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The Insider Pick:
A shot from the tee box should be the easiest one you have on the golf course, as you have control over the lie. But to get a good shot, you need the right golf tee. The color-coded Pride Professional Tee System is the best set of tees you can buy because it includes different tee lengths for driving with different types of clubs.
If golf tees are pretty low on your concerns about your golf game — right in between worrying about having a goose sit on your ball in the fairway like it’s an egg and your worry that you might not meet your goal of making the Senior PGA Tour in 15 years — you’re not alone. Tees don’t typically receive much attention.
But for those of you who struggle with shots from the tee box, you may want to consider a change to the simple tees that you’ve used forever. After all, this should be the easiest shot you have on each hole, as you can completely control your lie and lift the golf ball off the ground.
Considering all of the different products that are available that try to help you improve your overall golf game, you shouldn’t be surprised that manufacturers of the simple golf tee also have created dozens of products to help you have more success from the tee box.
Basic golf tees are inexpensive, so you can pick up a few dozen of them for a couple of dollars. But if you’re looking for an odd or specialty design, you will pay quite a bit more per tee. We've researched golf tees around to find the best ones you can buy.
Read on in the slides below to learn why the Price Professional Tee System is our top pick and why you should also consider the 4 Yards More Reduced Friction tees, the VersaGolf Premium Bamboo tees, the Callaway Eterni-Tees, and the MeasureTees Plastic Golf Tees.
SEE ALSO: The best golf shoes you can buy
The best golf tees overall
Why you'll love it: You can simplify the process of choosing the right length of tee and placing it in the ground at the proper height with the color-coded Pride Professional Tee System.
If you struggle with finding the proper height when teeing your ball, you’re not alone. And if this problem becomes worse when you’re teeing the ball for different clubs, even more golfers are in the same boat with you.
The Pride Professional Tee System will help fix this common problem. This system consists of five different lengths of tees that are color-coded to help you find just the right tee length for each golf club you’re using.
One Amazon reviewer named Steve says these Pride Professional tees are the perfect solution for gaining consistency off the tee.
With stripes printed on the tees, you’ll be able to consistently place them in the ground at the desired height. The tee sizes are as follows:
- 4-inch: For large-head drivers
- 3.25-inch: For medium-head drivers
- 2.75-inch: For small-head drivers
- 2.125-inch: For hybrids, fairway woods, and irons
- 1.5-inch: For hybrids and irons
You can purchase small quantities of each size of tee and then have them all on hand in your bag for different shot requirements.
It’s easier to press these thin tees into the ground than some other types of tees, according to Amazon reviewers. However, one reviewer named Kaly says the wooden version of these Pride Professional tees break too easily compared to the plastic version, so that's something to keep in mind.
Pros: Great teeing system for inserting tees into the ground at a consistent height every time, different tee lengths for using different clubs off the tee, plastic or wood
Cons: Wooden versions of the tees will break regularly, may transfer white paint to your clubs
Buy the Pride Professional Tee System (100 tees) on Amazon for $8
The best low friction golf tees
Why you'll love it: If you believe less friction on the golf ball from the tee will give you better performance, you’ll love the minimal design of the 4 Yards More Reduced Friction golf tees.
If a company is going to name its tee 4 Yards More, it’s not exactly shying away from what it believes is the strength of its tees. Green Keeper's testing says these reduced friction tees provide an average of 4 yards more distance off the tee box. Of course, we can't promise that these tees will make magic happen and give you 4 yards more every time, but they are a good option.
The design of the 4 Yards More Reduced Friction tees involves a six-pronged, flexible plastic top that holds the ball in place. Compared to the traditional hollowed out wooden or plastic tee top, these tees make less contact with the ball.
With the reduced friction on the ball from the surface of the tee, Golfer FX says these 4 Yards More tees will reduce the amount of spin your golf ball has off the tee, helping to keep your shots straighter and longer.
You’ll also be able to tee the ball at a consistent height because of the way the tee is constructed with a plastic ring in the middle of the tee.
However, Golfer FX points out that it’s difficult to press these tees into hard soil because of the soft top. They’re also tough to see in the grass if they pop out of the ground during your shot.
In its review, My Golf Spy says players gained ball speed and yardage off the tee when using the 4 Yards More tees during measured testing. Despite the soft top of the tee, Golfer Hill writes that the ball will remain in place on top of the tee nicely, even during windy weather.
One Amazon reviewer named Richard Buczek says the 4 Yards More Reduced Friction tees do cost more than other tees, but they also last a lot longer than others. The company claims each tee should last 100 or more drives.
However, another reviewer named Bob Areddy questions the ability of these tees to help you gain more distance in real-world conditions, because on the course in varying weather, it’s impossible to verify the tee is the cause of the additional distance.
Pros: Good longevity for each tee, less friction between the tee and the ball should yield less spin off the tee, multiple sizes available, easier to tee the ball at a consistent height with the design of these tees
Cons: Very expensive cost per tee, difficult to press these tees into the ground at times, difficult to find after they pop out of the ground
Buy the 4 Yards More Reduced Friction Golf Tees (4 tees) on Amazon for $7.49
The best environmentally friendly golf tees
Why you'll love it: If a series of broken tees on the tee box seems like a waste to you, the VersaGolf Premium Bamboo golf tees are an eco-friendly option that break less often.
Take a good look at a tee box on your local golf course, especially at a par-3 hole, and you’ll see plenty of broken tees lying on the ground. Some of them are plastic, some are wood, and all of them have been left behind, cluttering up the natural look of the golf course.
If all of these broken tees littering the tee box seem like a huge waste to you, the VersaGolf Premium Bamboo golf tees aim to make using and breaking golf tees a little more environmentally friendly.
Bamboo is a more renewable resource than traditional wood, so golf tees made from bamboo are better for the environment as a whole. Unlike most wood tees, these bamboo tees aren’t be painted, either.
Each of the VersaGolf Premium golf tees measures 2.75 inches in length, so they’ll work for all kinds of tee shots, ranging from most big drivers to irons.
Bamboo is stronger than traditional wood, which means you should have fewer broken tees. Therefore, the VersaGolf tees are a better value per tee than a traditional wood tee. The sturdy bamboo also results in fewer broken tees and less trash around the tee box.
However, Amazon reviewer Wayne Simmons says the claim of these tees being tougher and less breakable than other tees is exaggerated, with every third tee breaking on the first use during his testing.
In its review, Golfer FX says the natural color on these bamboo tees ensures you won’t transfer paint from the golf tees to your golf clubs. They’re also strong enough to easily pierce hard ground on the tee box.
One Amazon reviewer named J. Manly says these VersaGolf Premium Bamboo tees perform well enough that he'd buy them again, and he likes that they're durable and long-lasting.
Pros: Natural looking tees that consist of an eco-friendly material, bamboo tees don’t require paint that could transfer to your golf clubs, bamboo tees should last longer than wood or plastic
Cons: Basic design in a golf tee that doesn’t offer advanced features, more expensive than other tees, only one length of tee available
Buy the VersaGolf Premium Bamboo Golf Tees (250 tees) on Amazon for $17.25
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