What is the Tee Box in Golf?

For starters, let’s square away exactly what the tee box and teeing area are, because they are two different things and the terms should not be used interchangeably.

Tee Box: The closely mown area that encompasses tee markers. Its boundaries are set by the cut of the grass.

Teeing Area: The portion of the tee box in which you are allowed to tee your ball. Its boundaries are set by the tee markers.

Officially, the teeing area is defined by the USGA as a “rectangle that is two club-lengths deep where the front edge is defined by the line between the forward-most points of two tee-markers set by the Committee, and the side edges are defined by the lines back from the outside points of the tee-markers.”

In simpler terms, you can tee your ball up anywhere from the front of the tee markers to two club-lengths back, keeping it inside the width of the markers.

Think of the teeing area as its own country with laws its citizens must abide by. These are some of the most important laws to know.

You can tee it up up to two club-lengths behind the front of the tee markers, but never in front.

In stroke play, the penalty for playing from outside this area is two strokes. In match play, however, there is no penalty, but your opponent has the option to cancel your shot and make you replay, according to USGA Rule 6.1b(1).

Hopefully, you won’t need to use this one, but it’s still good to know that you can tee up any ball in play in the teeing area after a stroke. This could be the result of a swing and a miss, a dribbler that doesn’t exit the teeing area, or after taking relief.

You can stand outside the teeing area as long as your ball is inside the teeing area. If you really want to push the boundaries, it’s worth noting that as long as any part of your ball, even the tiniest sliver of the edge, is inside the teeing area, your ball is considered to be inside.

You are allowed to use a borrowed golf tee. Abandoned tees are fair game as well.

If your ball falls off the tee before you intentionally put it in play, you can re-tee without penalty. In fact, at this point, you can even move your tee within the teeing area or change balls.

There are no rules on which tee box to play, and despite what you’re likely to hear in the grille room or 19th hole, tees are indiscriminate of age and gender. Golfers are free to play from whichever set they want to, unless they’re playing in a tournament, in which case the Committee will dictate the tees.

However, you should always keep in mind the impact of your decision. Playing from tees that make the course too long for your skillset will add time to and likely suck the fun from your round. To help guide you, the USGA offers some suggestions for selecting the appropriate tees.

The first suggestion is to multiply your average drive distance by 28 and play the tees that most closely represent that yardage. If your average drive is 225 yards, look for tees that play around 6,300 yards. If you employ this method, be honest about your average drive distance. Multiplying the longest drive you’ve ever hit by 28 is not going to lead to more birdies, a quicker round, or more fun.

The USGA and PGA of America also created the following Tee It Forward chart to recommend 18-hole course yardage based on average drive distance.

There is no universal tee marker color-coding system. Each course can choose whichever color or distinction it wants for each set of tees. However, there are some widely accepted colors associated with each set of tees.

Not every course has each of the following, but here’s a quick look at how most tee box colors relate to playing ability and yardage.

• Black: Championship (5 HCP and better)
• Blue: Advanced (12 HCP and better)
• White: Standard (24 HCP and better)
• Red: Forward
• Green: Beginner

While we offer a general handicap level that should consider each set of tees, the preferred method of selecting the appropriate tee box is to evaluate the course distance from each set of tees and your typical driving distance. It’s also a good idea to mix up the tee boxes you play from, especially if you play the same courses repeatedly, as it can add variety to your rounds and call for different types of shots, which can strengthen your skills.

Many golfers take the tee box and teeing area for granted. However, knowing the rules in this oh-so-important area of the golf course just may come in handy. The next time you step inside the borders of the teeing area, you’ll arrive with hope and some extra knowledge.