A golf tee is an elevated stand (usually made from wood or plastic) that is buried under the ground to support and elevate the golf ball. This is done prior to hitting the golf ball but only on your first stroke. A lot of people wonder whether these golf tees make a difference or not in their golf swing.
After doing some thorough investigation and research, I came to the conclusion that golf tees indeed make a difference in the performace of your game. Let’s look at what you need to know about them.
Here are 6 differences that golf tees make:
- Eliminate Club’s Contact With The Ground
- The Tee Helps You Get Better Contact With The Ball
- The Tee Add Distance To Your Golf Shot
- The Golf Tee Adds Accuracy
- Golf Tee Helps Protect The Turf
- The Tee Makes The Ball Easier To Hit For Beginners
Table of Contents
1. Eliminate Club’s Contact With The Ground
The ground can help you get a better golf shot, but it’s important to hit the ball first and then the ground. When the clubface makes contact with the ground first, it slows down the club immensely and throws up a layer of turf between the ball and clubface. This reduces the distance that the golf ball travels, especially if the grass is long .
However, when you use a golf tee, it eliminates the club’s contact with the ground and provides for a cleaner golf stroke. Generally when you tee the ball higher, you are more likely to swing up on it and hit the top part of the clubface which helps to launch the ball higher into the air.
You don’t want to tee the ball too low as this can create unwanted backspin that will cause the ball to balloon up in the air and land with no roll, resulting in lost distance. However, teeing up the ball too high can lead to more air under the ball and less distance. Therefore, you need to find the right balance.
As a general rule, the bottom of the golf ball on a tee should be level with the top of the driver. But for other clubs like your long and mid irons, ensure that you push the tee into the ground such that 1/4 inch is above the ground.
2. The Tee Helps You Get Better Contact With The Ball
When you tee up a golf ball, you’ll instinctively swing down more on the ball in order to make contact. And if you tee the ball high enough, the clubface of the driver will make square contact with the golf ball resulting in a long and straight shot.
Hitting the ball from off the tee will allow you to make contact with the rear center portion of the ball, thereby bringing you the best results.
Without using golf tees, your chances of hitting a long and straight shot reduces, especially if you are a beginner with a high handicap score.
Hitting the ball as far onto the middle of the fairways or putting green is important if you wish to get a low golf score and win the round. And to do this, you need to utilize a golf tee that will help you get better contact with the golf ball.
3. The Tee Add Distance To Your Golf Shot
Using the golf tee correctly will certainly add some extra yardages on your golf shot. The tee will help you hit the ball higher and longer, resulting in a lower golf score.
Research shows that golfers can pick up 2-4 yards of distance just by using a golf tee. This is because it launches the ball higher with less backspin, and less spin means you have a better chance of getting some roll.
Backspin will almost always make the ball stop immediately upon landing, and in some cases draw it backwards further from the hole. But by using a tee, you won’t create much backspin because the friction is reduced between the clubface and the ball. When you use a tee, the clubface isn’t connecting with the ground as much, so there would hardly be any backpin.
4. The Golf Tee Adds Accuracy
Your accuracy in golf determines your level of play. Therefore if you want to achieve a lower golf score, you must improve your accuracy. A golf tee will help better that accuracy as you’ll hit more consistently off the tee and with more straightness as the sidespin is reduced.
Swing mistakes like slices and hooks are reduced when you use a tee, because there isn’t any unwanted sidespin when the clubhead contacts the ball and then the ground.
For more information about golf tee accuracy: Click here
5. Golf Tee Helps Protect The Turf
On rainy days, the turf becomes soggy and is more susceptible to damage. As a result, players are often encouraged to use a golf tee even on the fairways.
The rule states that you are only allowed to tee the ball on your first shot and is illegal for any other shot. But local and seasonal rule will allow teeing for other shots as well, such as under winter rules or to protect the turf when it’s vulnerable.
By using a tee on a wet and soggy golf course, you are helping the turf to stay healthy for future use.
Just note that on rainy days, you are not going get as much backspin on the golf ball because the conditions are not dry enough that will create the friction needed between the clubface and the golf ball.
6. The Tee Makes The Ball Easier To Hit For Beginners
Beginners with high handicap scores are highly encouraged to use a golf tee on their first shot because they tend to struggle with accuracy and consistency.
The ball is much easier to hit on a golf tee because it is elevated from the ground, thus decreasing room for mistakes. You are much likely to swing up on the golf ball and hitting the top part of the clubface causing a clean and pure golf shot. The tee also reduces bad golf shots like a fat or a thin shot which is prevalent among amateurs.
