Why Do My Tees Keep Breaking?

A reader wrote in with a question most of us have asked at some point: Why does it feel like I snap a tee after every shot I hit?

Let’s be honest up front. If you’re playing wooden tees, nobody expects every one to survive 18 holes. Wood tees are thin and sitting in the path of a clubhead moving 90-plus mph, some casualties are normal.

But if you’re snapping a tee on nearly every tee shot, something is going on. Sometimes, it’s the tee. Sometimes, it’s you. Here are the five most common culprits.

1. Your tee height is too low

If the ball sits too close to the ground, the sole of the driver can clip the tee on the way through. Modern drivers are big and wide and a ball teed too low leaves very little margin.

The fix: For driver, you want roughly half the ball above the crown of the club at address. Nudge your tee up a quarter of an inch and see what happens. You might even see a few extra yards if you have been teeing it too low.

The same problem shows up with irons and hybrids off the tee. If you’ve pushed the tee nearly all the way in to get the ball “just above the grass,” that descending strike will often snap it. If you use shorter tees for irons and hybrids, you should have a harder time breaking them.

2. You’re hitting down on the driver

This is where the tee starts telling you something about your swing. The driver is the one club you want to hit on a slightly upward angle of attack. If you come in steep, the club bottoms out behind the ball and drives into the tee peg before reaching the ball.

Common signs of a steep driver swing:

• Low, spinny drives that balloon or fall out of the sky
• High pop-ups
• Tee snapped at or near ground level

A few things can push your low point back behind the ball: hanging back on your trail side through impact, early extension (your hips move toward the ball and your body stands up) or casting the club from the top.

The fix: Get your weight moving into your lead side by impact and focus on swinging out to the ball instead of down at it. A pause at the top followed by a smooth transition is a simple drill to start with.

3. The ball is too far back in your stance

A ball positioned too far back means the club is still descending when it reaches the tee. A lot of golfers let the ball creep back over a round without noticing, especially when tired or trying to “keep it in play.”

The fix: Lay an alignment stick on the ground at the range and check that the ball is off the inside of your lead heel. Re-check it mid-round if your tees start snapping.

4. You’re catching the tee with the heel or hosel

If your tee is breaking and the shot feels harsh, goes right or turns into the occasional shank, the club may be hitting the tee with the hosel. This often comes from an over-the-top move or from standing too close to the ball.

The fix: Check your distance at address. If you’re creeping closer to the ball, stand a bit taller and a bit farther back.

5. It might just be the tee (or the ground)

Not everything is a swing flaw. A few non-swing reasons tees snap at impact:

• Firm or dry ground. In soft ground, a tee can lean or shift when the club brushes it. In hard ground, it’s locked in place so even a light touch from the clubhead snaps it. We have a few tee boxes at my course that are very hard and they break the tee every time.
• Cheap or thin wood. Bargain-bin tees can have weak grain and break easily but I’m not suggesting expensive tees are worth a big investment.

If you suspect equipment or conditions, try bamboo, a stronger hardwood blend or a flexible plastic tee. Some of these last for several rounds.

What the break itself can tell you

Pay attention to where your tee breaks:

• At ground level: Likely a steep, downward strike or a low point behind the ball.
• Midway up the shaft: Often a low tee height or a low-on-the-face strike.
• Tee pops out cleanly, unbroken: Usually a good sign. That’s the tee doing its job.

Occasionally breaking a tee is just golf. But if it’s happening on almost every drive, treat it like free feedback and make some adjustments.

Got a tee-related question of your own? Send it in and we might tackle it next.