Golf Tip: 10 Steps to Avoid Disaster on the Tee Box
Before you tee up your ball, even when you’re played the hole many times, let your eyes and your mind take in the lay of the tee box and the fairway.
Even on my home course, where I’ve played hundreds of rounds and have a deep familiarity with the little quirks and slants and slopes that can send a ball flying off into the rough, I don’t take that knowledge for granted.
I take just a few seconds before every tee shot — generally while I’m loosening my shoulders with a few twists or while I’m waiting for my turn to tee it up — to look at the tee box and its relationship to the fairway. Is there a subtle slope to the tee box that can impact ball direction? What’s the relationship between the placement of the tee box and my realistic fairway destination? What adjustments in alignment do I need to make to achieve the shot I want?
Golf courses are designed to seduce us and trick us. Study the picture. How would you set up your shot off the first tee at TPC Boston?
Next: #3: Pick Your Spot