By: Zephyr Melton
January 10, 2025
Tom Kim lined up rather adjacent to this tee marker — but for bully reason.
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If you were watching the opening information of the Sony Open, you might’ve noticed Tom Kim mounting up precariously adjacent to the tee marker connected the 18th hole.
Fellow play journo Stephen Hennessey first pointed retired the oddity, and the segment had plentifulness of Golf X (formerly known arsenic Golf Twitter) users buzzing.
Most group were successful statement that teeing the shot up truthful adjacent to the tee marker would present a ton of worry arsenic they stood complete the ball. (Some moreover suggested that they would return retired a fewer tee markers if they did this connected each hole.) However, erstwhile the pros group up successful an utmost spot for illustration this, they do truthful for bully reason.
A clever tee-shot hack
First of all, erstwhile pros tee up truthful adjacent to the tee marker, they are successful nary threat of really hitting it. These guys are truthful bully that it would return a historical blunder for them to moreover scare the tee marker. The logic they do so, though, is simply a clever instrumentality they usage to negociate their nine path.
Using Kim’s thrust connected 18 arsenic an example, you tin spot the tee marker is connected the extracurricular separator of the ball. This tells america he is mounting up to deed a fade. Why? Because he has nary prime but to plaything pinch an out-to-in path.
With the tee marker positioned wherever it is, Kim is forced to plaything from out-to-in done the effect zone. If he were to plaything in-to-out, his nine would deed the tee marker aft impact.
You’ll often spot methods for illustration this utilized successful believe erstwhile trying to manipulate the way (you tin publication much astir that here). By placing a obstruction successful the measurement of a definite path, you’re forced to debar it, which results successful the desired path. Kim was utilizing the aforesaid rule connected the 18th tee.
(Before you ask: Yes, this is wholly legal. There is thing successful the norm book that says you can’t usage the tee marker successful this way. So agelong arsenic you group up betwixt the tee markers and wrong 2 nine lengths of them, you’re wholly fine.)
There’s nary mobility that the pros are truthful bully that they don’t needfully request a obstruction to redirect their plaything path, but having 1 location doesn’t wounded — it’s conscionable a useful ocular cue to thief them deed the correct shot.
I can’t urge doing this connected the people for astir play warriors, but adjacent clip you spell practice, springiness it a shot. Throw down a h2o vessel aliases headcover connected the crushed successful the spot you don’t want your plaything way to spell and effort to debar it. You’ll beryllium amazed astatine really overmuch easier it is to alteration your plaything path.
Zephyr Melton
Golf.com Editor
Zephyr Melton is an adjunct editor for GOLF.com wherever he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the squad astatine GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops pinch the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists connected each things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He tin beryllium reached astatine [email protected].