Golf Rules Golf Rule 11 Teeing Ground (Video) - by Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 11 Teeing Ground (Video) - by Pete Styles

Now you think teeing off on the golf course would be a relatively simple process; you just peg the ball, up and off you go. But actually there's a whole rule and a whole section within the rules book dedicated to hitting the ball off the teeing ground correctly towards the hole making sure you don't fall foul of any penalties. Now you've joined me on the world's shortest par 3. I’ve only got fifty yards to go and I’ve got my driver. But here I am on the teeing ground and you get the gist of this, don't you. So these two are the two tee markers. Now the color of these would change potentially depending on the golf course you are playing and the set of tees you're playing on any given day.

But a important thing to notice is once you've been given that tee color. So at the start I might say okay today gents, you are going to playing off the red tees. So once we’ve found the red tee box, we're not be going to be moving to a different color tee. So when you get to the next hole if it's a yellow, white and red, it’s important you go to the red area. And then the two tee blocks here, they're immovable. You're not allowed to pick them up and move them. So if you want to tee the ball up, and this one is going to be right by your foot, you are not allowed to pick it up and move it at all. They have to stay fixed. Now the golf ball is allowed to be teed up or just placed on the ground, either way is fine between those two tee blocks. We’re allowed to tee off level with them and behind them, but not even one millimeter ahead of them. So don't try and steal an inch and get in front of the golf ball this way. Because if you tee off in front of the blocks, there's a penalty there in matchplay or actually in stroke play your players could actually ask you to rehit the ball and tell you to rehit it particularly if it’s a nice one. So we're allowed to tee off behind them and it's actually safer to do that. To set up a little bit further back behind the tee box, and hit from here rather than try and steal an inch and get in front of them. But you're not allowed to go too far back. The rule actually dictates that it’s two club lengths. So you're allowed to measure one club length, two club lengths back. Then in a square back to this one. So it’s like a big teeing ground here that's nice and square. Now particularly for this area here is well worn and a bit muddy. It might actually be more sensible to drop it back a little bit and play from this area. But you're not allowed to get too far back. So when you tee your ball up in your correct area, you are standing in the blocks, that's fine. Now if you wanted to tee the ball up from this side, it might be advantageous sometimes to get to one side to play for a better angle. You could do that, but your ball has to stay in even if you want to stand out. So your feet can be on the other side of the block. But your golf ball has to be inside the area. So the red markings, make a two club lengths back across and down square, we have to have the ball in that area even if we're going to stand out of it. Now I’ve teed the ball up here and I address the golf ball and we see this happen on a regular basis. As you are setting up, you knock the golf ball off. Now a lot of people suspect that that might actually be a shot, but it isn't the case. I stress that that does not cost you a shot when you're setting up for the golf ball and you knock it off by mistake. It only counts as a golf shot when you actually make a deliberate attempt to hit it. So if you take a swing to aim at the ball and you miss it that would count as a shot. But it doesn't count as a shot if you touch it in your setup or your address position. Even if you’ve addressed the ball and you are just about to swing, and then you knock it off as you start your backswing, that still does not count as a shot. A lot of your playing partners will tell you, it does, but it doesn't. And if you can understand teeing the ball up in the right space, teeing the ball up in the right area, not giving yourself a penalty shot when you knock it over like that, and making sure that you're within the confines of the blocks and you are not going to move the blocks out the way, hopefully that will improve your success rate teeing off and you won't fall foul of any penalties. 2015-07-16

Now you think teeing off on the golf course would be a relatively simple process; you just peg the ball, up and off you go. But actually there's a whole rule and a whole section within the rules book dedicated to hitting the ball off the teeing ground correctly towards the hole making sure you don't fall foul of any penalties. Now you've joined me on the world's shortest par 3. I’ve only got fifty yards to go and I’ve got my driver. But here I am on the teeing ground and you get the gist of this, don't you. So these two are the two tee markers. Now the color of these would change potentially depending on the golf course you are playing and the set of tees you're playing on any given day.

But a important thing to notice is once you've been given that tee color. So at the start I might say okay today gents, you are going to playing off the red tees. So once we’ve found the red tee box, we're not be going to be moving to a different color tee. So when you get to the next hole if it's a yellow, white and red, it’s important you go to the red area. And then the two tee blocks here, they're immovable. You're not allowed to pick them up and move them. So if you want to tee the ball up, and this one is going to be right by your foot, you are not allowed to pick it up and move it at all. They have to stay fixed.

Now the golf ball is allowed to be teed up or just placed on the ground, either way is fine between those two tee blocks. We’re allowed to tee off level with them and behind them, but not even one millimeter ahead of them. So don't try and steal an inch and get in front of the golf ball this way. Because if you tee off in front of the blocks, there's a penalty there in matchplay or actually in stroke play your players could actually ask you to rehit the ball and tell you to rehit it particularly if it’s a nice one. So we're allowed to tee off behind them and it's actually safer to do that.

To set up a little bit further back behind the tee box, and hit from here rather than try and steal an inch and get in front of them. But you're not allowed to go too far back. The rule actually dictates that it’s two club lengths. So you're allowed to measure one club length, two club lengths back. Then in a square back to this one. So it’s like a big teeing ground here that's nice and square. Now particularly for this area here is well worn and a bit muddy. It might actually be more sensible to drop it back a little bit and play from this area. But you're not allowed to get too far back.

So when you tee your ball up in your correct area, you are standing in the blocks, that's fine. Now if you wanted to tee the ball up from this side, it might be advantageous sometimes to get to one side to play for a better angle. You could do that, but your ball has to stay in even if you want to stand out. So your feet can be on the other side of the block. But your golf ball has to be inside the area. So the red markings, make a two club lengths back across and down square, we have to have the ball in that area even if we're going to stand out of it.

Now I’ve teed the ball up here and I address the golf ball and we see this happen on a regular basis. As you are setting up, you knock the golf ball off. Now a lot of people suspect that that might actually be a shot, but it isn't the case. I stress that that does not cost you a shot when you're setting up for the golf ball and you knock it off by mistake. It only counts as a golf shot when you actually make a deliberate attempt to hit it. So if you take a swing to aim at the ball and you miss it that would count as a shot. But it doesn't count as a shot if you touch it in your setup or your address position.

Even if you’ve addressed the ball and you are just about to swing, and then you knock it off as you start your backswing, that still does not count as a shot. A lot of your playing partners will tell you, it does, but it doesn't. And if you can understand teeing the ball up in the right space, teeing the ball up in the right area, not giving yourself a penalty shot when you knock it over like that, and making sure that you're within the confines of the blocks and you are not going to move the blocks out the way, hopefully that will improve your success rate teeing off and you won't fall foul of any penalties.