Do you want to drive the ball further than you ever have before? Do you need to increase your accuracy to reach your target? Do you just feel like you suck at teeing off? Then it may be time to check your positioning inside the tee box!
At first glance, the position that you take when teeing off may not seem like a big deal, but the reality is that it can have a huge effect on your golf game. Just like baseball players at-bat, the right footing and body language can impact everything from the power to the effectiveness of your shots.
Seeing as your position when teeing off is so important, this is an aspect of your golf game that you can’t afford to ignore. To help you get the best footing in the tee box and help to improve your drive, follow these nifty tips from your fellow golfer!Positioning Prior to Tee Off
All About Your Feet
To start off your journey to the perfect tee off position, we need to start from the bottom, quite literally, with your feet. This begins by you standing parallel to the target line for your ball.
You will want to keep your feet in line with each other in a way where they are basically mirrored from one another. Keeping your feet in line like this will help to keep you steady on any ground, which will make it easier to make accurate shots.
Place the tee about 4 inches from the inside of the heel opposite your dominant side, which keeps the ball in a place that is visible and easy to strike. As you turn to address the ball, turn the foot opposite your dominant side slightly toward the target, keeping your back foot perpendicular to your target line.Don’t Forget the Rest of Your Body
After your feet are in position, it is time to work on the way the rest of your body is standing. Start this with your hips, which you will and to have straight and even to start.
Your hips should also be standing parallel to your shoulders, which should be squared up. This position helps to promote the most power, which will aid your shots with flying as far as possible and cut strokes off of longer holes.
Finally, before you swing, make sure you have your grip on the club, with the club head lined up behind the ball and your arms extended. Now you are ready to follow through and make your drivePositioning for the Swing
Foot Movement
As you come up with your swing, keep your back foot square with your target line. This will keep your shot stable by giving your sturdy footing and preventing over-rotation, which can cause a drive to lose accuracy.
Throughout your swing try to maintain a strong and flat-footed stance until impact, which will help you keep needless movement to a minimum. As you make impact, shift weight from your back foot to the front foot to give your shot more power, with the majority of your weight resting on the bottom of your front foot.
As stated previously, try to keep foot movement to a bare minimum while following through with your swing. This will keep your shot from flying off course and make sure your ball reaches its target, while the opposite can cause dire effects such as your ball flying off into the wrong direction.Hips, Legs, and Shoulders
Your hips are likely to move and rotate with your feet, with your hips pointing in the direction of the target as you follow through with your swing. As with your feet, don’t move the hips too much or you risk losing accuracy and power.
As for your legs, use them to aid in shifting weight between both of your feet, helping to give you power. As you follow-through the knee on your front leg will bend slightly, putting weight onto that foot.
Shoulders should remain square and fairly motionless during the swing. Your arms should remain straight through impact, before wrapping behind your back and shoulders with your club during follow-through. Following these tips, you should be able to get the most possible power out of your shot.
The Secret of Weight Distribution
Shifting weight is one of the most important aspects of teeing off, with you starting out with your weight evenly distributed between your feet. During your backswing you will move the majority of your weight onto your back (or dominant) foot, before switching the majority of it to the opposite side for impact. This weight distribution can give your shot considerable power when shifted properly, so this method is essential to learn.
Conclusion
You now should have all the weapons you need to approach the tee with both the correct position, and a load of confidence. All that is left now is for you to take your shot and watch strokes come off of your golf game!
