low in the face.

Should your tee stay in the ground?

The ball should be highest off the ground for a driver. The general recommendation is that the bottom of the golf ball on a tee should be level with the top of the driver; for long and mid-irons, push the tee into the ground so that only about a quarter-inch is above ground.

Why do I SKY my golf drives?

If you're skying your drives and getting no roll, your angle of attack into the ball is too steep. That puts too much height and backspin on the shot. A telltale sign of this problem is when you have scuff marks on the top of your driver. Hitting down with your irons is good, but with the driver, you want to sweep it.

Why am I driving the ball too high?

Hitting the ball extra high with the driver is generally a sign of too much backspin. This can often be chalked up to your equipment, other times to your swing, and sometimes traced to a simple flaw in your setup.

28 related questions found

Why do I top my tee shots?

Typically, a ball is topped because the club has not gone far enough down towards the ball or you catch the ball on the way up, instead of at the bottom point. A lot of things can cause this to happen: A club that's too short. An awkward stance.

What is the perfect tee height?

From a poll of GOLF's Top 100 Teachers, the ideal tee height is about 1.5 inches for driver. A good checkpoint is that half the ball “peeks” above the crown after you sole the club at address. For a 3-wood, peg it about half an inch and just a quarter inch with an iron.

How high do pros tee up irons?

As a general rule, tee up an iron shot so the ball is just above ground level. It should look like the ball is sitting on the top of the short blades of grass on the tee. For a hybrid club, tee the ball slightly higher, about a half inch above ground level.

What length tees do pros use?

The most common tee sizes are 2.75, 3.25, and 4 inches. 3.25 and 4 inch tees are generally used for drivers, especially drivers with a larger head than others.

Why can't I hit my driver in the air?

If you are fighting a golf driver ball trajectory too low at the moment, you are probably wasting your swing speed early in the downswing and not saving it up for impact. That leads to weak contact with the ball, and a shot that lacks the speed and spin to really get up into the air.

How many putts does it take to break 80?

(Putts are strokes taken on the putting surface.) For comparison, the typical 95-shooter on average takes 37 putts a round; the typical pro (shooting about 71) takes 29. To break 90, get your putts down to 34 or so. To break 80, get to 31 or 32.

How do you break 80 every time?

If you want to break 80, spend a majority of your practice time working on shots 125 yards and closer. This is what matters most. Because even if you are hitting fairways and greens, a bad short game can ruin it. A strong short game makes golf so much easier.

Should you tee up on par 3?

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.

Can you hit an iron off a tee?

If you are playing from the correct tee box, most par-3s you encounter should leave you with an iron into the green. There are times when a hybrid or even fairway wood will be required, but for the most part, you'll be hitting irons off these tees. For this reason, you need to learn how to hit irons off the tee.

How far can a 5 iron hit?

The average golfer should be able to hit a five iron 160 yards. This is for a player with average swing speed. The faster swinging players should be able to get 170 to 180 yards out of their five iron. Golfers with very slow swing speeds may only see 150 or fewer yards out of their five iron.

Does tee height affect driving distance?

Does Tee Height Effect Driver Distance? The height of your tee effects your swing path into impact, especially with the driver. This, in turn, will have an influence on the spin that the ball will have on it. Teeing the ball up can help vastly reduce the spin on your drives and so increase distance.

Why can't I get distance with my driver?

Faster Tempo

You can not gain distance swinging slower. The Fix: If you can increase your tempo of your swing, that can lead to more speed. You may want to speed up your backswing to help with more speed in your downswing. Another way to increase distance in your golf game is a faster tempo.

How can senior golfers get more distance?

Close your stance, flare out your back foot

One way for senior golfers to improve their distance with the driver is to generate more turn or rotation in the swing – but that can sometimes be difficult for older players.

Why do I always hit the top of the golf ball?

Posture Is Key

Poor posture at address is a primary cause of the top as you won't be able to maintain your angles as you swing and are likely to lift away from the ball through impact (see below). Golfers with poor posture tend to bend through the back so the pelvis is too far forward.

Why do I keep driving the ball into the ground?

If your legs aren't involved in the swing, you will have trouble transferring your weight onto your left foot, and you will be prone to hitting ground balls as a result. Without the rotational power of your lower body carrying the club through the hitting area, your hands may flip the club at the bottom of the swing.

Why am I hitting the ground before the golf ball?

When a player hits the ground before the ball it is generally because their club is attacking the ball from too shallow an angle. Golf coaches refer to this as the "Angle of Approach".

How do I reduce driver launch angle?

How to Reduce Driver Launch Angle

  1. Use a less lofted driver. ...
  2. Tee the ball back farther in your stance. ...
  3. Set up with your right shoulder higher -- if you play right-handed -- and your weight a bit more on your left side. ...
  4. Use a more rigid shaft with a higher kick point. ...
  5. Use a driver with a shallow face.