Kenny Mane found that trying to “hit down” caused him to strike the ground, aggravate his back, and even miss holes. But seven-time PGA Tour winner Peter Jacobsen believes Mane—and many amateurs and higher-handicap golfers—could benefit from a simpler, counterintuitive approach instead.
On Monday, October 5, 2026, Jacobsen joined We Need a Fourth co-hosts Cooper Manning, Brian Baumgartner, and Mane for a wide-ranging conversation about his life and career, touching on everything from forming Jake Trout and the Flounders to sharing the course with legends such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
At one point, the conversation shifted to ball-striking, with Jacobsen asking Mane whether golfers should focus on hitting the ball up or down. Mane noted that average players often instinctively try to scoop the ball into the air, despite the conventional advice to hit down and through the shot. Jacobsen, however, offered a different perspective, suggesting that beginners and higher-handicap golfers may benefit more from a simpler approach.
“The one thing that I’ve always done with my kids and grandkids and beginners in golf is always have them take a little tee or a tee and have them tee it up when they go play everywhere. Driver, irons, chipping, whatever it is, because it gives you the idea, the concept of just sweeping the ball off the tee.”
Jacobsen’s advice makes sense, particularly for beginners who can easily become too focused on technical swing mechanics. Teeing the ball slightly above the ground gives them more room for error and makes it easier to establish solid contact. It also encourages a natural sweeping motion, rather than having them deliberately try to chop down into the ball.
The goal is to help golfers develop the feel of brushing the club through the ball and sending it forward, rather than worrying about striking the ground first. As they improve, they can gradually learn the finer distinctions between hitting down with irons, sweeping the ball with a driver, and hitting up on certain shots.
Understanding these common pitfalls also helps explain why Jacobsen’s simple teeing-up method can be so effective for beginners and higher-handicap golfers:
- Off-the-Planet Tee Shot: A confident swing off the tee can quickly turn into a disaster when a golfer loses control of the clubface. The result is often a towering slice that drifts farther and farther away from the intended target, leaving the player scrambling from the rough, trees, or even out of bounds. For high-handicap golfers, one errant drive can set the tone for an entire hole and force them to play defensively from the start.
- Skulled Chip Shot: Few mistakes are more frustrating than a skulled chip, especially when the golfer felt confident after making several good practice swings. Under pressure, however, the club can catch the ball too high, sending it racing across the green instead of landing softly near the hole. What should have been a straightforward recovery can suddenly become another chip—or even a costly three-putt.
- Bunker Struggles: Greenside bunkers can intimidate golfers who aren’t comfortable with the technique. Instead of confidently splashing the ball onto the green, they may hit too far behind it, barely move the ball, or catch it too cleanly and send it flying over the green. The result is often a frustrating sequence of bunker shots that adds several strokes to the scorecard.
Together, these situations capture the familiar cycle of frustration that many high-handicap golfers experience: a lack of confidence leads to poor execution, which only adds more pressure to the next shot. Jacobsen’s advice offers them a practical solution.
