The best first tees are communal and properly connected to the clubhouse/starter building both physically and emotionally. Uniform short grass is one element that achieves this, making all places in the area connected as well as feeling more formally maintained and connected to the central formal element, the clubhouse structure itself. Eliminate as much clutter as you can, especially carts/trolleys, and reduce paved paths as much as possible. At the very least, keep paths toward the outsides so as to maximize the communal lawn within.
That said, all situations are unique. Proximity to clubhouse will effect what you may want to do, and the style of the clubhouse could even have an effect as well. It may drive decisions with more formal elements, or it could call for a design feel that is more irregular and natural. I love the teeing grounds at the Old Course and North Berwick with their open short grass tying straight into formal hardscapes, but I also like ones Royal Melbourne East and Crystal Downs where you walk a bit away from the clubhouse through some trees and hit away into the great wide open through a shoot of trees and scrub. Like all responsible design, it depends on what you are working with and maximizing the given space.