Odd Tee — Why Does This Even Exist?

[StuM]

I found Tod on a tee box today,

i can’t determine if it is legal or not, but even if legal. WHY would anyone want this?  What benefit is it?

 

[boogielicious]

I looks like something that would be used for swing path training. Two balls are teed up but only hit one.

[StuM]

29 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

I looks like something that would be used for swing path training. Two balls are teed up but only hit one.

 would that  make it a training aid and not allowed during a round?

[iacas]

I think it's so that you hit the teed up ball, and it spins around rather than flicking out of the ground.

I am not going to look up the rules on a tee, but since there are no performance benefits from what I can imagine… I will guess (guess only, again I'm feeling lazy about looking it up right now) it's legal.

@DaveP043 might be feeling less lazy.

The equipment rules are a bit less well known by rules officials because… stuff like this almost never comes up. It's not even really covered much in rules seminars. And these types of rulings almost never need to be made on the spot (i.e. you walk up to a player and they're in a situation).

[DaveP043]

46 minutes ago, iacas said:

@DaveP043 might be feeling less lazy.

Of being retired, will have more time to look it up.  From the Equipment Rules, here are the requirement for tees:

Quote

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

• be longer than 4 inches (101.6 mm);

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

• unduly influence the movement of the ball; or

• otherwise assist the player in making a stroke or in his play.

Note: As an exception for difficult turf conditions, tees tethered together or to an anchor may be used during the round provided that the player does not align the tees or tether in such a way that could indicate line of play or otherwise assist the player in making a stroke.

I'm not sure how anyone would measure that contraption, but from tip of the black tee to the cup of the white part appears to be more than 4 inches, so I'm guessing its not acceptable.  If its intended to be a training aid, as @boogielicious suggests, @StuM is correct that it wouldn't be allowed during a round, even if its otherwise legal.  If anyone can find more information on this thing, I'd love to see it to understand the purpose.  But as I said, it appears to be more than 4 inches in linear dimension, to me that means its not legal.

[iacas]

29 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Of being retired, will have more time to look it up.  From the Equipment Rules, here are the requirement for tees:

I'm not sure how anyone would measure that contraption, but from tip of the black tee to the cup of the white part appears to be more than 4 inches, so I'm guessing its not acceptable.  If its intended to be a training aid, as @boogielicious suggests, @StuM is correct that it wouldn't be allowed during a round, even if its otherwise legal.  If anyone can find more information on this thing, I'd love to see it to understand the purpose.  But as I said, it appears to be more than 4 inches in linear dimension, to me that means its not legal.

You don't stick the tee in the ground diagonally for lack of a better word - the ball literally wouldn't stay on the tee). So I think it's 4" as shown in the image, and is basically a tethered tee.

I would say legal.

As long as it's not used for alignment.

[DaveP043]

5 minutes ago, iacas said:

You don't stick the tee in the ground diagonally for lack of a better word - the ball literally wouldn't stay on the tee). So I think it's 4" as shown in the image, and is basically a tethered tee.

I would say legal.

As long as it's not used for alignment.

Its quite possible you're right, I don't think the rules envision anything like that.  

[iacas]

8 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Its quite possible you're right, I don't think the rules envision anything like that.  

There are some interesting tee tethers out there. Most include a piece of string or elastic, but as you know if the rules don't forbid something, it's allowed.

[DaveP043]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

There are some interesting tee tethers out there. Most include a piece of string or elastic, but as you know if the rules don't forbid something, it's allowed.

Tethers are specifically allowed, unless used for alignment or some other assistance, another "intent" rule.  I did a quick search for "swivel tee" but didn't find anything like this.  I guess I'll worry about it if I actually see one of these, and I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

 

[iacas]

1 minute ago, DaveP043 said:

Tethers are specifically allowed, unless used for alignment or some other assistance, another "intent" rule.  I did a quick search for "swivel tee" but didn't find anything like this.  I guess I'll worry about it if I actually see one of these, and I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

I know they're allowed. If you look for tethered tees, you'll see some interesting contraptions. Most are strings or elastic, but not all. Some have chains.

The tethers aren't measured diagonally or horizontally. The length of the tether is not measured at all - only how high you could ostensibly tee up a ball (the smallest amount < 4" where a tee could stay upright with a ball on it, I guess 😄).

[Ty_Webb]

My guess as to the "why?" is I remember some discussion with the pro at my club where he told me I should use wooden tees and not plastic, because if the club hits the wooden tee, it will break, where a plastic one won't and therefore might nudge the clubface around or affect it somehow. This seems like a way to use a plastic tee that won't have any resistance to the club, so would be more sturdy and won't affect the ball flight at all. I think that's spurious at best, but there are no doubt people around who might think it'll help and be willing to buy it. 

Rules wise, I'm struggling to see how you get past the "designed in such a way that it could indicate the line of play. I'd think that arm could do that and therefore it would run afoul, but 🤷‍♂️

[StuM]

Thx for all the insight.  It is only 4” top to bottom.  I didput the bottom at the 1” mark so the top being at the 5” mark is actually 4” (the tape measure had done damage at the end so I was not confident the 1st inch was accurate)

at least it seems others find it an odd contraption do I do not feel all that bad about not knowing why it would be used