Teebox strategy basics

I'm Luke Kerr-Dineen, Senior Editor for Game Improvement at Golf Digest and resident golf swing nerd. Golf IQ is my new weekly newsletter where I’ll share insight from some of the smartest people in the game to help us all play better golf.

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I’m strangely fascinated by the different ways golfers tee up the golf ball, for a few reasons …

• Pros think about it more than you think
• It’s something every golfer does
• It can help you more than you think

You may remember from a previous Golf IQ newsletter that teeing the ball lower—even with your driver—makes the ball launch lower and spin more. It's a go-to coaches suggest for players needing more accuracy.

Teeing the ball higher does the opposite: It launches higher and spins less, because it helps golfers hit up on the ball—good for more distance.

But what about *where* you tee up the golf ball? It's an often overlooked part of teeing up the ball which, again, you'll be able to spot pros using this week.

We did a whole video on it ahead of the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, which you can watch right here…



Basically, there are five things you need to know.

Strategy #1: Left side of the tee box

Generally speaking, pros like to hit subtly across the fairway. That means if you like hitting the ball from right-to-left, like Justin Leonard at Royal Troon in 1997, then it means starting on the left side of the tee box, hitting slightly across the fairway, and letting the ball turn back towards the middle.



Strategy #2: Right side of the tee box

The opposite is true if your shots tend to move from left-to-right, like Todd Hamilton. That's why you see him hugging the right side of the tee box at Royal Troon in 2004. Again, it allows him to hit subtly across the fairway.



Strategy #3: Alleyways

Sometimes, though, the fairway can tilt very severely in a certain direction. That can force players to hit too much across fairways, which makes them harder to hit—especially when they're firm. On holes like that, you'll often see players do what Bryson DeChambeau is doing on Pinehurst's 2nd hole below: Cornering themselves on one side of the tee box so they're aiming as directly as they can down the fairway. A little like if they were to roll a ball down a bowling alley.



Strategy #4: Miss Buffers

Let's say you've got a hole with a severe penalty on one side or the other. Like the out-of-bounds railway tracks down the right side of Royal Troon's 10th hole. Yes, you should aim more left, away from the trouble, but you should also tee up more on the left side of the tee box. Vice versa if the trouble was on the left side of the hole. Teeing up on the side further away may seem like a small tweak, but can give you an extra margin of error for about 10 extra yards.



Strategy #5: Wind

The only exception you'll see pros do to all-of-the-above is when the wind is gusting. Wind—especially crosswinds—can make life annoying and unpredictable for players. Generally speaking, players try to avoid it. They aim to hit directly into or downwind from the tee box. That's why you see Ernie Els on the left side of Royal Troon's first tee box below, and aiming back out to the right. Notice which way the flags in the background are blowing; taking a few steps to his left means he's hitting less across the wind, and more into it.



Again, it's a simple strategy but one that can be more helpful than you think. You can watch the full breakdown right here.