Bugle Tee

In April I purchased the Bugle Tee after hearing positive things about it on XM Raido / PGA Tour Network. I decided to purchase two packs of the Twin pack.  The Twin pack included the following items:

1x 3 1/4" Tee

1x 2 3/4" Tee

I bought two packs because I figured if I lost one - or one happened to break, I would have a replacement tee of the same height. The tee is great to hit with a driver because it has a tee setter built into it - and you get the perfect tee height every single time.  At least a perfect tee height for my driver.

The Bugle Tee is guaranteed to last for life - if it breaks or fails, you send the tee back to Bugle Tee for a free replacement.  That is a pretty nice guarantee - another reason why I purchased it.  

Ultimately, why I purchased the Bugle Tee was because I was getting tired of buying a bulk packs of tees - that would last me only 2 or 3 months before I needed to make another purchase.  So while I may have spent $24 in up front cost... I really believe this tee will pay for itself after a few golf seasons.

I've played over 30 rounds with these Bugle Tees and have no complaints.  The tee is still in perfect physical condition.  Cosmetically - I purchased the white colored tee - and while the white color is a little dull - and not nearly as brilliant as it was when it was first removed from the package - it still performs perfectly.  

Given the Bugle tee has a built in tee setter, I don't use it off the tee when I'm using an iron or 3W.  But I tee my irons and 3W/hybrids up very low - as if they were sitting on a perfect lie.  So I only use the Bugle Tee for my driver, and the balance of tee shots - I tee up with a broken tee.  The funny thing is - that I have quite a collection of wooden tees now - that I will occasionally use for my irons/3W - given I find them and then some courses give you tee's in the cart. 

Also - I do not use the Bugle tee with a driver - if there is any large waste area - or hazard to carry right beyond the tee box.  The reason is that the Bugle tee could potentially fly into it - which would make it difficult to retrieve.  Therefore, I typically only use the Bugle tee when I know for sure I don't have to worry about it flying into high grass, shrubs or water hazard directly in front of the teeing area.

Honestly - I love the Bugle Tee... And I'm ecstatic that I will never have to buy another set of tees again.

I tested out the 3 1/4" and 2 3/4 bugle tees. I started my test by teeing up some balls using my normal tee height and comparing to the bugle tees. For me the 3 1/4" tee was about 1/8" higher than I normally tee my driver. The 2 3/4" tee was too short to be of any use to me - too short for my driver and too high for my fairway woods.

I hit about 50 balls at the range with the driver. True to their claims, the bugle tee was completely unharmed. I really like this tee for range use as its quick to setup and takes the guess work out of teeing the ball up. Anything that helps make your practice more consistent gets a thumbs up in my book. Next I took it out on the course for 18. Not sure if was the due to the bugle tee but I had a great driving day. No problems using the tee and it still looks brand new.

The main pro of the product, consistent tee height, is also the main con. In a perfect world I'd like the ability to customize the tee to my preferred height. I think this would be easy to do - If it was up to me I'd shorten the top part of the tee by 1/4" or so and extend the portion that goes into the ground. I'd then include a rubber o-ring that you could move up and down the tee to adjust the height. That way I could get my preferred 3 1/8" tee height and still get the benefits of the bugle tee. Overall I think its a good product that could be great with a couple of tweaks.

After using this tee for a range session and 2 round, i'm confident that I won't be using it permanently in my bag (during rounds of golf anyways).

The Bugle tee is a great idea, but it falls short in a few areas. On the plus side, you won't have to buy bags of tees anymore. Mine has taken no damage after a good long range session and 2 rounds of golf and I'm sure it won't break anytime soon (they claim it is the only tee you will ever need). Also, you always have a consistent height when you tee up the ball, and I found the tall tee (3 1/4") to be at the perfect height for my typical drive.

On the other hand though, that consistent height is also a huge let down. If its windy and you want to tee the ball down, or if you want to hit a shorter club like an iron or a 3 wood, you are out of luck. On top of that, after so many years of placing tees, I don't really have a problem placing them at the height i want anyways.

Yes the Bugle neck allows for an easy placement of your ball, but that is AFTER you already have the tee in the ground. I am used to grabbing the ball in the palm of my hand, and the tee between middle and ring fingers, and placing both of them at the same time. With the flimsy neck on the Bugle tee, you cannot do that. You have to place the tee, and then the ball on top of the tee ( this was the biggest let down for me).

The biggest reason I gave this tee 3.5 stars was because of its durability when it comes to the driving range. I typically go through several tees while on the range, and it can get annoying when you go through a bunch of tees in a range session. With the Bugle tee, that problem is eliminated.

In the end this tee is a quality tee, but not versatile enough for a round of golf. In my opinion however, its durability makes it a great tee to use while practicing.

These tees come in two heights..2 3/4" & 3 1/4". Luckily the shorter on is the height I like for my driver.  Once I learn how to hit up on the ball  bit more perhaps the longer one will come into play. 

I still have to rely on finding broken tees on the tee box to hit irons/hybrids/3 woods off the tee as these are only good for drivers. 

It is nice to only have to have on in your pocket althought it takes a bit to get used to the size (but it is easier in the pocket than the brush tee). 

the one thing that is not good for is cleaning the grooves of your irons as the tip is a softer rubber than wood, etc and a bit thicker and not up to the job. 

Pushing the ball into the ground will take a while to get used to for those used to placing the ball on the tee and using the ball to push the tee into the ground.. As a tall person with a tight back this was a nuisance.

However... having a consistent height was such a nice and easy feature I plan on using this tee until I either lose, break it, or have it stolen.  My foursome liked it.  I am not sure they would go out of their way to buy it but just might if it were offered in the pro shop. 

I have only played two rounds so far and can not address the unbreakability of the tee but will say that I now it out the ground and send it for a ride each swing and it shows not sign of wear so far. 

As for value.. At $6 each it is a toss up.  My club offers tees for free so I might not be so quick to run out and get one or two.  However, the price is not astronomical so I will probably get another one or two to keep in the bag.

On the visual side, I would prefer having the bottom half white or a brighter color to help spot it once it goes on its merry way afer I send it for a ride...

I'm not one that's beholden to tradition for the sake of tradition, so I looked forward to trying these tees out. If there's one problem with the three-pronged Zero Friction tees I use now it's that they are sometimes difficult to set a ball on, requiring a little adjustment to how straight the tee is put in the ground. But the Zero Friction tees also don't break very often at all, and that's one of the big selling points of the Bugle Tee.

The other selling point is that the tee height is consistently the same. Unfortunately, even the 2 3/4" tee is too tall for my driver on most occasions, and there are no tees short enough for clubs meant to be hit with a downward strike or a small divot (like a hybrid or 3W, let alone irons). So the very fact that I can't tee the ball as LOW as I'd like make the Bugle Tee a virtual non-starter for me.

And though I appreciate that you won't lose any yardage with these tees, but the fact of the matter is that the tee looks like something a guy who has never broken 100 would use.

They do seem durable. I can imagine the plastic drying out slightly and cracking down the road, but that's years away in my estimation.