What Is a Golf Peg?

A golf peg, more commonly known as a tee, is one of the simplest yet most important pieces of gear in your bag. It's the small stand you use to elevate your ball for the first shot on every hole, and learning to use it correctly can make a massive difference in your game. This guide will walk you through absolutely everything about golf pegs, from the different types and the official rules to the exact tee height you should use for every club in your bag.

What Is a Golf Peg and Why Do We Use It?

In golf, a "peg" is simply another word for a tee. It's a small, pin-like object, typically made of wood or plastic, with a flat or cupped top designed to hold a golf ball off the ground. While it may seem insignificant, its function is fundamental. Elevating the golf ball gives you an enormous advantage by promoting a cleaner strike, especially with your longer clubs.

Think about trying to hit a driver off the fairway grass - it’s an incredibly difficult shot even for professionals. By placing the ball on a tee, you remove interferences like grass, uneven ground, and dirt. This allows you to swing the club at the ball on the ideal upward path (with woods) or a level path (with irons), helping you launch it higher, farther, and with more consistency. You are only allowed to use a tee for your first shot on each hole, played from the designated "teeing area" or "tee box." You cannot use it for any other shot during the play of the hole.

So, while it's just a little piece of wood or plastic, the golf peg’s job is to give you a perfect lie for the most important shot on every hole: the one that starts it all.

Understanding the Rules of Golf Regarding Tees

Before we get into the coaching specifics, it's good to know the official rules surrounding golf tees. The rules are fairly straightforward but knowing them can save you from a needless penalty.

• Rule 6.2 - Teeing Area Rules: This is the most relevant rule. It states that you must play your first stroke on a hole from within the teeing area. You are allowed to use a tee but are not required to.
• Conforming Tees: According to the USGA and R&,A, a tee must not be longer than 4 inches (101.6 mm). It also cannot be designed to influence the movement of the ball or to a V. You might see some oddly shaped novelty tees, but as long as they don’t provide an unfair advantage (like having an alignment aid built in), they are usually fine for casual play.
• Placement: You can place your tee anywhere between the two tee markers and up to two club-lengths behind the front line of the markers. You cannot place your tee in front of the tee markers. Doing so in a stroke play competition results in a two-stroke penalty, and you must replay the shot from the correct area.
• Accidental Movement: If you accidentally knock your ball off the tee before you’ve made a stroke (for example, while taking a practice swing or addressing the ball), there is no penalty. You can simply re-tee it and play on.

Sticking to these rules is easy. The main idea is to start each hole fairly from the designated area, using a standard piece of equipment.

The Different Types of Golf Tees

Walk into any golf shop and you'll see a wall of different tees. While many perform the same basic function, they come in different materials and designs, each with its own set of pros and cons.

Wooden Tees

This is the classic, old-school standard. Wooden tees are inexpensive, biodegradable, and provide a solid, traditional feel. They are the most common type of tee you'll find.

• Pros: Affordable, environmentally friendly, universally available.
• Cons: They break easily, especially with high swing-speed players using a driver. You might go through several in a single round.

Plastic Tees

Plastic tees are the modern alternative to wood. They are far more durable and often designed with specific performance features.

• Pros: Extremely durable (one can last many rounds), often feature height control systems (like ridges or lines), and some claim to reduce friction for more distance.
• Cons: More expensive than wood, and because they don't break, they can more easily damage mower blades on the course if not picked up. They feel different at impact, which some golfers don't like.

Brush or "Friction-Free" Tees

These are a subset of plastic tees that feature synthetic bristles on top instead of a traditional cup. The idea is that the bristles create less resistance at impact than a solid cup, which can theoretically increase clubhead speed and distance.

• Pros: Highly durable, designed to reduce spin and friction, which might add a few yards for some players.
• Cons: The most expensive option per tee. The performance gains are often minimal and a matter of debate.

Zero-Friction Tees

This specific design features a crown with a few thin plastic prongs that hold the ball. Similar to brush tees, the goal is to minimize the contact area between the tee and the ball, thus reducing friction and side spin.

• Pros: Very durable and a popular choice for golfers seeking every possible yard.
• Cons: More costly than wood, and some players find it tricky to balance the ball on the prongs, especially in windy conditions.

For most golfers, especially those just starting out, standard wooden or plastic tees are perfect. They get the job done without complication. Don't feel you need to spend a lot of money on high-tech tees, focus instead on how you use the tee.

The Coach's Corner: How to Tee It Up Perfectly

This is where the real improvement happens. The height of your golf tee is not a random choice - it’s a calculated decision that directly impacts the quality of your tee shot. The correct tee height changes depending on the club you're hitting. As a coach, this is one of the first and easiest adjustments I help players make for instant improvement.

How to Tee Up Your Driver

The driver is designed to hit the ball on an upswing. To do this, you need to tee the ball high enough to allow the clubhead to sweep upwards and make contact with the an of the face.

The Rule of Thumb: When you set your driver down next to the teed-up ball, roughly half of the ball should be visible above the crown (the top) of the clubhead.

• Why this works: Teeing the ball high encourages an upward angle of attack. This creates a high launch with low spin - the perfect recipe for maximum distance. When you hit up on the ball, you're transferring more energy forward rather than creating backspin that makes the ball balloon into the air and fall short.
• Common Mistake: Teeing it too low. This is the most common fault I see. When the ball is teed too low with a driver, you’re forced to hit down on it or level with it, much like an iron shot. This increases backspin, reduces launch angle, and robs you of significant distance. It’s the number one cause of pop-up shots (sky balls) and low, spinny drives that go nowhere. Grab a bag of longer tees (3 1/4 inch or 4 inch) just for your driver.

How to Tee Up Your Fairway Woods and Hybrids

Fairway woods (like a 3-wood or 5-wood) and hybrids are also designed to sweep the ball off the turf or a very low tee. You don't want to hit up on them as dramatically as a driver.

The Rule of Thumb: Tee the ball very low to the ground. You want just a fraction of the ball - about a quarter to a third - sitting above the top of the clubface. This should look like the ball is sitting on a small tuft of perfect grass.

• Why this works: This height encourages a "sweeping" motion. You're not hitting steeply down, nor are you hitting up. You want the bottom of the club to brush the grass just as it makes contact with the ball. This shallow angle of attack gets the ball airborne easily without adding too much spin.
• Common Mistake: Teeing it too high. When you tee a fairway wood or hybrid as high as a driver, it becomes very easy to swing right underneath it, leading to a topped shot or a sky ball. Treat these clubs like you're trying to replicate a perfect fairway lie, not a free launch like the driver. A shorter tee, or even a broken driver tee, is perfect for this.

How to Tee Up Your Irons

This is where new players often get confused. On par-3 holes, you get the benefit of a tee, but you should not change your natural iron swing.

The Rule of Thumb: Tee the ball down so that the bottom of the ball is level with the top of the grass. The tee a Vshould only be pushed into the ground a tiny bit, lifting the ball just enough so it sits perfectly clean. From a glance, it should barely look like it's on a tee at all.

• Why this works: An iron swing is designed to strike the ball with a slightly descending blow, hitting the ball first and then the turf (taking a divot). By teeing the ball very low, you are essentially creating a perfect lie that still allows you to execute your normal iron swing. You're not trying to sweep it off the tee, you're hitting down and through it just as you would from the fairway. The tee simply ensures perfect, clean contact without any grass getting between the club and the ball.
• Common Mistake: Teeing irons too high. When an iron is teed up more than a fraction of an inch, golfers tend to swing underneath it, catching the ball high on the face. a V This can sometimes produce a high, floaty shot, but it more often leads to a hooked shot because contact on the upper part of the iron face tends to close it down through impact. Keep it low and hit it just like any other iron shot.

Final Thoughts

A golf peg, or tee, is far more than just a prop to hold up your ball. It’s a performance tool. Understanding the different types available, the rules that govern their use, and, most importantly, the correct height for each club gives you a consistent advantage and sets the foundation for a successful shot before you even start your swing.

Getting comfortable with these setup fundamentals is one of the fastest ways to build confidence on the tee box. For those trickier situations on the course where you aren't so sure - like how to play a tough lie or mapping out a difficult par-5 - that's what we designed Caddie AI to help with. It provides instant, expert-level advice on course strategy and shot selection, so you always have a plan you can trust.