Gimmick or Gospel?

Golfers are always looking for ways to improve their game, and a variety of new-school tees on the market are — promises of performance improvement aside — likely to intrigue your players. For example, the E-Tee, which costs about $6 each for orders of 25, has a built-in spring that lets the tee bend rather than break. The Zero Friction golf tees have four points that meet the ball, allowing, the company says, significantly less resistance than a traditional tee with a concave surface that meets the ball. With several types of tees, the ball sits on bristles rather than on a hard surface. Brush Tees come in four lengths; a package of three costs $4.45 each with an order of 25 packages.

Going to New Lengths

Be aware that your golfers may not use a traditional 2⋫-inch tee anymore. Because some of the new mega-drivers are geared to hit higher on the face of the club for an optimal shot, tees are now available in a variety of lengths. For example, the Stinger, a wooden tee with an extra-thin head and shaft, comes in four lengths, from 2¼ inches to 4 inches.

Tee Party

Personalized golf tees for your tournament — or even for individual players — are a fun way to brand an event. At Golftees.com, you can choose from three tee lengths and more than 20 colors. If the message is text-only, orders can be as few as 250 tees ($42.95 for the 2⅛-inch length), but imprinted logos require a minimum order of 5,000 tees.

Eat Your Tees

When the theme's the thing, don't send your players out on the course with just potato chips. Tee-shaped pretzels and cheese crackers are available from Tee-Zel, Beaufort, S.C., in individual packs or in bulk.

Help for the Orally Fixated

Golfers sometimes stick a tee in their mouths between shots, but only one kind is actually made for it. Tasty Golf Tees come in four flavors — cherry, mint, grape, and strawberry — and are promoted as a way for golfers to improve their breath, calm their nerves, or reduce snacking and smoking. The tees, made of sanitized wood, work like any other tee and cost $5.49 for a bag of 20, less for larger orders.

TEE (noun) 1. a small peg on which a golf ball is placed before being struck at the beginning of play on a hole

Sources: Golftees.com; Tee-Zel, www.teezel.com; Tasty Golf Tees, www.tastygolftees.com; Stinger Golf Tees, www.stingertees.com; Merriam-Webster Online, www.m-w.com

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