High Tee — Golf Drill

The high-tee drill has become one of the most effective training methods for transforming your iron play, and leading instructors like Milo Lines Golf, The Art of Simple Golf, and Meandmygolf have made it a cornerstone of modern golf instruction. This simple yet powerful technique involves teeing your iron shots at driver height to practice proper delivery through impact without going underneath the ball. As The Art of Simple Golf demonstrates, this drill helps golfers break free from the destru

How to practise it

  1. Set up iron with driver-height tee Tee ball at normal driver height using 7-iron. Address normally with ball position slightly forward of center.
  2. Make slow swings focusing on lowering Take half-speed swings, feeling the club lower and deliver through the ball rather than hitting down steeply.
  3. Build to full swings maintaining contact Gradually increase to full speed while maintaining centered contact. Steep swings will go underneath and miss.
  4. Transfer feel to ground shots Hit normal iron shots off turf, recreating the same lowering sensation from the high-tee swings.

How can practicing with a high tee help improve my ball striking?

According to Milo Lines Golf, putting a ball on a tall tee (like driver height) but hitting with an iron forces you to deliver the club correctly at impact. This drill helps you swing back, lower properly, and make clean contact without missing the ball, teaching proper impact position.

Am I hurting my iron distance by trying to hit down too much?

Yes, according to The Art of Simple Golf, the 'hit down' myth is destroying iron distance for many golfers. When you try to hit down too aggressively, your energy goes into the ground instead of the ball, creating big divots and reducing compression and distance.

What does it mean to 'shallow' my downswing and how does the high tee drill help?

According to Meandmygolf, shallowing means making your downswing less steep and more horizontal. If you can make centered contact with a high-teed ball, it proves you're shallowing properly - a steep swing would go underneath the ball and hit high on the clubface.

How each of them teaches it

Coaches who demonstrate the high tee drill, each linked at the second they start.

  1. Good Golf Coaching: Don't Be The Next Victim Of This... | Tour Coaches Ruin Players (from 2:51). Practicing swings with a ball on a chest- or waist-high tee to simplify shaft angles and feel proper forearm rotation and arm lift without ground interference.
  2. Good Golf Coaching: Do This Once And It Will All Make Sense | The Golf World Has No Clue! (from 4:51). Practice striking balls off a high tee while keeping the handle low and maintaining lead-hand pressure to prevent early extension and club head sag.
  3. The Art of Simple Golf: The 'Hit Down' Myth Is Destroying Your Iron Distance (from 0:45). Teeing an iron up at driver height to force a shallow strike and prevent digging or flipping the clubhead.
  4. Milo Lines Golf: I Like This Drill To DELIVER The Goods At Impact!. Hitting an iron off a tall driver-height tee to practice lowering the body and club correctly into impact without hitting the tee or the ground.
  5. The Art of Simple Golf: STOP "Hitting Down" on Irons (It's Killing Your Golf Consistency) (from 9:09). Place an iron or wedge on a high tee to practice a shallow, 'through' strike that avoids digging or flipping.
  6. Good Golf Coaching: Golf Swing Tips LIVE - 11th December (from 33:14). Practicing hitting balls off an exaggeratedly high tee to prevent the handle from lifting and the clubhead from dropping early.
  7. Meandmygolf: Shallow Your Downswing fast #golfswing #golf (from 0:23). Tee a ball up to driver height and attempt to make centered contact with an iron to promote a shallower, more rounded downswing path.
  8. Your guide to better golf - Marcus Edblad PGA Pro: Hit powerful drives with this easy move… (from 2:29). Teeing the ball exceptionally high to encourage a feeling of attacking the ball from the 'inside up and out' without fear of hitting the ground.

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