David Bryce is an online publisher for Thousand Hills Golf Resort in Branson, MO. He blogs on the topics of golf, travel, and vacations. This is his first guest piece for BuffaloGolfer.Com
Golf tees can be the cheapest part of a golfer’s provisions out on the course. With giant packs of 100 setting you back no more than five dollars on most online retailers, purchasing these crucial, pint-sized two to three inch spikes will certainly not be breaking the bank. But just like with any product that has been on a market for some time, an inevitable evolution occurs. Commonplace gives way to innovation and before you know it, that pack of 100 tees is now a small box of three brush-tipped, pro XLT, high performance, game-changing, rubber polymer, three and one quarter, “take the best shot of your golf career” tees.
So with all of this hubbub, it begs the question, does the equipment make the golfer? Or is it the other way around? I’ve taken a close look at the top two brush-tipped tees out there and with my entirely biased opinion given an honest account of just how little or how much they improved my game.
Brush-T, 2-Pack, 3 1/8” $7.99 (Golfsmith)
Naturally, I’m a little bit skeptical of any commercial that is backed to 80’s synthesizers and a product pitcher that sounds like he just got done promoting a Sham-Wow or a Snuggy but, there is something a little bit enticing about the Brush-T.
The tee itself has a base that is very similar in appearance to your normal, everyday tee. However, extending from the top are brushes and bristles that are very similar to a toothbrush or as my son put it, “that thing in front of the door that mom makes us wipe our shoes on.” To be fair, the brushes on Brush-T are in fact, much softer than an outdoor shoe-brusher and it is these brushes that truly make this tee stand out amongst its peers.
The packaging states that the unique design and placement of these bristles create less friction and top spin that in turn will give you a longer and more confident drive. As much as I am one to steer clear of gimmicks I have to admit when I placed this tee down in the ground and took my drive I did experience a noticeable difference. While someone with a great swing won’t benefit as much from the Brush-T, it can be a great confidence booster for someone who needs a bit more practice on their follow through.
Overall, I was a bit surprised by the Brush-T. For a tee that looks more like a toothbrush than a piece of golfing equipment, it did live up to the claims on the packaging to provide less resistance and a longer drive. While the eight dollar price-point is a little steep for two tees, you will enjoy a lot more strokes on this guy than you will on your more traditional models.
Verdict: The Brush-T is certainly worth trying, just don’t get too comfortable with it so when it comes time to use a standard wooden or plastic tee you’re not constantly hitting below the ball. Also, the individual protectors for each tee are a nice addition.
4 Yards More, 4-Pack, 3 1/4″ $9.99 (Amazon)
The golf paraphernalia gurus over at Charter, whose previous entries into the market feature such exciting things like glow in the dark golf balls and tees shaped to resemble women in various states of undress, have decided they would like to be taken seriously with their 4 Yards More golf tees. With packaging that states a 100% money back guarantee, I thought that it couldn’t hurt to try out a few strokes.
Much like the Brush-T, 4 Yards More operates under the same guise of having tiny bristles to hold your ball in place. However, unlike the Brush-T, Charter’s version only comes with 6 bristles and I noticed that they were significantly tougher and stiffer.
Teeing off these bad boys became a bit of headache. While it did offer less resistance than a normal tee, the 4 Yards More version had a tendency to come loose a bit more often than Brush-T’s. “A bit more often”, in fact, might be a little bit of an understatement as about every other stroke resulted in the tee flying a good seven to ten feet in any given direction. While my son didn’t mind zooming off in search of the tee, I could see how your average golfer would find this activity a little less stimulating than a nine year old would.
Verdict: While a little less aesthetically “cool” than the Brush-T’s design, 4 More Yards does much of the same thing with just a little more leg work in between your shots.
If you’re going to splurge and are looking for the best bang for your buck, I’d stick with Brush-T. With Golf Digest backing the product and a hefty amount of five star reviews, it seems to be the best choice when looking for a quality brush tipped tee.
