Quick answer
With a driver, start with roughly half the ball showing above the top of the clubface when the club rests behind it. Use the actual club and ball as your guide, especially with oversized practice balls. Check that the tee is stable, then make small adjustments if needed. Tee height is only one part of helping your child reach the ball comfortably.
Start with a steady tee
A young beginner can miss the ball for a lot of reasons. The club may be too long, the swing may be too fast, the ball may be too far away, or the tee may be the wrong height for the club and ball. Tee height is the part a parent can fix before the child starts collecting swing thoughts.
Tee height is something you can check before your child swings. Start with a stable ball they can comfortably reach, then keep the first attempts gentle.
Keep it simple
Change the setup before you add more swing advice.
The simple tee-height check
Put the club behind the teed ball as if the child is about to swing. For a driver-style club, a practical starting point is to see about the upper half of the ball above the top of the clubface. Golf Digest's driver setup guide uses a similar visual checkpoint for standard driver setup.
Do not turn that into a rigid rule for every child, every club, and every practice ball. A child using an oversized ball, a beginner driver, or a different tee surface needs a visual check relative to the clubface in front of them. If the setup looks unstable, too tall, or hard to repeat, make it simpler.
- Set the club down first: the face tells you whether the ball is too high or too low.
- Start near half-ball-high: use the upper half of the ball above the face as the first checkpoint for driver swings.
- Watch one miss pattern: don’t diagnose five things after one swing.
- Adjust one notch: lower it, raise it, or switch to half swings before adding instruction.
Adjust by what the child is actually doing
Tee height should help the child find contact, not prove that the parent knows golf terms. Use the miss as the clue.
| What you see | Likely setup issue | Parent adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| The child swings under the ball | The ball may be sitting too high, or the child may be trying to lift it. | Lower the tee and use one cue: brush the top of the tee. |
| The club brushes the ground first | The ball may be too low for the club or too far away. | Raise the tee slightly and move the child close enough to reach without lunging. |
| The ball falls off before the swing | The tee, ball, or surface may not be stable enough. | Use a more stable tee, slow the routine, or move to a flatter surface. |
| Every swing gets bigger and faster | The child may be chasing distance instead of contact. | Make the target closer and count calm contact instead of ball flight. |
If the main problem is frustration rather than tee height, use how to make golf fun for kids to rebuild the session around one easy contact win.
Kids are not adult driver fittings
Adult tee-height advice often talks about attack angle, launch, spin, and different shot shapes. That can be useful for experienced players, but it’s not the job for a young beginner. Golf Monthly's junior golf parent guidance warns that kids can end up hitting from a tee that’s too tall for the club they’re using, and it recommends more consistent tee-height references.
For a child, the first question is not, "Is this the perfect launch setup?" The better question is, "Can my child make a safe, calm swing and move the ball from this height?"
Keep it child-sized
If the explanation sounds like a driver lesson for an adult, simplify it.
Setting up your Big Swing tees
The Big Swing Driver comes with oversized practice balls and tees. Use the actual ball and clubface to check height, and make sure the tee sits securely on a suitable surface. A tee labeled for different surfaces doesn't make every place suitable for swinging.
More help: safe backyard golf practice for kids · kids golf club size by age
When kids should practice without a tee
A tee is helpful for early driver contact, but it should not become the only way a child understands golf. Golf Monthly's junior guidance also recommends getting kids comfortable with some tee-free practice and half shots.
Tee-free practice can be simple: brush the grass, roll a ball to a towel, tap foam balls toward a basket, or make half swings with no ball. Use it when the child is calm enough to follow safety rules and the setting is controlled.
If you’re taking this setup to a public range, read how to take a kid to the driving range first so tee-height practice doesn’t turn into a rushed bucket of balls.
Make the setup feel safe to try
A small setup adjustment lets you help without correcting every move. Keep the conversation encouraging and give your child time to try.
Try saying, "Let's make the ball a little easier to reach," instead of, "You swung wrong." That keeps the adult responsible for the setup and the child responsible for one simple job: make a calm swing.
Check the club’s fit as well as the tee. Your child should be able to stand comfortably and reach the ball with the correct right- or left-handed club.
FAQ
How high should kids tee a golf ball?
For a child using a driver, start with about the upper half of the ball above the top of the clubface when the club rests behind it. Then adjust by miss pattern: lower the tee if the child swings under the ball, and raise it slightly if the club keeps brushing the ground before contact.
Should kids tee the ball high with a driver?
Kids should not use a high tee just because adults sometimes do. Use the clubface as the reference, keep the ball stable, and choose the height that lets the child make calm contact without swinging under the ball.
What if my child swings under the golf ball?
Lower the tee first and slow the session down. A child who swings under the ball may be seeing a ball that’s too high for the club, trying to lift it, or swinging too hard for the setup. Make the next shot easier instead of adding several swing thoughts.
Should kids practice without a tee?
Yes, but not for every beginner swing. A tee can make early driver contact easier to organize. Tee-free half swings, grass-brushing games, and rolling targets help kids learn that golf is not only a teed-up driver swing.
Do Little Links tees work differently than normal golf tees?
The Big Swing Driver comes with oversized practice balls and tees. Use the actual ball and clubface to check height, and make sure the tee sits securely on a suitable surface. A tee labeled for different surfaces doesn't make every place suitable for swinging.
Is tee height more important than swing mechanics for beginners?
For young beginners, tee height is one controllable setup variable, not a complete swing fix. Start with a stable ball height, one simple cue, and a short session. Save detailed mechanics for a coach or for an older child who can handle more instruction.
