Explaining Golf's Teeing Ground, Plus Its Rules and Etiquette
- Definition of 'Teeing Ground' in the Rules of Golf. "The 'teeing ground' is the starting place for the hole to be played. ...
- Dimensions of the Teeing Area. Width: There are no limits within the rules on how wide the teeing ground can be. ...
- Teeing Areas in the Rule Book. ...
- Golf Etiquette on the Teeing Ground. ...
What are the rules for teeing ground in golf?
A teeing ground in golf is an area where golfers start every hole. This space has crucial rules that every golfer must stick to and is named after the small wooden or plastic tees that the golf ball is placed on before the start of every drive. The teeing ground has clear markings on every hole.
What is the teeing ground?
Oct 02, 2019 · The teeing ground is where is each hole of golf begins. Understanding the teeing ground markers and boundaries is vital, given that teeing off incorrectly often incurs a penalty. The term “teeing ground” has been deprecated as of the 2019 rule book in favor of “teeing area”. We’re going to keep referring to it as teeing ground for this article since it remains the most …
What is the tee in golf called?
Mar 27, 2016 · A "teeing ground" on a golf course is that area from which you play your first stroke on each hole: It's where every hole starts. It is, in other words, the area from which you "tee off." "Teeing ground" was a term that was used in the Rules of Golf through the end of 2018.
What are the different teeing areas on a golf course?
The teeing ground is the area where play begins in a hole of golf.The terms tee, tee box, and "teeing ground" are synonymous.The name derives from the tee used to elevate a golf ball before striking it to commence play.. The boundaries of the teeing ground are defined by a pair of tee markers. The front, left and right sides of the tee are denoted by the outer edges of the tee …
Can you hit anywhere in the tee box?
Where can I tee it from? Your ball must be between the two markers, but you can stand outside. You may tee your ball up to two club-lengths behind the markers, but not an inch in front.Jan 27, 2016
Why is it called a tee off in golf?
Origin of the Tee and the Stymie Golfers of the 19th Century, in the living memory of the early historians, all say that the 'tee' was the area where from which you played and they 'tee'd' on the ground, as laid down in the first rules of golf 1744 - 'Your Tee must be upon the Ground'.
What does tee box mean in golf?
Tee box. The start of each hole where you take your first swing. Also called the Teeing Area or Teeing Ground. Tee. A very basic golf term, it is the pin on top of which you place your ball to tee off.
Where should I tee off in golf?
As we have already mentioned, this will differ from person to person, but the general rule is:The back tees: low-handicap men.The middle tees: middle- to high-handicap men, low-handicap women, or low-handicap senior men.The front tees: middle- to high-handicap women and seniors, or beginners.Sep 30, 2020
What is a green in golf?
Definition of putting green : a smooth grassy area at the end of a golf fairway containing the hole also : a similar area usually with many holes that is used for practice.
What is a stroke in golf?
Definitions of golf stroke. the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it. synonyms: golf shot, swing.
What is considered the teeing area?
The teeing area is where you start each hole and is one of the five defined areas of the course. It has a defined size and shape that is a two club-length deep rectangle measured from the tee-markers you are playing your round from. You can stand outside the teeing area as long as your ball is within the teeing area.
Do you have to use a tee?
You don't have to actually use a tee on the tee. You can chip up the ground to make a makeshift tee, or can just hit the ball off of the grass. Sometime you'll see players settle up to the ball, and as they are doing so the ball will fall off or be knocked off the tee.
What tee should you play from?
A general rule of thumb to determine which tee box is right for you is if you hit your driver under 200 yards, play from the closest tee. If you hit from 200-225 the next farthest tee, and so on. When you are hitting 275+ accurately you should be playing the farthest tees back.
Is it OK to tee up on the fairway?
Can You Use A Tee On A Fairway? The rules of golf state that you must play a ball as it lies. If you walk up to your ball in your fairway and tee it up, this would be breaking the rules of golf. You cannot tee your golf ball in the fairway once it is in play.
What is the rule of 85 in golf?
The rule of 85 is explained as a simple maths equation to determine what tee position you should hit from. The 85 golf rule formula is that if your age + current handicap is greater or equal to 85 then you should use the senior tees or the next closest set of tees.
What are red tees in golf?
"Red tees" is a term used by golfers — sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively — to refer to the forward-most set of teeing grounds on a golf course. If you are playing from the red tees, in this usage, you are playing the golf course at its shortest length.May 24, 2019
What does a tee marker mean?
A pair of tee markers denote the teeing ground boundaries. These markers represent the front right and front left corners of a rectangle that is two club-lengths deep. You must tee your ball within this area.
What is the teeing ground?
The teeing ground is where is each hole of golf begins. Understanding the teeing ground markers and boundaries is vital, given that teeing off incorrectly often incurs a penalty. The term “teeing ground” has been deprecated as of the 2019 rule book in favor of “teeing area”.
What is a tee box?
Tee box is an informal term that isn’t mentioned in the rule book but has become commonplace on the course. For beginners especially, it isn’t always as straightforward as you’d hope to have confidence around the teeing ground, this is mostly due to the differing teeing ground conventions between clubs.
What color tee markers are used for golf?
Most courses in the US adopt common color schemes to represent different yardages. Black and gold tee markers are for championship play; you’ll rarely see these at public courses. Blue tee markers are usually for the longest yardage, and as such, are used by skilled players with a low handicap.
When giving space to other golfers on the teeing ground, what should you do?
When giving space to other golfers on the teeing ground, account for the fact that they’re allowed to stand outside of the boundaries to take their shot. If you think you might be too close, you probably are. On the first tee, choose the order amongst yourselves or randomly.
Where are the red tee markers?
Most often used by male players with a middle-to-high handicap. Red tee markers are most commonly located in front of the white tee markers. They offer the shortest yardage on the course and are sometimes referred to as “women’s tees” though that’s a term that is increasingly discouraged.
Can you move a tee marker in golf?
You’re free to tee up the ball at the edge of the boundary and stand outside it to take your shot. Keep in mind that tee markers are considered fixed. You can’t move them if they obstruct the path of the ball or your swing, so work around them.
What is the order of play on the teeing ground?
Order of play on the teeing ground is based on " honors ," which means golfers tee off in the order of the best scoring on the previous hole. The golfer with the lowest score tees off first on the next hole, and so on. (Choose randomly on the first tee.)
What are the different colors of tee markers?
Golf courses typically offer multiple teeing areas on each hole, designated by different colors of tee markers (the blue tees, white tees, red tees and so on). You play from the same teeing ground on each successive hole; that is, if you begin from the area designated by, say, blue tee markers, you continue playing the "blue tees" on every hole.
How far back does the teeing ground go?
If your driver is, for example, 46 inches long, then the teeing ground, for you, extends 92 inches back from the tee markers.
What is the definition of a golf ball outside the teeing ground?
It is a rectangular area two club-lengths in depth, the front and the sides of which are defined by the outside limits of two tee-markers. A ball is outside the teeing ground when all of it lies outside the teeing ground.". As noted, "teeing ground" is now deprecated and the term used by the governing bodies is "teeing area.".
When teeing off, do you stand behind a golfer?
Don't stand directly behind a golfer's line of play when they are teeing off; stand off to the side, remaining quiet and still during other golfers' play. And don't tee up your ball on the teeing ground until it's actually your turn to play.
Where do you play your first stroke on each hole?
You must play your first stroke on each hole: from in-between the tee markers that designate the teeing ground ; never from in front of the tee markers; but anywhere up to two club-lengths behind the tee markers. The areas where several sets of tees are grouped together are called " tee boxes .".
What is a teeing ground?
Updated January 23, 2019. A "teeing ground " on a golf course is that area from which you play your first stroke on each hole: It's where every hole starts. It is, in other words, the area from which you "tee off.". "Teeing ground" was a term that was used in the Rules of Golf through the end of 2018. Beginning with the 2019 edition of the rule ...
What is the closest tee to green?
USGA Rules do not specify that the teeing ground must be surfaced with grass nor the height at which it is cut. Whilst the above maybe true in many countries in the United Kingdom many courses use four tee colours: Blue (Tiger tees furthest from the green) confusingly the blue tees can also be the closest to the green.
What is a blue tee marker?
Most municipal courses are not equipped with this set of tees as very few public courses will hold serious tournaments. Blue tee markers denote the teeing ground used for local or club championship play in tournaments, ...
What are the boundaries of a teeing ground?
The boundaries of the teeing ground are defined by a pair of tee marker s. The front, left and right sides of the tee are denoted by the outer edges of the tee markers, assuming the perspective of a player standing in the teeing ground and facing the hole. The teeing ground is two club-lengths in depth. Most courses have at least three sets of tee ...
What is the middle tee in golf?
This tee is almost always the middle tee between the championship and ladies tee and is often called the "men's tee". Red tee markers can have two meanings. If the red tees are behind the white tees, it is usually for championship play.
How many tee markers are there in golf?
Most courses have at least three sets of tee markers (some may have six or more), each a different color and denoting different yardages. Some tee marker colors commonly used in the United States are below, along with a general description of who plays from what color.
What is the teeing ground?
The teeing ground is the area where play begins in a hole of golf. The terms tee, tee box, and "teeing ground" are synonymous. The name derives from the tee used to elevate a golf ball before striking it to commence play. The boundaries of the teeing ground are defined by a pair of tee markers. The front, left and right sides ...
Which tee markers have the shortest yardage?
The forward tees usually offer the shortest yardage on the course. Green tee markers often have shorter yardage than even the red tee markers, and usually indicate where juniors and beginners hit from. Sometimes they are between the white (men's) and red (women's) tee markers and are used as the "senior" tees.
What happens if you don't cancel your stroke?
If your opponent doesn’t cancel your stroke, you will continue to play with the ball you played from outside the teeing area (also without penalty). In stroke play, you are required to correct the mistake by playing again from the teeing area, and in this case, you will get a two-stroke penalty.
What is the teeing area?
The teeing area is where you start each hole and is one of the five defined areas of the course. It has a defined size and shape that is a two club-length deep rectangle measured from the tee-markers you are playing your round from. You can stand outside the teeing area as long as your ball is within the teeing area.
Can you stand outside the teeing area?
You can stand outside the teeing area as long as your ball is within the teeing area. Before you play, you are not allowed to move the tee-markers. When playing from the teeing area, you can tee your ball or play it from the ground, use a borrowed or abandoned tee (even if it is broken), and re-tee your ball if it falls off ...
Can you cancel a stroke in golf?
If he or she does so, you need to play again from within the teeing area without penalty. If your opponent doesn’t cancel your stroke, you will ...
What happens if you hit from outside the teeing ground?
After hitting from outside the teeing ground and incurring a penalty, the player must play again from inside the teeing ground. If he fails to play a second tee shot properly before teeing off on the next hole, he is disqualified. 11-5.
What is match play in golf?
If a player, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing ground, there is no penalty, but the opponent may immediately require the player to cancel the stroke and play a ball from within the teeing ground. b. Stroke Play.
What happens if a player's ball falls off the tee?
11-3. If a player’s ball falls off the tee or is knocked off the tee while he addresses it, he can replace it on tee without penalty. If the player makes a swing and the ball falls off the tee, he must play it as it lies.
What is the rule for playing from the wrong tee?
Playing from the wrong tee (e.g., hitting from the “white” tees when the round is being played from the “blues”) is considered the same as playing from outside the teeing ground as in rule 11-4. 11-1. Teeing. When a player is putting a ball into play from the teeing ground, it must be played from within the teeing ground and from the surface ...
When a player is putting a ball into play from the teeing ground, must it be
When a player is putting a ball into play from the teeing ground, it must be played from within the teeing ground and from the surface of the ground or from a conforming tee (see Appendix IV) in or on the surface of the ground. For the purposes of this Rule, the surface of the ground includes an irregularity of surface ...
Where is the first shot on a golf hole?
The first shot on any hole is played from within the teeing ground (aka the “tee” or “tee box”). Players can hit the ball directly off the ground or off a tee that conforms to the guidelines in Appendix IV. Golfers are allowed to stand outside the teeing ground and hit a ball that’s placed inside the teeing ground.
Can you stand outside the teeing ground?
A player may stand outside the teeing ground to play a ball within it. 11-2. Tee-Markers. Before a player makes his first stroke with any ball on the teeing ground of the hole being played, the tee-markers are deemed to be fixed. In these circumstances, if the player moves or allows to be moved a tee-marker for the purpose ...
Tee Box and Teeing Area
For starters, let’s square away exactly what the tee box and teeing area are because they are two different things and the terms should not be used interchangeably.
Golf Tee Box Rules You Must know
Think of the teeing area as its own country with laws its citizens must abide by. These are some of the most important laws to know.
Which Tees Should You Play?
There are no rules on which tee box to play, and despite what you’re likely to hear in the grille room or 19th hole, tees are indiscriminate of age and gender. Golfers are free to play from whichever set they want to, unless they’re in a competition, in which case the Committee will dictate the tees.
Bottom Line
Many golfers take the tee box and teeing area for granted. However, knowing the rules in this oh-so-important area of the golf course just may come in handy. The next time you step inside the borders of the teeing area, you’ll arrive with hope and some extra knowledge.
About The Author
Nick Heidelberger is the editor of GolfLink. He has a degree in journalism from the University of Idaho and has been navigating his way around the golf course for more than 10 years. He previously worked for the New England Section of the PGA of America.
