Golf Club Tips

Tee Height

On shorter par threes, you will occasionally be hitting anything from a 7 iron to a wedge; something to be avoided is to tee up the ball at the normal height.

For these shots, many good players will dispense with a tee altogether, on the grounds that they get more feel without one. But if you feel more comfortable with a tee, make sure it is firmly stuck in the ground and the ball nestling just the merest smidgen off the turf.

Accomplished players always take a divot even when hitting a short iron off the tee. They squeeze the ball between club and turf, which imparts back spin to the ball.

This enables them to stop the ball dead on the green. Hitting from a tee peg you will not get back spin and you must allow for the ball to roll after landing. When you tee the ball up on a par three, make sure that the peg is pressed well into the ground so that only the tip of it is visible above the grass.

Short Iron Tips

1. Because you are standing nearer to the ball, your posture when hitting a short iron, such as a 9 iron, will be a little more angular than when hitting a longer iron. Otherwise there is no major difference in the set up.

2. As with the pitching wedge, it is unlikely that you will need to swing the club back to the horizontal. If you retain the flex and resistance in your right knee, this is about as far back as you should go.

3. Irons are designed to be struck with a slightly more descending blow than the driver and fairway woods, which require a shallower angle of attack. Do not be afraid to hit down and through the ball and always look to take a divot.