The History of the Tee Marker

[Adam_F_Collins]

As I understand it, tees used to actually be framed 'boxes' which held sand. Beside each tee box, would be placed a bucket of water. A golfer would scoop up a handful of sand, dip it into the water and form the combination into a little 'tee' which would hold the ball aloft until it was kerschmackled down the fairway.

I'm am not sure wether tee 'markers' were used at that time - but I doubt it, as I imagine the 'boxes' would not be large enough to warrant it - plus there was no grass to worry about regrowing.

At some point, grass tees became the norm, and tee markers came to be used to define the forward edge and width of a box which extends back two club lengths. This is the ground within which one is supposed to hit their tee shot from.

When and where did these markers come into being?

[John_Cullum]

Rule 1 of the first written rules in 1744 (The Company of Golfers, Edinborough) stipulated the teeing ground as within 1 clublength of the hole. Thereafter, around 1775 it moved away a bit, designated at 2 to 4 club lengths, St. Andrews went a bit further out.

The teeing ground kept moving incrementally further from the last hole, and in 1875, tee markers were first mentioned as a sort of local rule.

In 1882 Tee markers became the standard by the R&A.

[Patrick_Mucci]

John Cullum,

I believe that Ron Prichard indicated it took a hundred years before the teeing ground was moved from one club length to two club lengths.

[James Edwards]

According to Robert Kroeger, Old Tom Morris was responsible for moving away from the green altogether to individual tee platforms..

[Patrick_Mucci]

James J.S. Edwards,

Do you know the year or approximate time that this took place ?

[John_Cullum]

Pat Mucci
My reproduction translation of the April 22, 1775 rules amendments by the The Golfing Company (Edinburg) shows 2 to 4 club lengths. Similarly, the May 1812 amendments to the St. Andrews rules say 2 to 4, and I believe it was 1-4 prior to that change. Also, the Glasgow Golf Club began using 2 to 4 club lengths around 1810.

[James Edwards]

Patrick,

Yes..

"Morris originally conformed to the rules of golf which restricted the teeing ground to so many club lengths from the hole.  Over the decades this was expanded.  In the 1880's, Morris became concerned about damage to his greens and moved the tees further away from the greens. He would generally place a tee on a flat piece of ground which, on a seaside course, often meant a blind drive over a sandhill."

Quoted from the golf courses of Old Tom Morris

[Adam_F_Collins]

So, we're creeping through history...away from the green...

At some point, we began to use the actual markers on these new teeing grounds. I wonder about these markers.

Before them - let's just say that you're with your foursome, and playing around and it's your honor. I guess that you would choose a spot that looked comfortable (more forward or back - whatever looked good to you) and the others would tee their ball near (within a club length or two) of where you did.

Is that how it would work? or were the teeing grounds small and defined well enough so you just had to be within it's boundary somewhere?

[John_Cullum]

I gather you or your opponents could go at it anywhere within 1 club length of the last hole, whether closer or further is not mentioned.

At some point in the late 1700's the area became rectangular, 2 club lengths deep, just as it is today.

[Adam_F_Collins]

So is that it, then?
Was it the during 1700's that the tee marker came to be?

Was it at this time that we began to see more than one set of tees?  

When did the idea of forward tees come into being?

Anyone?

[John_Cullum]

Adam
On my information, 1875 was the first mention of "an area specially prepared by the [greenkeeper]" as an alternate to the several club length rule. Then in 1882, markers became  adopted by the rules makers and the x clublengths rule was abandoned.

I don't know the history of alternate teeing grounds for various skill levels.

[Adam_F_Collins]

Thanks, John.