There is more to golf tees than meets the eye; they are carefully and creatively designed to suit different golfers’ needs. If you are pondering whether to use plastic tees or wooden tees, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s look at the differences between the two and determine which one is the perfect golf tee for your game.
Plastic and wood golf tees both come with pros and cons. More golfers are switching to wooden tees as they are eco-friendly and inexpensive, although plastic tees offer many advantages too. Professional golfers tend to use wooden tees unless sponsored by plastic tee brands.
Golf is considered a game of professionalism, etiquette, and sportsmanship. However, it can be unpleasant when your tees bend or break, which causes many golfers to lose their composure, ultimately impacting their golfing performance. Selecting the correct golfing equipment certainly plays a role in separating a professional golfer from the average contender.
Plastic Tees Vs Wooden Tees: Which Is Better?
Becoming a pro golfer takes years of practice, commitment, and dedication. It’s safe to say that golf is not an easy game, but investing in the best possible equipment can be to your advantage, like finding the best golf tees.
Many players give a lot of attention to the golf clubs or golf balls they use, but many neglect a significant part of their gear; their tees. Having good tees will drastically improve your performance on the golf course. When talking about wooden vs plastic tees, many people immediately think of durability and how a wood tee can tend to break, but there are far more details to discuss.
Traditionalists prefer wooden golf tees, and most professional golfers use them unless they are sponsored and supplied with plastic tees. They are suitable for performance because of their stiff nature, although they are prone to breaking easily, particularly in dry weather conditions.
Wooden tees are budget-friendly, so one could always stock up and keep extras in their golf bag. The tee is also not likely to break unless your golf club makes direct contact with it, so this comes down to your swing style and the tee’s height. Putting a wooden tee into the hard turf is less challenging than a plastic tee.
Plastic golf tees don’t rank as high in the performance category because they bend, although they are less likely to snap. Plastic tees, however, lose their strength from general wear and tear and are not easy to put into the hard turf. Aside from the plastic tee and wooden golf tees, it is also possible to get rubber and bamboo tees.
Advantages and disadvantages of using a plastic tee:
· Offer similar dimensions to tees made from other materials.
· Zero friction versions available regarding impact between the golf ball and tee (more on this in a minute).
· They are more flexible and durable than the standard wooden tee as they bend rather than break.
· Not suitable for hard turf since they curve easily.
· Not eco-friendly since they are not biodegradable.
Advantages and disadvantages of using wooden tees:
· Wood tees are Biodegradable and eco-friendly.
· They are much more robust and solid.
· Inexpensive compared to the plastic tee.
· A wooden tee is less likely to damage your clubs.
· Are prone to break when stuck, although some players enjoy the broken tees.
· Can potentially restrict ball speed due to friction/resistance.
· Can still break when forced into tough turf.
Different Types Of Tees
Some plastic tees are cleverly engineered to reduce friction between the golf ball and peg – these are referred to as “zero friction plastic tees.” Zero friction tees utilize prongs on which the golf ball sits, thus minimizing contact between the ball and tee (less resistance from the tee). Other styles of tees include standard, brush, anti-slice, martini, and castle tees, to name a few.
However, tees need to be legal and conform to regulations; therefore, golf tees:
· Cannot indicate the line of play.
· Unduly influence the ball’s trajectory or unfairly aid the player.
· Prevent the ball from slicing or hooking.
Colored Tees And Non-colored Tees
Tees don’t just vary by what material they are made of but also by color. Some aren’t painted, while others come in bright, fluorescent colors.
The tee will often jump straight out the ground when teeing off, so if you use unpainted or plain colored tees, you’ve probably found yourself fumbling around searching for it. Locating your tee is much easier when it is a brighter color. With this being said, painted tees with abstract colors can often leave unwanted marks on your drivers, which means more time cleaning them.
Some tees utilize colored rings so you can easily keep the ball at the same height on every tee and others make use of other measuring systems. Some tees are designed to maximize your performance, while other colorful tees are just about creativity and showing off your style.
Length Of Tees: What Is The Best Height?
Tees come in different lengths, so choose wisely as this can affect distance and accuracy. For your tees to be considered legal, they cannot exceed 4 inches.
Tees range between 1½ inches and 4 inches in length. The size of a tee must suit your swing style, and it comes down to what works best for you – too high can result in loss of distance. Most golfers with a shallower swing prefer smaller tees and vice versa. With that being said, a higher ball position will generally allow for a higher and greater ball flight.
Keep in mind that other factors may prevent you from getting the ball up and traveling. Your swing speed, technique, and ball positioning all play a role here. It is best to place the ball on the inside of your leading foot; putting it too far back in your stance will lower ball flight.
Wooden And Plastic Tees Conclusion
Ultimately it comes down to personal choice when choosing your golf tees. There are numerous designs and styles available, all with pros and cons. Another factor would also be your budget – how much are you willing to spend on pegs?
The biggest reason wooden tees are increasing in popularity is that they are eco-friendly, and plastic tees could eventually get dismissed entirely. Some golfers are concerned about the performance of wooden tees, but there are numerous different types of thin wooden tee options available which offer less friction and many benefits.
For me, I prefer the wooden tee as my golf tee. I like how they feel, how they break and generally how they look. Personal preference!
Plastic or Wood Golf Tee FAQ’s
Do Pro Golfers Use Plastic Or Wood Tees?
Pro golfers always use wooden tees. Likely due to the nature of the tee business as there are always loads of regular wooden tees at each tournament.
Their high swing speeds mean that they won’t use the same tee for an entire round though, as the tees will easily break on tee shots.
Do Plastic Tees Damage Drivers?
No, plastic tees will not cause damage to a driver during normal shots. Nor will they cause damage to a fairway wood or to an iron when used for tee shots.
If you are using a plastic tee with bright colors, or just simply different colors. You may find colorful marks left on the face and bottom of your club. But not damage.
Does Teeing The Ball Higher Give You More Distance?
Yes, by teeing the ball higher you can increase your driving distance. Obviously there is a limit and it is possible to tee the ball too high. But when using standard tees it is most likely best to tee it higher with your driver.
Tee height should be optimized to help you hit your best golf shot with each tee shot. With a driver it is best to use a height that puts the center of the ball even with the top of the driver, when the driver is sitting on the ground. This will provide consistent height and can be done with wood tees or a professional tee system using plastic golf tees.
- Should Tee Boxes Be Level? - January 23, 2024
- 3 Hybrid Distance - November 15, 2023
- Innovations in Golf Mobility: An In-depth Review of Top Golf Scooters - October 12, 2023
