Can A “Golf Tee” Really Give You More Distance?
When it comes to gaining extra distance off the tee…what things come to your mind? Most would say things like buying a new driver, installing a new shaft, adding length to your big stick or even using an illegal ball. But not many golfers think about something as simple as the “golf tee” to squeak out a few more yards with the driver. Even though tee companies have been claiming it for years…no one has really put them to the test to find out if it they can really do what they say. So the question we asked was….
“Can a golf tee actually add distance to your tee shots?” …. to the MYGOLFSPY LABS!
Testing Procedure
We took 3 golfers, which each used the same driver throughout the entire test. The order was mixed up so that no golfer used the tees in the same order. Each golfer used one tee until they had recorded 5 “good” strikes. Each golfer was given as much time as they wanted between swings and between tees to rest. All swings were recorded on a launch monitor and results were averaged and recorded. Tee height was held constant across the board. We also used a standard white tee as our control.
Which “Golf Tees” Were Tested:
When it came to choosing which golf tees we would select for our “lab” testing we went with two important factors: (1) They had to claim to give the golfer more distance off the tee (2) They had to be popular enough for most golfers to be aware of the product and their claims. So the product choices for our “GOLF TEE WARS – LABS” article were the following:
Testing Notes:
ZERO FRICTION:
2nd most popular among the testers. Something that testers had used before and were comfortable with. 1/3 testers benefited from it in distance, 2/3 in ballspeed. Durability was excellent, we only used one tee for the entire test.
BRUSH TEE:
Mostly disliked by the testers because the ball wobbles on the tee, it was the most expensive, and teeing the ball higher than recommended exposes the entire base and risks breakage. 2/3 golfers gained ballspeed (the other 1 was even with the control). 2/3 golfers gained distance.
STINGER TEE:
2nd most disliked because it’s wooden and breaks easily. Unlikely to last more than 1 swing. Negatively impacted ballspeed and distance for all testers.
4 YARDS MORE:
Most popular tee. Testers gained +15.7 Yards. Combines durability of plastic with “reminder” of how high to tee it (though it doesn’t limit you like the Brush Tee). 2/3 gained ballspeed with it (+12MPH for golfer #3), 1/3 lost ballspeed (though gained distance). 2/3 gained distance, 1/3 lost 1 yard.
CHAMP – FLY TEE:
Neither loved nor hated, very similar to Zero Friction but with more prongs. Durability was very good. 1/3 testers gained ballspeed (+1 MPH), 2/3 lost ballspeed. 2/3 lost distance, 1/3 gained.
TESTING RESULTS“
So can a golf tee give you more distance off the tee?
Well…the data we compiled was compelling to say the least. So compelling that I think we will re-visit this test with more golfers and more swings in the future. Although, the data we collected this time clearly showed us and hopefully you that not only can a “golf tee” increase distance for golfers off the tee but some of the designs can actually make you lose distance as well. The traditional “white tee” results doesn’t look so bad stacked up against the competition. Although…we definitely found tee designs out there that are more beneficial to your game if you are looking for added distance.
So the myth is confirmed…golf tees can impact your distance off the tee. Only problem is not all of them impact it in a positive way.
Jimmy
2 years agoI started using the 4 yards more tee after I found one on the tee box. Before the 4 yard more tee, I used the Joe blow wooden tee. Since I started using the 4 more yard tee, my acurracy has increased greatly which has lead to more distance. I would highly recommend these to a high handicapper. As one who has dropped from a 16 to an 11, they are a big thumbs up from me.
Steve Tillis
3 years agoI have used the 4 yards more tee for 10 years now. Longer and Straighter is all I can say .
Plus they last as long as 6 months. The only time I lose one is when I storm off the tee and forget to pick it up! It was my swing NOT the tee. A LOT more consistent having the ball at the same height every time. Yellow tee for the men and blue (maybe) for our lady golfers. The par 3 tees and hybrid tees are awesome also. If you don’t at least seriously TRY these tees you are missing a chance to improve your game. I PROMISE!!
jeffrey
4 years agoif one tee provided a significant advantage over another, i would presume that many of the pros would be playing it. so far, most of the pros i have seen either live or on tv still use wood tees.
Joel
4 years agoInteresting results, BUT you are taking into account only “GOOD” swings which should invalidate your results. The intangible part is the “feel” or look. That does need to have the human touch involved.
Why not borrow/procure the “Iron Byron” swing robot to ensure that all swings are equal and repeatable for all tees?
GREAT idea, Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Joel
Jon
4 years agoThree guys, five “good hits” each. 15 total. I would like to think that the differences are statistically significant but they aren’t. I would say that the sample size is way too small to draw definitive conclusions.
fleeter
4 years agoI’ve used Zero Friction for the last 5 years or so. I don’t think I’m hitting the ball further using this tee, but I have way better accuracy.
Graham Riley
4 years agoI think we all have our favourite tees and it impacts how you feel and play. While we are on the ‘Tee’ and talking distance – how high you set your tee will also make a huge difference. Striking the middle of the club face generally means you have hit the sweet spot and you will get good distance BUT if you strike the ball just above the middle line and slightly towards the toe one hits the hot spot which a Golf Digest test shows a considerably good increase in distance. Set up half ball rule (half the ball showing from behind the club at address), set up normally, then move slightly back away from the ball and swing……. this would be a good test and I think you guys would be surprised.
Graham Riley
4 years agoInteresting test. Just one thing guys – Did you have a speed gun on the players recording their respective swing speeds for each shot as their swing speeds could also alter the outcome.
Another problem can also be what drivers were used as the sweet spot and the hot spot on each could differ on each shot. Not arguing about the results so much as to say there are other influences on how far you drive a golf ball.
Not too many people know that there is a difference between the sweet spot and the hot spot. There is also a difference of your height setting that also affects certain clubs sweet and hot spots. Some clubs have slightly lower profile faces, so would perform differently.
Just saying…….. maybe when you do the next test to bring in the speed gun to monitor their swing sppeds as 1 mile an hour faster swing speed will give you +- 3 yards more distance.
From Peter Kostis: http://golftips.golfsmith.com/tips-hit-golf-ball-its-sweet-spot-1769.html
From Mike Stachura: http://www.news24.com/xArchive/Sport/OntheTouchline/Wheres-your-hot-spot-20040224
From Sean Foley: http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2013-09/sean-foley-tee-height
These show that your tee height also has a major difference on how far you hit your golf ball and that setting the tee height is dependent on your specific club (380 – 400 – 420 – 460cc heads). Thanks for the interesting tests guys, appreciated.
Tooler
4 years agoI started using “Flex Tees” I got from Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Flex-Tee-Standard-Different-Heights/dp/B00AQZFLYE/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1420492038&sr=1-4&keywords=flex+tees
More consistant ball height, more consistant drive very durable, just remember to pick them up afterward
Paul
4 years agoNice start. This needs a robot with tees all set such that the tested ball strikes the head at the same spot, etc … all else being exactly the same except the tee. I agree w/ many previous comments; you may get a yard, maybe two, but that’s it no matter which tee is used.
Greg
4 years agoLooks like I’ll be keeping my eyes open for 4 more yard tees left around the tee decks!
Adios
4 years agoSo after reading this review heres what i did. I use the tabata action tees… Because they are areally durable and have a mark so i can tee it to the same height consistently. So i took a blade and cut off the ball support tabs of the tee – leaving only 3 at apprximately equal angles to each other.
I took the tees to the course this afternoon… A bit worried that the ball wouldnt be stable and stay on the tees. But worked great… And certainly feel i was 5-10 yards longer off the tee with my driver. Im usually 180 yards to 230 yards with my driver and today was 195-250 without a single wild one or OB. I was not over swinging, which may have helped on direction, but certainly felt i gained distance just lopping off all except 3 of the lugs on my tees. Yay…
ryan welch
5 years agoWhat did you use for golf balls? Same ball for each shot? Only count center face contact shots? I am amazed that a tee would give +15 yards. I expected to see yardage gains/losses in the 3 – 4 yard range max.
Timy po
5 years agoThe potential gains are so small I wouldn’t trust them unless they had be performed by robot
mygolfspy
5 years agoHere you go Timy Po:
http://www.mygolfspy.com/golf-club-testing-results-you-can-trust/
RON
5 years agoThe American consumer is bilked out of billions of dollars each year because………They allow themselves to be!
Dan
5 years agoThis does not make any sense. When the ball is teed up, if it is struck properly by the driver, i.e., square in the center, it hits the ball first, so all the physics of force, mass, speed have already taken effect club face to ball, before the tee is hit. So how in the world does the tee have any effect on increasing speed or reducing speed? No effort has been made to explain how the tee can possibly have any effect using the laws of physics.
Kris
5 years agoUnless you hit with a really elevated swing plane, the ball will continue touching the tee for a very brief moment. In that moment, the co-efficient of friction between the ball and the tee will have a small effect on initial launch conditions. Depending on the materials used, the surface area in contact, the force impacted on the ball, and the launch angle, the tee absolutely could affect distance. The math shouldn’t be hard to do to figure out if 5+ yards are theoretically possible. In real life, this is a pretty good test though, and as any scientist will tell you, theory and practice are 2 entirely different things.
Mbwa Kali Sana
5 years agoIf you are a fairly proficient golfer ,(And by that I mean you Play to a low single digit handicap ),it’s childish to believe any given TEE Will improve your golf game .
Better work on your physical capabilties ,and adopt a strength ,flexibility ,speed up program for your body :équipment ,balls,tees won’t make up for your physical limitations .
I know what I say ,I’m 80 ,and Still Play décent compétitive golf!
Mbwa Kali Sana
5 years agoI have utilized the “5 Yards More “and the “Brush” tees ,in parallèl with the Standard wooden tees .
The “5 yards More ” are ” comfortable “tees ,but I haven’t noticed a significant increase in carry with my driver Off the TEE .
However ,I CAN recommend an excellent TEE which I currently utilize every Time I Play (I Play three Times a WEEK ):it’s the TORNADO TEE ,and I do feel ( I haven’t measured for sure !) that it givres Some More yards in m’y driver carry .
You should test it in your NeXT review .
I seldom break tees with m’y driver or other clubs :when I do .
,it’s the proof I ‘ve Made a bad shot ( For me ,may not be applicable to other golfers!)
Mike Sanyk
6 years agoI’d be far more impressed with the test results if you used Iron Byron to eliminate the human factor.
Jim
6 years agoIf anyone has ever watched a super high speed video of a golf ball being compressed by a driver, you can observe that some that energy is being used to drive the tee downward into the ground. A hard tee absorbs some of that downward energy, a soft-topped tee somewhat less. That extra bit of energy may allow for a bit more ball speed.
Torsten
6 years agoNow I just have to find a cloned performance tee and lube it up with some butter, so I won’t have to lie about my driving distance 🙂
Jack
6 years agointeresting. I’ve been using the evolvegolf S3 tees for the last 3 years mainly to always help me tee it up the same height all the time for consistency. I’ll need to try the 4Yards More.
Kris
6 years agoDid a follow up ever get done? Really curious for a more in depth comparison.
Joe Golfer
6 years agoLooking forward to more testing in this area.
Using just three golfers, with five solid strikes each, is hardly statistically relevant.
Imagine if a pharmaceutical company used that few in a study before releasing results on a drug.
The results on the “4 more yards” tee are skewed, as they are basically the result of one golfer who added 12+ yards per drive.
You need way way more golfers. Also, as suggested by others, an Iron Byron type test would be most useful, as it removes the psychological component, even if that component is relevant to some golfers in how well they struck the ball.
I do like the idea of purchasing a tee that doesn’t snap in half every time I hit a drive.
Lou
6 years agoI’ve been using 4 more yard tees now for almost 3 years, they are almost unbreakable. I don’t really know if I’ve gained any yardage with them but they are super convenient. Only need to car 2 tees in my pocket, one for Driver and one for iron or fairway wood shots. Love these tees.
Jerry Foley
6 years agoI hope you guys never run out of ideas. These tests if nothing else are a hoot! I will remain neutral on the belief side until further testing is done. But it made me wonder what you will think of next? Maybe testing balls and seeing if they deteriorate over time since if bloggers here are buying tees based on how many rounds they survive one wonders what a quandary they would face if they found a ball travels less each time you hit it!
Josh
7 years agoLet me know when you do this test with a robot. Until then, the results are worthless.
Macka
7 years agoI have been using yellow brush tees for a number of years now for my driver. I have stuck with them because I found (well for me at least) that they don’t come out of the ground when you hit the ball and the current one I’m using has lasted me 4 months so far playing 3 rounds per week. So I would submit that they are a cost effective proposition. Also the sole of the club does not get marked, another plus.
Golfzilla
7 years agoIron Byron please, and with varying swing speeds down to 90mph.
Davis Noble
7 years agoI had been shamed into getting rid of my Brush tees by my peer group. Those suckers are comming back out. Thanks for the ammunition.
Muggsy
7 years agoIn my opinion, pure B.S. Machine testing should have been used to remove some of the variables. The three factors that most effect distance are club head speed, angle of approach and center face contact.
BK in Wisconsin
7 years agoWhen you do the follow up test I’d suggest making sure all balls are teed at the same height for each tester. Consider this……there really is NO friction on a tee. Despite some marketing claims to the contrary……the ball isn’t held on the tee by friction…….it’s held there by gravity. I’d bet more than a nickle the tee that enables you to consistently tee it to YOUR optimum height will be the winner. If nothing else, it will remove one more variable that could skew your results.
BK
Richonmaui
7 years agoReally like the 4 yards more tee. Tried all the others in the test and found that this tee had the best feel, was durable and gave consistent performance.
Harry Elias
7 years agoYou should also try the Bugle Tee. It is similar in that it provides for a consistent teeing height. It is made of a soft polymer/plastic so it is extremely durable. It also has a wide top surface that makes it easier for those of us with shaky hands to place the ball on the top of the tee, and have it stay there.
Marsh Lands
7 years agoWould love to see this done more scientifically – please add Tomahawkx and Tef Tee http://www.teftee.com/
BR
7 years agoNice review. I have some questions/comments. How hard is it to get time on a machine/robot (IE Iron Byron) and take your top five drivers you have tested for distance, the top five for accuracy, etc and gather results based on these tee’s? Next, compare your driving range-real world golfers. I love MGS but as a systems engineer/analyst I keep thinking many of these tests need additional design. Your real world results may yield a set of statistics. However, I would like to see maximum “near perfect” potential and this can only come from robotic/machine testing. If I have that data, I know based on my swing speed, solid contact (in other words best swings I make) what I am capable of achieving. Then I can verify these products. I take your testing seriously but in the back of my mind I still do not know if your test group of golfers have similar swing characteristics as mine. This is important as it allows me to know the angle of impact, timing, etc. Again, I love this site and your testing. I just hope one day you can expand the test requirements. Thank you
njoynlife
7 years agoI must agree and add to Matt’s posting. Rather than a definitive test, I believe what you have here is a solid foundation for more testing. Though it is very hard to eliminate personal bias in club testing (it is almost impossible to disguise a popular club design without affecting performance), with tees it is quite possible. As the golfer can’t see the tee at address, having someone else tee the ball while the tester looks away could eliminate the personal bias (if done carefully). Of course, having an Iron Byron hit a few off each tee would not only solve the personal bias problem but also the major problem inherent here; inconsistencies of the individual golfer. Those inconsistencies can only be overcome by ‘sufficient’ test shots to be statistically assured those inconsistencies are not contributing to the final result. Finally, on-course testing would add only more noise to the data.
Having said all that, my conclusion (based on my between-the-ears-experience) is that until the definitive tests are done, you should use the tee you believe will give you the best results. It surely will.