Can you use two tees on a tee box during a round?

[Beachcomber]

I agree that this would be against the rules of golf.

I played a guy back in AZ who was legally blind - and he found that tying a string to his tee really helped him pick his line and path to swing the club.  But he said he could no longer play in tournament events - because without the string - he couldn't easily decipher where he needed to aim/swing.  Kinda sad too because the guy as a Sr. golfer was pretty good.

This thread made me think back to this gentlemen, and I believe it would be viewed as an alignment aid which is against the rules.

[Rulesman]

An interesting diversion.

The USGA Equipment department have ruled tees tied together are a single non-conforming device and illegal, as it may be used to indicate the direction of play.

The R&A; Rules department have ruled that they are multiple tees and are traditional and may be used, providing they are not set up to indicate the line of play.

They are widely used in Europe and Asia particularly in frosty weather or when the ground is very wet and mats are in use. The most popular form is three or four different height rubber or plastic cones with a small depression in the top.

http://www.gamolagolf.co.uk/acatalog/Jumbo_Winter_Rubber_Golf_Tees.html

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding

If you use the tee to actually hit on the downswing, you're screwed. Unless there's some way you can plant dandelions a couple days in advance and use them, you'll have to wean yourself off. The dandelion thing can't be a smart idea, and it will likely get you shunned by the groundskeepers, plus you couldn't break the stems in your backswing or prior to the stroke.

Is the highlighted text right?

1) Is it not the case that breaking something (plant, twig) in the course of making a stroke (assuming the stroke is completed) does not matter - no rule infringement?

2) In this case we're talking about action on the tee box.  Often I have seen pros and others flatten ground behind their ball before playing or, on par 3s, rough up the ground and then place their ball on the raised portion - so breaking a dandelion before or after the stroke should not matter on the tee box?

[Dormie1360]

Originally Posted by Alistair

Is the highlighted text right?

1) Is it not the case that breaking something (plant, twig) in the course of making a stroke (assuming the stroke is completed) does not matter - no rule infringement?

2) In this case we're talking about action on the tee box.  Often I have seen pros and others flatten ground behind their ball before playing or, on par 3s, rough up the ground and then place their ball on the raised portion - so breaking a dandelion before or after the stroke should not matter on the tee box?

2) Yes rule 13-2 " .....the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs: creating or eliminating irregularities of surface within the teeing ground or in removing dew, frost or water from the teeing ground."  You can dig hole with your heel, pile some dirt or sand up to rest your ball on, pull some daisy's, etc.  This is also mentioned in 11-1.

1)  Generally yes, however you have to be careful.  If the plant or twig is not fixed or growing, i.e a loose impediment in a hazard, you can't touch it during the back swing.

[Dormie1360]

I should add that it's irrelevant whether your ball is in play or not on the tee.  By that I mean the ability to fix irregularities is not just before you make your first stroke on the tee putting the ball in play, but also if you were to play your second stroke on the tee because you say whiffed it or dribbled the first stroke off the tee peg.

However, and someone can correct me, I believe were talking about the tee of the hole being played only and not other tees on the course which are "though the green".

Originally Posted by Dormie1360

2) Yes rule 13-2 " .....the player incurs no penalty if the action occurs: creating or eliminating irregularities of surface within the teeing ground or in removing dew, frost or water from the teeing ground."  You can dig hole with your heel, pile some dirt or sand up to rest your ball on, pull some daisy's, etc.  This is also mentioned in 11-1.

1)  Generally yes, however you have to be careful.  If the plant or twig is not fixed or growing, i.e a loose impediment in a hazard, you can't touch it during the back swing.

[Ignorant]

Originally Posted by Dormie1360

However, and someone can correct me, I believe were talking about the tee of the hole being played only and not other tees on the course which are "though the green".

That is correct. Rule 13-2 says 'the teeing ground' and in Definitions this is limited to the teeing ground of the hole being played.

[Rulesman]

Originally Posted by Dormie1360

I should add that it's irrelevant whether your ball is in play or not on the tee.  By that I mean the ability to fix irregularities is not just before you make your first stroke on the tee putting the ball in play, but also if you were to play your second stroke on the tee because you say whiffed it or dribbled the first stroke off the tee peg.

You may only fix or create irregularities on the teeing ground when your ball is not yet in play.  So if you are playing a provisional or taking stroke and distance for hitting your first OOB then you may do anything that you could do before you played your first shot. If you played off a tee first time you don'y have to second time.

However if you ball is in play because you whiffed or dribbled then you must play the ball as it lies and cannot do anything which contravenes Rule 13. Improving lie, stance etc

[Dormie1360]

Originally Posted by Rulesman

You may only fix or create irregularities on the teeing ground when your ball is not yet in play.  So if you are playing a provisional or taking stroke and distance for hitting your first OOB then you may do anything that you could do before you played your first shot. If you played off a tee first time you don'y have to second time.

However if you ball is in play because you whiffed or dribbled then you must play the ball as it lies and cannot do anything which contravenes Rule 13. Improving lie, stance etc

Hi Rulesman,

You don't have the rule quite right.  With regards to 13-2 and allowing to create or eliminate irregularities on the surface of the teeing ground, there is no requirement that you must only be putting the ball in play in order to use this exception.  A golfer could play a stroke off the tee which only travels 10 yards, play a second shot that hits a tree causing the ball to ricochet back to the teeing ground and then, with the ball back on the teeing ground, the player could, without penalty, press his foot on the ground behind the ball.

Just so happens I'm currently in a USGA/PGA rules seminar , and I had this exact scenario confirmed.

Regards,

John

[Dormie1360]

I found a Decision that should help.

Decison 13-2/2

Player Who Misses Tee Shot Presses Down Irregularities Before Next Stroke

Q. In playing a tee shot A misses the ball. Before playing his next stroke, A presses down turf behind the ball. Is this permissible, since the ball is in play?

A. Yes. Rule 13-2 permits eliminating irregularities of surface on the teeing ground, whether or not the ball is in play.