Should I tee up a wedge on a par 3?

You know all that stuff about it being better to hit your short irons off the ground on par 3s because the ground is where you practise hitting them from? Well, Dave Pelz isn’t buying any of it. “Every blade of grass that comes between the ball and the clubhead reduces the amount of backspin you are able to put on the ball,” reveals the short game expert. “I don’t want this to happen. I want to hit the best, most in control shot possible, and the way to do this is by teeing the ball up a little to ensure I get a nice, clean contact on the sweetspot of the club.” Please note: the key words in the previous quote were “a little”. “If you tee the ball up too high, you can catch it too high on the club, so the optimal tee height is between 20 and 30mm from the grass,” adds Pelz.