Tee
The tee shot is the first stroke of a hole — and at the same time the marked-out starting area from which it is played.
The word has a double meaning in golf. As an area, the tee is the rectangular surface at the start of each hole, bordered by two marks and two club-lengths deep. As a stroke, the tee shot is your first ball on the hole, usually played with the driver or a wood. Only here may you place the ball on a tee nowhere else on the course. That is why the area is also called the tee in English and the stroke tee shot. The tee shot often decides the character of the whole hole.
In practice, the tee shot is the stroke with the most pressure, because it opens the hole. An example: a par 4 with a dogleg to the left, trees on both sides. Anyone who wants to safely find the fairway chooses a hybrid or an iron instead of the driver and plays to the wide side. The longest ball is not always the best. Many good rounds come from tee shots that simply stay in play. The position of the ball after the first stroke determines which options you have for the second.
A typical mistake is automatically reaching for the driver on every long hole. On narrow holes a wayward tee shot often costs two strokes, because the ball finishes out of bounds or lost and you have to play again from the tee. Also popular: teeing up behind the marks outside the allowed area, which brings two penalty strokes in stroke play. Set up between the marks and choose the club according to the situation and safety. If your tee shot heads for trouble, the provisional ball helps to save time and long walks.
FAQ
May I tee up my ball on the tee?
Yes, the tee is the only place on the entire course where you are allowed to place the ball on a tee. Everywhere else the ball must be played as it lies. The tee helps you strike the ball cleanly and slightly raised — use that advantage.
Should I always play the driver from the tee?
No. On narrow holes or when hazards cross the line of play, a hybrid or iron is often the smarter choice, because a ball in play is worth more than a long one in the bushes. The driver pays off mainly on wide, open holes, where a missed shot does not immediately cost two strokes.
What do I do if my tee shot flies toward out of bounds or thick brush?
Play a provisional ball immediately before you go searching — that saves time and long walks back. If you cannot find the first ball or it lies out of bounds, the provisional continues to count. Announce the second ball to your group explicitly as provisional, otherwise it automatically counts as the ball in play.