Tom’s Featured Tip: 1st Tee Jitters
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
Many players – including myself – get the jitters on the first tee, especially if I haven’t had time to hit the range before my round.
Here are some things you can also do to help you hit a good 1st Tee drive. (For what it’s worth, I do all of them religiously off the 1st tee.)
- Always do some warmup exercises or stretches before you tee off. I use a thoracic spine stretch routine holding a couple of clubs that takes about three minutes, and it stretches the frontal plane, the sagittal plane, and the transverse plane. I learned about this stretch after I had a back problem two seasons ago, and knock on wood my back has been fine ever since I’ve been doing it. Here’s a YouTube video of the stretch:
Thoracic Spine Stretch - Away from the tee, take ten non-stop very fast swings with your driver held upside down; grip it near the head and swing the handle. It will feel very light and should make a pretty good “swoosh” sound. Then swing your driver normally for five fast, smooth swings.
- After you have teed up your ball, grip your driver upside down again and take five very fast swings about two inches above the ball.
- Then step away, relax, step back in and hit a good drive.
- It’s also worth noting that if you normally slice your first tee shot, tee it up a little higher than normal, and if you normally hook your first tee shot tee it up lower than normal. If you are trying to produce curvature, it’s easier to hit a draw or hook if the ball is teed up high, and it’s easier to hit a fade or slice when it’s teed up low.
Try this, you’ll like it.
Comments: ttucker@rochester.rr.com
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,
Tom
Tom Tucker’s Bio
I conduct lessons at The Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility
there’s a link for Plum Creek info here: http://www.tomtuckergolf.com/
Lessons are available for all ages and skill levels, please contact
me – Tom Tucker – at (716) 474 3005 or email me at ttucker@rochester.rr.com
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