What Can You Do with Golf Tees?

That humble golf tee in your bag is one of the most underrated and versatile pieces of equipment in the game. Beyond its obvious primary function, it can be a trusty sidekick on the course, an invaluable training aid at the range, and even a handy gadget off the course. This guide will walk you through a whole host of uses for a golf tee that can help you play better, solve common problems, and get a little more creative.

The Obvious Use, Perfected: Teeing Up the Golf Ball

Yes, its main job is to hold the ball up for your tee shot, but doing it correctly is a fundamental skill that many amateur golfers overlook. A slight adjustment in tee height can have a big impact on your ball flight and consistency. As your coach, I can tell you that dialing in the right tee height is one of the simplest changes you can make for immediate improvement.

How High Should You Tee It for a Driver?

When you're hitting your driver, your goal is to strike the ball on a slightly ascending path. This helps launch the ball high with low spin, which is the magic combination for maximum distance. To achieve this, you need to tee the ball high enough.

• The Classic Guideline: The common wisdom is to have about half of the golf ball sitting above the crown (the top edge) of your driver when you address it.
• Why It Works: This height encourages you to swing up into the ball. If the tee is too low, you're more likely to hit down on it, which increases backspin and robs you of distance. Too high, and you risk getting under it, creating a dreaded "sky ball" that goes straight up and barely forward.
• A Simple Check: Place your driver head on the ground next to your teed-up ball. The equator of the ball should be roughly level with the top edge of your driver face. Start there and adjust based on your personal results. Every swing is a little different, so find what works for you.

Teeing Up on Par 3s (With Irons, Hybrids, and Woods)

One of the biggest mistakes I see golfers make is not using a tee on a par 3. The rules give you the advantage of a perfect lie - take it every single time! Hitting from a tuft of turf is a far preferable alternative to navigating a questionable lie from the teeing ground.

• Irons and Hybrids: For iron and hybrid shots, you don't want the ball teed up high. Your goal is still a descending strike, where you hit the ball first and then the turf (or, in this case, the tee). Tee the ball just enough to lift it slightly off the ground, so the bottom of the ball is just above the grass line. This ensures a clean contact without any turf getting between the clubface and the ball.
• Using a Broken Tee: This is a pro-level tip. Keep broken tees in your pocket. They are perfect for teeing up irons and hybrids on par 3s. Jamming a broken tee into the ground gives you that perfect, super-low tee height without wasting a brand new one.
• Fairway Woods: If you’re hitting a fairway wood off the tee on a longer par 3, you can tee it up a little higher than an iron, but not as high as a driver. A good reference is to have about a third of the ball above the clubface. This promotes a gentle sweeping motion rather than a steep, downward strike.

On-Course Utility: The All-Purpose Tool

Beyond the tee box, a golf tee can get you out of a few jams and is an essential multi-tool to carry in your pocket.

1. makes A Great backup Divot Repair tool

Forgetting your divot tool happens to the best of us. In a pinch, a golf tee is a perfectly acceptable substitute for repairing ball marks on the green. The key is to do it correctly to avoid damaging the grass roots.

How to do it right:

1. Insert the pointed end of the tee into the ground around the edges of the ball mark.
2. Gently push the turf from the outside of the mark toward the center. Do not lift up from the bottom, as this tears the roots and kills the grass.
3. Work your way around the mark, pushing everything back to the middle.
4. Once the depression is filled in, gently tamp it down with the flat base of your putter to create a smooth surface.

2. use a tee as An Instant Groove Cleaner

Clean grooves are essential for generating spin and controlling your shots, especially with your wedges and short irons. After a shot from a muddy lie or a sandy bunker, the leading edges of your club can get clogged. Use the pointed end of a tee to quickly and effectively scrape any mud, sand, or grass out of your club's grooves before your next shot.

3. Use it As A Last-Resort Ball Marker

This one is simple, but handy. If you can’t find your ball marker or a coin, just jab a tee into the green behind your ball. It’s visible, it won't impact anyone's putt, and it's always available.

4. Keep your Grip Dry when Putting

On those dewy mornings or after a rain shower, greens can be wet. When you lay your putter down on the fringe, the grip can get soaked, making your next few shots slippery and uncomfortable. Here's a quick hack: stick a tee into the ground next to where you're putting and rest the shaft of your putter on it. This elevates the handle and keeps the grip perfectly dry.

Game Improvement: Training Drills with Tees

Now for the fun part. As a coach, this is where I find tees most valuable. They are one of the best and cheapest training aids you can use to diagnose and fix common swing faults.

The Putting Gate Drill for a Pure Stroke

This is a classic for a reason - it works. It forces you to develop a consistent putting stroke path and make contact on the sweet spot every time.

• Setup: Find a straight, flat putt of about 6-8 feet. Place your ball down, then place one tee just outside the heel of your putter head and another just outside the toe. The space between the tees should be just wide enough for your putter to pass through without hitting them.
• The Goal: Make your putting stroke, feeling the putter swing through the "gate" you've created without touching either tee.
• What it Fixes: If you hit the outside tee (the one closer to you), your path is coming too far from out-to-in. If you hit the inside tee, your path is too in-to-out. It gives you instant, undeniable feedback on your stroke's path.

The Swing Path Drill for Straighter Drives and Irons

Are you struggling with a slice or a hook? Tees can give you immediate feedback about your swing path - the direction your club is traveling through impact.

How to Fix a Slice (Out-to-In Path):

A slice is usually caused by the club cutting across the ball from outside the target line to inside it. To fix this, you need to create a gate that encourages an inside-to-out swing.

1. Tee your ball up as you normally would.
2. Place a second tee in the ground about 4-5 inches outside of your target line and about a foot behind your golf ball. If you were a pilot, this tee would be at your "4 o'clock."
3. Your objective is simple: during your downswing, miss that outside tee. To do this, you’ll naturally have to drop the club into the "slot" and approach the ball from the inside.

How to Fix a Hook (In-to-Out Path):

If you have the opposite problem - a severe hook - you can reverse the drill.

1. Tee your ball up normally.
2. Place a second tee in the ground about 4-5 inches inside your target line and about a foot behind your ball (around your "7 o'clock'").
3. Your goal is to swing without hitting this inside tee, which forces you to take the club away and bring it through on a more neutral or slightly outside path.

Low-Point Control Drill for Crisp Contact

Fat and thin shots happen when the low point of your swing is in the wrong place. This drill trains you to hit the ball first, then the ground, for that pure, compressed feeling.

• Setup: Stick a tee into the ground so just the head is showing. Address it like you would a golf ball.
• Drill No. 1 (No Ball): Take swings with a short iron and try to clip the tee out of the ground making a divot just in front of where the tee was. This helps you find your low point.
• Drill No. 2 (With Ball): Place a golf ball directly in front of the tee. Your goal now is to hit the ball first and then clip the tee forward out of the ground on your follow-through. If you hit the tee first, you’ve struck the ball fat. If you completely miss the tee, you've likely hit it thin.

Creative and Off-Course Life Hacks

Finally, a golf tee’s utility doesn’t end when you leave the course.

• Electronics Reset Button: They are the perfect size for pressing those tiny reset buttons on routers, thermostats, and other gadgets.
• Makeshift Phillips Head: For a small, low-torque screw that isn’t too tight, the three-pronged crown of some plastic golf tees can actually get a decent grip.
• Cleaning Tool: Use the point to clean dirt out of tight spaces like a keyboard, the tread of a shoe, or the crevices in your car’s interior.
• Gardening Helper: Use them to poke perfectly uniform holes in the soil for planting seeds, or as small markers for your garden rows.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, a simple golf tee is an incredibly powerful too whose usefulness extends far beyond the tee box. From perfecting your tee shots and being a trusty on-course assistant to serving as one of the best and most affordable training aids you can own, it pays to keep a few extra in your pocket at all times.

Just as a simple tee can unlock new ways to practice, getting the right advice at the right time can transform your game. That’s why we built Caddie AI. If you find yourself on the course wondering how to apply a drill like the swing path gate to your specific slice, or trying to decide the smart play from a tricky lie, Caddie AI provides that expert answer in seconds. It offers personalized, on-demand coaching and strategy to help you feel more confident and make smarter decisions, so you can focus on simply enjoying your round.