Jason Bradwell's 365/366 Photo a Day Blog

The word tee is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "tigh", meaning house, and is related to the house in curling. Normally, teeing the ball is allowed only on the first shot of a hole, called the tee shot, and illegal for any other shot; however, local or seasonal rules may allow or require teeing for other shots as well, e.g., under "winter rules" to protect the turf when it is unusually vulnerable. Teeing gives a considerable advantage for drive shots, so it is normally done whenever allowed. On short par 3 holes where the first shot is a chip, the tee shot may be played without a tee.

A standard golf tee is 2 1/8"long, but both longer and shorter tees are permitted and are preferred by some players. Now, designs of these golf tees have a slight adjustment with the holster for the ball, better known as zero friction or more trajectory tees. These generally have a tri-holster, which some people find hard to balance the ball on.