Golf Tees | Plastic or Wooden Ball Tees

teesIn the beginning, the world was dark and without form. Then came the golf ball. Then came the golf club. Then man decided to hit the golf ball with the club.

Then, man cursed.

Then, man started competing with another man to see how far they could hit the ball with the club. Then, one man got an edge over the man by setting the ball up higher — making it easier to hit.

History

Seriously, when did golfers start using tees? Just another one of those random questions that you never really consider when trying to be a cheapskate and scrounge teeboxes for usable tees instead of buying a bag of them. Surprisingly enough, the actual “teebox” wasn’t even really invented until St. Andrew’s course distinguished them in the late 19th century. Until then, golfers simply played from within a club length from the previous hole.

Then, and when separate “teeboxes” showed up, golfers used small piles of sand to set their ball up a little from the grass. While it seemed to work well, it was fairly messy, and golf courses had to provide water and towels for golfers to clean their hands and their clubs.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, golfers began using reusable tees either using bits of cork, paper, or even rubber. The earliest documented use of a portable tee invention was that of two Scots, W. Bloxsom and A. Douglas, who in 1889 made a small rubber slab resting on the ground with three prongs made out of rubber to hold the ball in place.

In 1892, the first tee to stick into the ground was the “Perfectum” tee created by P. Ellis and consisted of a simple rubber circle with a metal spike that stuck into the ground. Perfecting the “Perfectum,” P.M. Matthews of Scotland invented the “Victor” tee, which had more of a cup to hold the ball more securely above the spike in the ground.

Jump to 1921: the invention of the first real commercial golf tee invented at Maplewood Golf club by American Dentist William Lovell. (Did they ever really spend any actual time at their practices?) These “Reddy” tees were wood with red tops — easily seen and distinguished — but soon were manufactured in many colors and materials.

Wooden Vs. Plastic

While several tees have attempted to catch a wave of popularity, the old fashioned wooden tee with a concave head is still the most popular and most commonly found tee. Often golfers complain about plastic tees bending and tweaking too much when they try and place them into the ground — and gripe about them being too expensive for too few.

Gimmicks?

Perhaps. Sometimes you may find that tees brag about adding extra yardage or being more of a point of visibility for a golfer’s swing, but ultimately it is up to the golfer’s discretion. One interesting tee that seems to hold its weight in what it claims is the PGA Epoch. Try it out, but this one really seems to reduce resistance in some odd way.

Gifts & Advertising

The true, legit way to sell one type of tee over another: personalization, branding, and gifts. Whether it be a set of tees that sport business names or phone numbers, or whether it be a set that announces a special day for a golfer who wants to communicate in a special and fun way, or even if it is part of a fun gift set that sends an obvious message like this one, the fun never can never run out.

Read all of our golf tee reviews below:


Pride Golf Tees, Long Professional Wooden

Natural Wood 3 1/4 Inch

Pride Golf Tees, Long Professional Wooden | Natural Wood 3 1/4 Inch

I bet I can add yardage to your tee shot without ever seeing your swing. It's simple: Tee your golf ball up higher. To get the best advantage with our huge modern-day drivers, you've got to get the ball up off of the ground.

This is a pet ...





Distance Golf Tees by Zero Friction

PGA Performance, Set of 50

Distance Golf Tees by Zero Friction | PGA Performance, Set of 50

These Zero Friction Performance golf tees are designed to give you more distance because there is less resistance than you encounter using a traditional tee. This tee has 3 prongs which hold the ball up.

I bet you didn't know that those old traditional tees that you've ...





Pixma Magnetic Golf Tee w/ Anchor Peg

Plastic Zero Friction Unbreakable

Pixma Magnetic Golf Tee w/ Anchor Peg | Plastic Zero Friction Unbreakable

This permanent golf tee is magnetic. I like the concept, but when I put it in my pocket, all of my darn ball markers keep sticking to it!

I must give this product credit because it's the first permanent tee that I reviewed where they actually just ...





PGA Epoch Golf Ball Tees, White Evolve

Driver Long Distance, Set of 50

PGA Epoch Golf Ball Tees, White Evolve | Driver Long Distance, Set of 50

I usually make fun of these gimmicky tees, but this one is legit. I never believe the ads, and I always do the research -- and this one holds up. This Epoch tee was introduced on the PGA tour in 2004, and since then has ...





ProActive Golf Tees, Flexible Pronged

Long Distance, More Yards

ProActive Golf Tees, Flexible Pronged | Long Distance, More Yards

No, this is not a dart for your blow gun! This is a golf tee. This revolutionary design is intended to reduce resistance, thus giving you more distance. This tee is "the only tee proven in both robotic and field tests to improve distance." Wow, ...





PGA European Tour Golf Tees

Wood Orange Unbreakable

PGA European Tour Golf Tees | Wood Orange Unbreakable

These tees are completely unbreakable! Holy cow! If only the back bumper of my truck were made out this stuff, I could've saved a lot of money in insurance.

These bad boys are big on the European tour. They are made in Germany. They look like ...





Flex Golf Ball Tee

Flexible w/ Long Driver, Mid, Short Length

Flex Golf Ball Tee | Flexible w/ Long Driver, Mid, Short Length

Quick question: If this is the "last tee I will ever buy," why does this set come with eight tees? Hmmm.

Reminds me of my father's favorite joke: A guy walking on the beach finds a bottle, picks it up, and a genie pops out granting him three ...





Golf Tee Set from Brush-t, Multicolored

Flexible for Swing Training

Golf Tee Set from Brush-t, Multicolored | Flexible for Swing Training

Independent tests prove that you will get 3 to 7 yards more distance using these tees. This could be a good thing -- unless you slice it, and those extra seven yards take your ball into a creek. (True golfers can find the negative in everything.)

The idea ...





Toss Designs Flask

Golf Gift Set | Pebble Grain w/ Tee, Ball Marker

Toss Designs Flask | Golf Gift Set | Pebble Grain w/ Tee, Ball Marker

Certain golf gifts speak louder than others.

The golf towel says, "I couldn't find anything else and had five minutes. Sorry."
The exploding golf ball says, "I still find this joke funny even though it never works."
The Maxfli Noodle golf balls say, "I do care. I just went for what was on sale."

And ...





Intech Golf Tees

Natural Wood, White | 500 Pack 2 3/4 Inch

Intech Golf Tees | Natural Wood, White | 500 Pack 2 3/4 Inch

I used to be a tee-scrounger. You know, the guy who celebrates at the tee box when he finds someone else's discarded (yet fully functional) tee. Not sure what I was thinking, but I guess I hadn't heard that you can find tees for about two cents apiece. But then, out of ...





Natural Wood Golf Tees

Bulk Bag of 500 Extra Long 2 3/4″

Natural Wood Golf Tees | Bulk Bag of 500 Extra Long 2 3/4″

I used to be a tee-scrounger. You know, the guy who celebrates at the tee box when he finds someone else's discarded, yet fully functional tee? Not sure what I was thinking, but I guess I hadn't heard that you can find tees for about two cents apiece. But then, out of ...





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