Long wooden tees...conspiracy theory??????

« **on:** May 18, 2007, 10:00:04 PM »

Seems the length of the new longer tees cause them to break much more than the standard tees thus promoting tee sales......AND most of the time the shorter tee works.......

« **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2007, 10:10:00 PM »

I'm in on it. Years ago, I opened a tee repair shop........

Joe

« **Reply #2 on:** May 19, 2007, 12:26:44 AM »

Mike, on top of your insightful comment, doesn't it cost more to make the longer tees in the first place? Sounds like double dipping going on here.

« **Reply #3 on:** May 19, 2007, 01:12:21 AM »

Longer tees allow golfers to hit the larger head titanium drivers which bomb the ball higher & further, thus rendering many of our classic courses too short.

Get rid of longer tees & all our golf design problems will be fixed.

« **Reply #4 on:** May 19, 2007, 03:10:18 AM »

Some time back someone on this site proposed eliminating the tee altogether as a way of reining in distance and bringing back shotmaking. It was a great idea then and is still a great idea, which will probably never be adopted due to the USGA's fear of lawsuits from the tee manufacturers and tee repair shops......

« **Reply #5 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:06:11 AM »

....oh I don't know Richard....they PTB [powers that be] could just lower the standard length of a tee to be not greater than 1" overall.

The manufacturers would still do OK...and the tee repair shops could keep real busy by shortening the older versions.

« **Reply #6 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:18:47 AM »

I've solved the breakage problem. I buy a pack of long tees, soak them in a commercial grade wood hardener ($29.95 for 8 fl. oz. at Home Depot, plus latex gloves) then wrap the middle section with duct tape. They are then virtually unbreakable, thus allowing me to avoid the tee repair shops all together.

« **Reply #7 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:34:19 AM »

Quote from: A.G._Crockett on May 19, 2007, 08:18:47 AM

I've solved the breakage problem. I buy a pack of long tees, soak them in a commercial grade wood hardener ($29.95 for 8 fl. oz. at Home Depot, plus latex gloves) then wrap the middle section with duct tape. They are then virtually unbreakable, thus allowing me to avoid the tee repair shops all together.

I too have solved the breakage problem. I wrap each tee with saran wrap so as not to discolor the tee, then I use the extra long bandaid strips near the top which is the weakest part and in the event they break, I carry a bottle of superglue with me, the only problem with the superglue is if you get it on your golf glove, your fingers stick together and you have to throw out the glove unless it leaks thru the air holes in the glove, and then you have to cut off your finger and to make matters worse, when you buy new gloves, you have to pay for 5 fingers when you only need 4.

« **Reply #8 on:** May 19, 2007, 09:36:49 AM »

AG and Cary....its good to know that I'm not the only one who likes to tinker!

Once in an effort to cut down on tee loss I took a 16 penny nail [3 1/4"] and put it in a vise. I then flattened the head and finished it with a ballpeen hammer to make it slightly concave......after all that work I then sprayed painted it International Orange to cut down on loss by hopefully making it easier to find.

Well...after my first couple of drives I started to notice a soft wrrrrrring sound coming from my club, but oddly it only occurred on my downswing....never on my backswing.
Kind of like when your truck only makes a noise when in reverse and not forward....you start to put two and two together.

I decided to look at the clubface and to my surprise noticed two little lines that were just below the sweet spot....lines that were much too short and fat to be part of the other grooves on the clubs face.

Well by now you've probably guessed what was happening and to make a long story shorter....after a few more drives the club started to make a noise like a whiffle ball going fast by your head.....by the end of the round the club was emitting a high pitched almost screeching sound that was beginning to annoy my opponents [ my partner just chuckled because we were up anyway].
I don't remember a time when I hit my drives straighter.....maybe its kind of like swinging a regular tennis racket versus one covered with Saran Wrap...it just seemed to cut through the air faster and truer!

Anyway, I rarely use the club anymore because its too annoying to others.

I'm not sure what happened to the tee.
My guess is that it was stolen by a 'friend'....yeah

.

« **Reply #9 on:** May 19, 2007, 09:43:59 AM »

Cary - that's funny!

Mike - you know how it is around here, we're against any kind of 'manufactured' tees whatsoever, long or short. Personally, I only use tees created by nature, like a twig that's fallen off a tree indigenous to the area, or a stick that was once part of a bird's nest. It's hard to get the ball to sit there on top of a twig, but that's part of the challenge of the game. (If I was using a modern tee, I'd be shooting in the 50s.) In the old days, a man could use the same twig for 15 or 20 years; today the major manufacturers have us using 10 of their tees every round! It's making golf a game that only the super rich can afford.

Peter

Luap, just saw your post - nice bit there.

« **Reply #10 on:** May 19, 2007, 10:50:14 AM »

AG and Cary,

It's guys like you that are going to eventually cause the extinction of all tee repair shops, including mine. No more sitting around the pot belly stove, drinking coffee and reminiscing about long drives of days gone past, no more unmistakable fumes of tee repair cement.

Where is your sense of tradition and commitment to this game?

Joe

Proprietor of "Joe's Tee Repair Shop"..at least for another day....

« **Reply #11 on:** May 19, 2007, 11:30:30 AM »

Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 18, 2007, 10:10:00 PM

I'm in on it. Years ago, I opened a tee repair shop........
Joe

Joe, renovation or restoration? An improtant distinction here.

Mike

« **Reply #12 on:** May 19, 2007, 11:54:09 AM »

curious do you re-bristle Brush tees as the tee repair shop?

« **Reply #13 on:** May 19, 2007, 12:01:20 PM »

Quote from: Michael_Hendren on May 19, 2007, 11:30:30 AM

Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 18, 2007, 10:10:00 PM
I'm in on it. Years ago, I opened a tee repair shop........
Joe

Joe, renovation or restoration? An improtant distinction here.

Mike

Both. Most of my customers don't know what they really have, as far as tee pedigree goes. So, often times in the name of profitability and speed, I'll simply propose a renovation. They really are more concerned with the function of the tee than immersing themselves with such details such as what species the tee was crafted from, or who the original teesmith was. There are occasions, however, that a real gem comes in, and I simply insist on a sympathetic restoration....of course, I toss in the mini display case as part of my service once the work is complete.

Joe

« **Reply #14 on:** May 19, 2007, 12:43:26 PM »

Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 19, 2007, 12:01:20 PM

Quote from: Michael_Hendren on May 19, 2007, 11:30:30 AM
Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 18, 2007, 10:10:00 PM
I'm in on it. Years ago, I opened a tee repair shop........
Joe

Joe, renovation or restoration? An improtant distinction here.

Mike

Both. Most of my customers don't know what they really have, as far as tee pedigree goes. So, often times in the name of profitability and speed, I'll simply propose a renovation. They really are more concerned with the function of the tee than immersing themselves with such details such as what species the tee was crafted from, or who the original teesmith was. There are occasions, however, that a real gem comes in, and I simply insist on a sympathetic restoration....of course, I toss in the mini display case as part of my service once the work is complete.

Joe

A "teesmith", I think we have a new golf term

« **Reply #15 on:** May 19, 2007, 03:57:34 PM »

The USGA has recently limited the length of tees... they came up with 4 inches.

Why 4 inches?

One theory is a bunch of USGA dudes were sitting around trying to decide when one chap said " There is one thing we all have in common. How about 4 inches?"

« **Reply #16 on:** May 19, 2007, 04:13:38 PM »

Quote from: Mike McGuire on May 19, 2007, 03:57:34 PM

The USGA has recently limited the length of tees... they came up with 4 inches.

Why 4 inches?

One theory is a bunch of USGA dudes were sitting around trying to decide when one chap said " There is one thing we all have in common. How about 4 inches?"

Mike,

Why does the USGA always get blamed for the actions, decisions and limitations of the R&A?

« **Reply #17 on:** May 19, 2007, 04:31:33 PM »

Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 18, 2007, 10:10:00 PM

I'm in on it. Years ago, I opened a tee repair shop........

Joe

Million-dollar idea...BRILLIANT!

« **Reply #18 on:** May 19, 2007, 05:30:45 PM »

Apparently, Old Tom started the first tee repair shop. The gentry would come in very distressed about breaking their tee, so Old Tom would dig a scoop into a large bucket and give them a handful of sand and they were happy. Their tee was repaired.

I’m a big fan of the ‘Arts & Crafts’ movement. That where my wife paints ‘folk-art’ roses on all my tees.

« **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2007, 05:31:41 PM »

Guys, the problem runs deeper than you think -- and judged by the above posts, you folks already think pretty deep.

Turns out a major cuplrit is the commitment to Firm and Fast conditions. Do I really need to explain the extra stress imposed upon the base of a tee when stuck into hard, unyielding teeing ground? Recent USGA testing protocols (refined under threat of lawsuit by the Tee Repair Association of America) prescribe an MOI tee limitation of not less than 14 grams per centime -- presuming driver impact velocity of 77 CC per hectare. Once F&F conditions are achieved -- defined by the USGA Green Section as the ground demonstrating less than 28% COR (assuming ambient humidity is less than half of the Dew Point) and you have undue stress on tees.

« **Reply #20 on:** May 19, 2007, 06:16:08 PM »

Brad,

I am checking with headquarters to see if you are a card carrying member of The World and Americas Teesmith Society. If so, you may be in violation of the code of ethics, which forbids revelation of technical and practical data as it pertains to teesmithery to anyone outside of The Society itself.

As an aside, if you are not a card carrying member, send me an IM so I can give you the contact info so you can send in your dues.

Joe

p.s. We are still working with the FTC on the appropriateness of our Society's acronym. But the logo is awesome!

« **Reply #21 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:27:34 PM »

Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 19, 2007, 06:16:08 PM

Brad,

I am checking with headquarters to see if you are a card carrying member of The World and Americas Teesmith Society. If so, you may be in violation of the code of ethics, which forbids revelation of technical and practical data as it pertains to teesmithery to anyone outside of The Society itself.

As an aside, if you are not a card carrying member, send me an IM so I can give you the contact info so you can send in your dues.

Joe

p.s. We are still working with the FTC on the appropriateness of our Society's acronym. But the logo is awesome!

Joe,
As the only Teesmith I know...could you calculate for me how many trees are used each year for tee production in tghe US? My best calculations say each tee is 1 cu inch of wood(1/2inch x 4 inches long base stock) which is basically 1750 tees per cu ft.....now if we remove enough trees from these courses can we have a zero carbon footprint in the tee business?

« **Reply #22 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:46:34 PM »

Rich:

I mentioned the idea of disallowing tees altogether, which an R & A executive threw out as a possibility during a dinner at the Dunhill Links Tournament a year and a half ago.

It won't happen because golfers (and greenkeepers) like perfect tee surfaces, and that would be rendered impossible by all the divots. But it WOULD end the era of the big-faced driver and put some ball-striking back into the game.

« **Reply #23 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:46:40 PM »

Quote from: Mike_Young on May 19, 2007, 08:27:34 PM

Quote from: Joe Hancock on May 19, 2007, 06:16:08 PM
Brad,

I am checking with headquarters to see if you are a card carrying member of The World and Americas Teesmith Society. If so, you may be in violation of the code of ethics, which forbids revelation of technical and practical data as it pertains to teesmithery to anyone outside of The Society itself.

As an aside, if you are not a card carrying member, send me an IM so I can give you the contact info so you can send in your dues.

Joe

p.s. We are still working with the FTC on the appropriateness of our Society's acronym. But the logo is awesome!
Joe,
As the only Teesmith I know...could you calculate for me how many trees are used each year for tee production in tghe US? My best calculations say each tee is 1 cu inch of wood(1/2inch x 4 inches long base stock) which is basically 1750 tees per cu ft.....now if we remove enough trees from these courses can we have a zero carbon footprint in the tee business?

Without giving away too many trade secrets, I can tell you your calculations are off by approximately a factor of four. Here's why:

Think in terms of human sexuality. Place two tees side by side, but in the "69" position, then create two layers deep with this configuration. Of course, each layer would be alternately situated from the adjacent layer. In that way, there is nearly 4 tees in your proposed wood block. This is how mass produced tees are made, but with less emphasis on quality.

Now, I prefer to approach teesmithing from a more artistic methodology. I will examine a tree and determine what part of the tree to use for the best tees I can craft. I may view the grain of a tree for weeks before I actually start moving fiber, so to speak. In these types of custom jobs, I provide the client with full documentation, usually writing something like "this is the finest wood of this species that I've ever worked with" or "the tees were all in there, I just had to find them". For marketing purposes, this seems to be effective.

Joe

Master Teesmith

« **Reply #24 on:** May 19, 2007, 08:50:51 PM »

To get back to the issue at hand...

This year my club has switched to a biodegradable plastic tees - at least for the long tees. They last a very long time - each tee should last you a couple of round. They also fly quite fat - I have had one go close to 20 yards.

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