6.2 Tees with Alignment Aids

[bkuehn1952]

Excerpt from 6.2

A tee is a device designed to raise the ball off the ground. A tee must not:

• be designed or manufactured in such a way that it could indicate line of play;

I tend to pickup odd ball items as I play. I saw this "blade" tee on the ground the other day and grabbed it. The "blade" design may be intended to assist a player in lining up their intended line on the tee. When inserting the tee, aim it. Then stand behind and it is easy to see the "thin" side and where the tee is pointed. Of course, once over the ball, one cannot see the tee.

I think the tee might be marketed as helping your alignment but in reality, the tee's directional assistance is limited or -0-. I would not say anything to a player using one unless he took an inordinate time trying to use the tee as a directional aid.

What does everyone think?

 

 

[woodzie264]

26 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

Excerpt from 6.2

A tee is a device designed to raise the ball off the ground. A tee must not:

• be designed or manufactured in such a way that it could indicate line of play;

I tend to pickup odd ball items as I play. I saw this "blade" tee on the ground the other day and grabbed it. The "blade" design may be intended to assist a player in lining up their intended line on the tee. When inserting the tee, aim it. Then stand behind and it is easy to see the "thin" side and where the tee is pointed. Of course, once over the ball, one cannot see the tee.

I think the tee might be marketed as helping your alignment but in reality, the tee's directional assistance is limited or -0-. I would not say anything to a player using one unless he took an inordinate time trying to use the tee as a directional aid.

What does everyone think?

 

 

I definitely see your point and would support that position if I were on the approval committee. 
 

but to your other point, I don’t feel like it would be super helpful to someone looking to capitalize on it. It would be more helpful to align the ball’s markings (as in putting) than the tee.

 

[TourSpoon]

5 minutes ago, woodzie264 said:

It would be more helpful to align the ball’s markings (as in putting) than the tee.

Exactly my thoughts. I actually found this tee online and it's not marketed as an alignment aid, but as an indestructible design that you can also clean grooves with (or whatever floats your boat).  I don't see anyone using this for an alignment aid (but if they did that seems to be a violation). It would be easier and more effective to use the alignment mark on the golf ball itself. 

TEE

[iacas]

This tee is fine. It's under the ball, so you don't really see it. That's like saying that a three-pronged tee is an alignment aid because you can point the triangle they create toward the fairway.

They're talking about… a line that sticks out from your tee a fair bit or something like that.

[billchao]

23 hours ago, bkuehn1952 said:

Of course, once over the ball, one cannot see the tee.

I think this statement negates the tee as an alignment tool.

[Rulesman]

It reminds me of the difference of opinion the R&A and the USGA had about tees joined with a string. The USGA relied on the word 'could'. The R&A relied on tradition.

[DaveP043]

4 hours ago, Rulesman said:

It reminds me of the difference of opinion the R&A and the USGA had about tees joined with a string. The USGA relied on the word 'could'. The R&A relied on tradition.

At some point it relies on the intent of a user.  For the tees tied together, its OK until you stretch out the string to use for alignment.  Similarly, a ball marker designed to be used for alignment is fine until you actually use it that way.  But this tee, I can't imagine it helping the player align himself when he can't see the tee because its under the ball.

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Similarly, a ball marker designed to be used for alignment

Yeah, I missed this when it came out:

[boogielicious]

8 hours ago, billchao said:

I think this statement negates the tee as an alignment tool.

Unless you are intending to hit it straight into the ground!😜

[Rulesman]

12 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

At some point it relies on the intent of a user.  For the tees tied together, its OK until you stretch out the string to use for alignment. 

Yes. Years ago the rule included 'could be used to indicate' (or words to that effect). The USGA relied on the word 'could'. The R&A said that the use of stringed tees was 'traditional' and 'traditional use' was in the rules, together with other practices, as an exception.   

I can't remember the other things but they may have included tee mats or fairway mats.