How tee height changes launch angle.

By Better Golf Tee · 2026-05-16

A ¼-inch change in tee height is roughly a 1° change in launch angle for a driver.

The rule of thumb

For a typical 10.5° driver, every ¼ inch of additional tee height adds about 1° of launch angle and reduces spin by roughly 200 RPM. The shaft kicks slightly different, the angle of attack steepens or shallows, and the strike pattern shifts up the face.

What this means for practice

If you tee at 1¼" on your simulator and 1¾" on the course, your simulator launch is 2° flatter than your course launch. The ball flight you build at home does not exist outside. Match the heights.

Spin numbers

Higher tee = lower spin (generally). Drivers with center-of-gravity tuning closer to the face want higher tees to optimize spin loft. Modern Stealth, Qi10, and Paradym drivers all benefit from teeing it higher than the previous generation.

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