Tee

A tee is a stand used in sport to support and elevate a stationary ball prior to striking with a foot, club, or bat.

The word tee is derived from the Old Scots teaz, of unknown origin, possibly Scandinavian; apparently a plural form, or one incorrectly assumed to be so.

[citation needed] According to the R&A and USGA rules of golf, for a tee to be legal, "It must not be longer than 4 inches (101.6 mm) and it must not be designed or manufactured in such a way that it could indicate the line of play or influence the movement of the ball.

The earliest golf tees rested flat on the ground and had a raised portion to prop up the ball.

The first patent for this kind of tee is dated 1889, and was issued to Scotsmen William Bloxsom and Arthur Douglas.

[7] In 1899, an African-American dentist, Dr. George Franklin Grant, obtained a patent for an "improved golf tee".

Sales of his "Reddy Tee," a simple wooden peg with a flared top, took off after Lowell hired professional golfers Walter Hagen[9] and Joe Kirkwood, Sr. to promote the product during exhibition matches.

The first use of the tee is attributed to Arda Bowser, a member of the Canton Bulldogs NFL championship team of 1922.

In 2006, Shane Curran devised an adjustable tee on which the ball rested on brush hairs to replicate kicking from grass;[10] the design went on to be used by most goalkeepers.