How high should you lift the ball for maximum distance?

Golf instruction is always evolving, but the best tips stand the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Lifetime Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice that teachers and players have shared in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our June 2006 issue, when we ran an experiment to find the perfect machine height to maximize driver distance. For unlimited access to the complete digital archive of GOLF Magazine, join Inside GOLF tODAY; you’ll enjoy $140 worth of value for just $39.99 per year.

Everyone wants it hit the ball farther. It makes the game a lot easier when you hit shorter clubs on the green, and it makes it more fun too. If you can add 20 yards to your drives, you’ll see the game in a whole new light.

However, adding yards to your drives doesn’t have to require speed training or a new fitness routine. If you can optimize some variables with the driver, you can add simple steps to your photos.

One of these things is the height of the tee. It may seem trivial, but tip height can have a big impact on your driving distance.

How much impact? In 2006, we in GOLF magazine did an experiment to find out. In our June issue of that year, we published our findings, outlining the optimum ride height to maximize your driver clearance. You can check it out below.

What is the optimal tee height with the driver?

You’re in the fairway of a brutal par-4 and you really need to slip one if you’re going to go home in two. What’s your swing key? One thing you’re probably not thinking about is how high you hit the ball – but you should be. Adjusting your finger height, as it turns out, is one of the best—and easiest—adjustments you can make for taller, longer drives.

Continue reading below to find out why.

STUDIES

Who attended?

Twenty-seven golfers, ages 25 to 71, with handicaps ranging from one to 29. Of the players, 25 typically used a medium height and two preferred a high height.

The heights of the tee

— Low: The top edge of the ball was flush with the top edge of the driver, so the entire ball was below the crown.
— Middle: Half of the ball above the crown.
— High: The bottom edge of the ball was slightly above the top edge of the clubface so that the entire ball was over the crown.

experiment

Players were divided into three groups of nine according to handicap level: 0-9, 10-19 and 20+. Each golfer hit 10 drives at each elevation, with each group hitting the three golf elevations differently to ensure that fatigue and motivation were balanced within each group. Only the best five of 10 drives at each tee height were recorded so that errant shots would not bias the data.

Carry distance was measured by a launch monitor, which also calculated head speed, launch angle, ball speed and spin. Accuracy was also recorded: cars that landed on the fairway (33 yards wide) scored 1; those on the rough right or left (17 yards wide) scored 2; and those who went down beyond the rough level scored 3.

The results

Within each of the three handicap levels, the carry distance for the medium and high mast heights was significantly longer than the low machine height, mainly an effect of the taller poles promoting higher launch angles and less rotation. The high tee height provided the most distance, giving players an average of 12 yards more carry per drive than the low tee height.

Inside the numbers

The biggest winners

Highly disabled people benefited the most from the high curb height, averaging 18 yards per carry on their low tee height drives.

Long and straight

The increase in carry distance from low to mid and high elevations did not come at the expense of fairway hitting accuracy. The table below shows the percentage of tee shots landing in the fairway, fairway, and beyond the fairway as a function of tee height.

The consequences

After the experiment, nine of the 27 players planned to change from medium to high height. Three of those nine were from the disabled group.

The tee height study was conducted by GOLF Top 100 Teachers Eric Alpenfels and Bob Christian, Ph.D dean emeritus of the School of Health and Human Performance at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Zephyr Melton

Editor of Golf.com

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Before joining the GOLF team, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists with all lessons and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.