Golf tees are an essential aspect of your performance on the course. Aside from your putter and the ball, your tee is the one piece of equipment you’ll use on nearly every hole. As such, choosing the best golf tees to suit your game is key to ensuring you perform to your peak when taking that vital swing.

But how do you decide on the best golf tees for you? With such a variety of brands, materials, and sizes available, choosing the right one to compliment your game can feel like a thankless task.

With this in mind, Golfsupport has put together this guide to help you make an informed choice. We’ll cover the different types of tees and all of the key things to consider so you can find the perfect tee to help you reach your potential on the course.

Why is having a golf tee important?

Golf can be an unforgiving sport.

With so many uncontrollable weather variables like wind, rain, and sun likely to affect your performance, your tee is one thing that you can control.

Golf tees eliminate your club’s contact with the ground and decrease the likelihood of botched shots caused by poor connection with the ball. Balls hit off a tee tend to travel further than those hit off the ground, making them essential for those long-distance shots at the start of the hole.

As with other accessories like gloves and range finders, a high-calibre tee can be the fine margin between success and failure on the course.

How do I decide on the best-sized golf tee for me?

Golf tees come in a variety of different heights and lengths. Understanding the height of your tee when it is in the ground can be just as important as the material it’s made from. Choosing the right sized tee can be the difference between a pinpoint first shot and skying the ball into oblivion.

For this reason, less advanced players tend to have higher tees. A higher tee reduces the chances of not striking the ball cleanly, giving less experienced players a greater opportunity to generate distance on their opening shot.

Advanced players, on the other hand, tend to opt for a lower tee. With their superior technique allowing them to strike the ball more confidently, advanced players can place more emphasis on making their opening shot as accurate as possible.

As such, a smaller tee will allow accomplished golfers to generate enough height on their shots without reducing the control required to secure those low par scores.

What are the different types of golf tees?

Golf tees come in a variety of different materials, with each one having its own pros and cons. Below, we’ll cover each of the different types in detail.

Wooden golf tees

Wooden golf tees have long been considered the gold standard choice for golfers of all levels.

These tees are both cost-effective and available in a variety of lengths, making them an ideal purchase for players of all budgets and skill levels. The best wooden golf tees feature convenient distance markers which help you determine how far to put your tee in the ground when taking your shot.

Wooden golf tees tend to come in neutral colours like white or brown but are also available in brighter colours should you prefer.

These tees are highly endorsed within the professional game, with most players on the PGA tour using wooden tees when playing in competitions.

Despite the many advantages of wooden golf tees, there are a few drawbacks when compared to their plastic equivalents. Wooden tees are not as durable as plastic tees and are prone to breaking after repeated use.

Additionally, coloured wooden tees can damage the appearance of your golf clubs by leaving paint marks on the head.

Plastic Golf Tees

Plastic tees are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional wooden tees due to their many advantages.

One of the main benefits of plastic golf tees is their durability, with these types of tees capable of lasting significantly longer than their wooden equivalents. Plastic golf tees are unlikely to bend or break when being set into hard ground and can usually be used repeatedly before showing any signs of wear and tear.

The bright colours used for many plastic tees give them greater visibility on the course. This is particularly advantageous when playing in adverse weather conditions, where dimly coloured tees can blend in with the landscape and get lost on the course!

Despite their numerous advantages, plastic tees tend to be more expensive to buy than wooden tees. It’s debatable whether or not this makes them less cost-effective, however, as their increased durability means that you’ll have more time before you need to spend money on replacement tees.

At Golfsupport, we have a selection of the finest plastic tees available from esteemed brands like Longridge and Truestrike.

Bamboo Golf Tees

Bamboo tees are the perfect choice for those who wish to take a more sustainable approach with their golfing equipment.

These tees are a robust and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional tees, with the accelerated growth rate of bamboo making it an efficient alternative material to plastic and wood.

Not only do bamboo tees last approximately five times longer than their wooden equivalents, but the biodegradable nature of bamboo means that you won’t cause any ecological damage when they do break.

Unsurprisingly, the many performative and ethical advantages of bamboo tees come at an increased price. Although still cost-effective, bamboo tees usually come at a higher cost than wood or plastic tees.

Rubber Golf Tees

Rubber golf tees are a high-quality choice more commonly used on driving ranges than in competitive golf. Though typically associated with practice golfing, rubber tees are an equally applicable option for competitive golf provided they don’t exceed the regulation height of four inches.

Unlike wood and plastic tees, rubber golf tees are held up by a circular base and don’t need to be pushed into the ground to use. This means that each rubber tee is a set size, so you’ll need to use a different tee entirely should you wish to adjust the height.

Thankfully, many rubber tees can be bought in packs of three or five to give you a selection of different heights to choose from. The varying sizes will allow you to alter the height of your tee depending on the weather conditions.

Like plastic tees, rubber tees offer durability and visibility, with their assorted colours making them easy to detect on the course.

Another advantage of rubber tees can be found in the colder months. As some courses use winter mats in the wet season, these tees are ideal as you won’t have the awkward task of pushing your tee into the mat.

What are the best golf tees for me?

Deciding on the best golf tee for you will depend on your own circumstances. While plastic and rubber choices offer greater longevity, wooden tees are cheaper to buy and are more widely used throughout all levels of competitive golf.

With so many excellent bamboo, rubber, plastic, and wooden choices available at Golfsupport, you’re sure to find the best golf tee for you regardless of your requirements. We have a wealth of high-quality options from brands like Pride and Brand Fusion to ensure we can provide you with the perfect tee to suit your game.

Aside from tees, we have a range of the finest golf clothing and accessories including golf shoes, umbrellas, bags, and trolleys to enhance both your comfort and performance on the course.

If you’re one of the many avid golfers whose clubs are showing signs of wear and tear, then why not check out our guide to regripping your golf clubs.

Should you require any further assistance, then please don’t hesitate to contact us, our team would be delighted to help.