What is a golf tee?

A small device used to raise a golf ball off the ground when teeing off.

Definition

A golf tee is a device designed to raise the ball off the ground for play from the teeing area, per USGA Rule 6.2c.

Brief history

First patented in Scotland in 1889 by William Bloxsom and Arthur Douglas. The first American patent was issued to Dr. George Grant of Boston in 1899. The shape every golfer recognizes today came from William Lowell's Reddy Tee, patented in 1925.

Types

Wooden (most common), bamboo (biodegrades in months not years), plastic, rubber (for mats), and surface-sit TPU tees for hitting mats (like Better Golf Tee, which balances the ball on open points and tethers to a caddy).

Legal limits

4 inches (101.6 mm) maximum length. No alignment aids, no mechanical assistance. Tethered tees explicitly allowed under R&A Rules of Equipment Part 6 for difficult turf conditions.