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.