Tee materials encyclopedia.
Every common golf tee material, with performance, sustainability, and cost data.
Wood species
Birch (most common wooden tees)
Cheap, abundant, easy to turn. Snaps cleanly on impact (intentional, prevents ricochet). Biodegrades in 1 to 3 years depending on lacquer. Used in essentially every commodity wooden tee on the market.
Bamboo
Slightly more flexible than birch; resists snapping. Marketed as "sustainable" but the carbon math is roughly neutral with birch when you account for transport from Asia (most bamboo tees are made in China). Biodegrades faster than birch, in about 6 months to 2 years.
Basswood
Used in premium and competition tees. Lighter, slightly softer than birch, more consistent grain. More expensive.
Plastics
Polypropylene (PP)
The most common rigid plastic tee. Cheap. Lasts 20 to 50 swings before chipping. Does not biodegrade meaningfully (estimated 400+ years).
High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
Slightly tougher than PP, more flexible. Used in some "unbreakable" plastic tees and most range rubber tees (in combination with rubber).
Polycarbonate (PC)
Premium plastic tee material. Optically clear if you want a transparent tee. Lasts longer. More expensive.
Vulcanized rubber
Used in stand-up range tees. Stiff (Shore A 70-80), compresses over hundreds of strikes, "tracks" the synthetic grass underneath.
Composites
Bamboo composite
Bamboo fiber bonded with a biodegradable resin. Looks like wood, performs like plastic, biodegrades in 3 to 5 years.
Bioplastic (PLA-based)
Made from corn or sugarcane. Brittle. Biodegrades in industrial composting (not backyard composting; about 90 days). Rarely used commercially because of the brittleness.
Mushroom-based mycelium
Experimental. Some startups have prototyped tees grown from mycelium (mushroom root structures). Currently too soft for golf strike conditions. Watch for 2027+.
Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU)
The Better Golf Tee material. See our materials write-up for the depth.
| Grade | Shore A | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| TPU 60A | 60 | Too soft for tees; flops under ball weight |
| TPU 85A | 85 | Works for soft-base tees; creeps under repeated load |
| TPU 90A | 90 | Good balance; slightly less rigid than 95A |
| TPU 95A | 95 | Our spec. Sweet spot for tee stems, flexible spikes, supple ball cups |
| TPU 75D / Shore D 75 | ~95 D | Too rigid; cracks at the splay-foot root on impact |
Why we chose TPU 95A specifically
See the deep-dive article for the math and vendor comparison (Bambu TPU 95A HF as primary, Polymaker PolyFlex TPU95 as backup, NinjaTek Cheetah 95A for the premium SKU, BASF Elastollan 1185A pellets for injection-mold scale).
Cost comparison
| Material | Approx cost per tee (raw material only) |
|---|---|
| Birch (commodity) | $0.02 |
| Bamboo composite | $0.04 |
| Polypropylene (injection-molded at scale) | $0.03 |
| TPU 95A (3D printed, small batch) | $0.22 |
| TPU 95A (injection-molded at scale) | $0.04 |