Hooked On Golf Blog

This is installment number seven of Hooked On Golf Blog’s “Tee Week.”

A-BALANCE Golf Tees

A-BALANCE Golf Tees started in 2006. They make a very unique, three piece golf tee designed to suppress friction and increase distance and accuracy.

Three Piece Construction

The first piece is the base of the tee. This is similar to a standard golf tee, the part which sticks into the ground. There’s a lip which stops the tee from going into the ground past a certain point. This lip helps you to tee the ball up at exactly the same height every time.

The 2nd piece is connected to the top of the shaft and is called the “stem.” The stem is a flexible piece which the third piece, the “crown” attaches to. The stem bends toward the target at impact and the crown slides down the stem.

The crown (3rd piece) really does look like a crown. There are four spherical pegs on top of the crown which the ball rests on, similar to the Zero Friction tee. These pegs are at the end of flexible forks. As I mentioned, at impact the crown bends toward the target and then slides down the stem.

Colors

The A-BALANCE tee is available in 6 colors, all with white shafts. My favorite is red. If you want a custom logo or artwork, that can be screened on the crown. I’ve seen these same tees with the Mizuno logo on them.

Models

As of now I’ve only found one model to be available, which is for drivers. Total Length: 3″ 1/8 (8cm), Top (Crown) : 1″ 7/16 (3.7cm). I could imagine them coming out with a medium length version of this tee but I doubt a tee for irons would be possible.

On The Course

I haven’t been a believer that any tee can really make that big of a difference but this might be one of the few that really does. I’m very impressed with the results of my drives with the A-BALANCE golf tees. My drives seem to launch a little bit higher and go a bit straighter. They also seem a bit easier to hit. Perhaps this is just because the A-BALANCE tees it up a tiny bit higher than I’m used to teeing it and the ball is hitting in the top half of the driver face, producing less spin.

I also really like the fact that I can tee it up the same height every time. If I need to tee one really low, to play some kind of special shot like a low power-fade, I need a standard tee though.

I’ve given a few of these out to my golfing buddies. One buddy likes to tee his driver really low, about as high as I tee my fairway woods. He can’t really use the A-BALANCE. He’s the only one who hasn’t raved about these tees though. My other buddies love these tees and are begging me for more.

Durability

A-BALANCE touts durability. These tees are definitely more durable than any wood tee, most plastic tees, or any biodegradable tee I’ve used. But they’re not indestructible. I find I break one in about 18-27 holes.

Critiques

One issue I have with any “premium” tee is having to search for it. When you hit a drive and the tee flies you spend a long time searching for it. At roughly $3.00/tee you’ll spend almost as much time looking for one of these as you would when you lose a ProV in the weeds.

An advantage wooden tees has over any plastic tee would be the marks they leave on your driver. I like to see the impact marks on the face of the driver and also the lines the paint leaves on the bottom of the club head. Those lines can tell you about your swing. Plastic tees don’t leave these marks.

Another advantage with standard tees is the ability to tee it up at varying levels.

Conclusion

I highly recommend the A-BALANCE golf tees.

I’ve tried many different kinds of tees from brushes to funky spring loaded high tech plastic ones. The A-BALANCE is one of the only ones that really DOES make a difference in my game. I gain distance, accuracy and a higher trajectory when using my A-BALANCE tees. I don’t have to think about tee height and I can just walk up and hit it with confidence. I probably wouldn’t use these in windy conditions though as I’d need to tee it way lower than the A-BALANCE does.

For more images of A-BALANCE golf tees, visit Hooked On Golf Blog’s A-BALANCE Gallery.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Golf Reviews

A guest house on Tiger Woods’ Juniper Island property burned down due to lightning. No big deal because Tiger is going to demolish the whole thing and build a new house anyway. I’m sure the new Tiger Woods home will be a modest and inexpensive pad… Here’s the old one:

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Tiger Woods

This is part six of Hooked On Golf Blog’s “Tee Week” special.

Fancy Tees

Designed by Lorenzo Bonfanti

Fancy Tees are designed by famous Italian designer Lorenzo Bonfanti. An entertaining design quote from the description on one of the tee packages (obviously a rough attempt at converting Italian to English): “What characterizers these tees is the innovative design, the bright matched colours, and the unusual graphic and chromatic effects.” Just what I need from my golf tees! OK then.

Two Piece Construction

Fancy Tees are a variation of the standard golf tee, made of two materials. The shaft of the tee is made of a rigid plastic, while the head of the tee is made of a soft rubber. The soft head gives the tee a “soft” feel.

Colors

Fancy Tees come in about 48 different color combinations between shaft and head. There are 32 combinations with colored shafts and 16 combinations with metallic gray shafts. Picking a tee to use on the first tee is an ADD person’s paradise.

CLICK HERE for the HOG Fancy Tee Photo Gallery.

On The Course

I liked using the fancy tees on the course but I didn’t find that my drives went any farther than with conventional wooden tees.

Tee Compact Case

Below is a video of the Fancy Tee case. This case reminds me of a makeup compact. I imagine this case would probably be a little more popular with the lady golfers. What I do like about the compact tee case is that your tees won’t poke you or poke holes in your pocket.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Golf Reviews, Golf Videos

I have a confession to make. The cat is out of the bag (so to speak). The reason why I play in golf tournaments has been “uncovered.”

Seems like every year there’s a story of hookers…er, a strippers… uh, I mean “escorts” working a golf tournament or something similar. GolfBlogger points out another one here. The video shows topless or near naked women “lap dancing” on tournament participants right on the course while other people tee off right over them.

There’s an ongoing investigation to determine if any other “activity” occurred but I suspect something involving stiff shafts, balls, hazards and other golf related subjects probably did take place.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Miscellaneous

Who says golfers aren’t athletes? Well OK John Daly probably shouldn’t be considered one, but in an upcoming article in Men’s Fitness Magazine (August) Tiger covers his workout regimen.

The workouts are roughly three hours, six days a week and include “stretching up to 40 minutes before each session, core exercises, endurance runs of seven miles (11 kilometers) and speed runs of three miles (five kilometers), along with weight training.”

Tiger has gained nearly 30 pounds since he turned pro.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Tiger Woods

This post is part five of “Tee Week” here on Hooked On Golf Blog.

Lucky Tee makes all sorts of neat golf tees. Here’s a video I shot from the 2007 PGA Show where David Minor demonstrates two of Lucky Tee’s “retraction action” golf tees.

Below are a few images of other neat golf tees available from my friends at Lucky Tee:

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Golf Videos

Part four of Hooked On Golf Blog’s “Tee Week” theme is a quick note on HOG friend Flexie-T.

The Flexie-T is a non disposable golf tee you can use on the driving range or on the course.

I did a full review on the Flexie-T which can be found here.

Flexie-T is also a sponsor of the HOG Space Fantasy Golf League, providing a set of tees once every four weeks for fantasy golf winners.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment

I know golf balls are expensive. When I knock a brand new ProV into the hazard I go after it and often come back with trashed clothes, scratches, sprained ankles and more.

Every year we hear stories of people drowning, falling off cliffs to their death or being attacked by wild animals while going after their lost golf balls.

THIS GUY was nearly killed by an alligator trying to get his ball…

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Life, Miscellaneous

This is the third installment of Hooked On Golf Blog’s “Tee Week” theme.

Brush Tee

An old friend of mine who lost a battle with cancer a year or so ago used to swear by his Brush Tees. He religiously teed off with his and usually put his drives right down the center of the fairway.

When the Brush-T came out a few years ago you couldn’t tune into The Golf Channel or a golf broadcast without seeing an ad for Brush-T.

The Concept

The bristles of the brush tee allow the ball to be launched with very little resistance from the tee itself. According to Brush-T, the tee reduces resistance and spin to improve distance by 3.2 to 7 yards. Their site doesn’t claim any help with accuracy like the Zero Friction tee does.

On The Course

One thing I do like about the Brush-T and many others which have a similar design, is that you are able to tee the ball up at the same height every time. I often get myself into a mental battle over just how high to tee the ball up.

I didn’t notice any increase in distance or accuracy with the Brush-t but I did feel confident I’d hit a good shot.

Critiques

The problem with the Brush-t is that when the tee launches far from the tee box, you can spend a lot of time looking for it. This is especially the case when there is heavy brush or deep grass near the tee box. With the cost of these tees, you’ll hang around the tee box for a long time looking for lost Brush-t’s.

I’m confused about one thing their site says: “It provides a natural strike, similar to hitting off the grass.” Now I thought you used tees so you could get a clean strike and less resistance than grass? Tee it up to get it off the grass with a tee that makes it like grass… I’m confused!

Models Available

3-Wood
2″ or 52mm in overall height for fairway woods and hybrids.

Driver
2.2″ or 57mm in overall height.

Oversized
2.4″ or 62mm in overall height for oversized woods and drivers.

XLT
3.125″ or 79mm in overall height for those monstrous big headed drivers.

Conclusion

I didn’t find the Brush-T added 30 yards to my drives, increased my accuracy, or shaved strokes off my game. But I did find I liked how I could tee it up the same way every time. I also liked the fact that I had one tee in my pocket, rather than a handful.

At about $2.50 per tee though, I didn’t like having to go on a tee search with my pals to find one when it flew too far. “Hey Bob it’s been five minutes. It’s time to abandon that lost tee and play your provisional tee.”

Pick up Brush-T at Edwin Watts Golf.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Golf Accessories, Golf Equipment, Golf Reviews

Tonight was my quarterfinal match in my club’s championship match play. If my game looked as GOOD as Nick Nolte after a night of drinking and DUI’s I’d be happy.

Pig Fight

Fortunately enough for me, my opponent’s game was worse. I got it to two up after four holes but lost holes five and seven with bogey and double respectively.

I got it together on eight with the putter, sinking about a 20 footer for par after being short-sided in the green side bunker. My opponent missed his par putt. That was clearly the case of him thinking he had the hole won until I made a bomb.

I made another bomb on the ninth hole, but this one was for birdie.

I was two up after nine and my opponent had enough! He gave me the match! I would have probably enjoyed an intense 18 hole battle but this was ugly and I’m glad he quit.

Next Opponent: Mr. 62

The semi-final match won’t be that easy. The guy I’m going to have to play is a real player. I played a round with this guy last year and watched him shoot the course record from the back tees, a 60-freaking-2. 62… He shot 29 on the back.

The good news is that he’s human and we all have our good and bad days. So I have 2-4 weeks to get my bugs worked out, and there are a lot of them.

Tony Korologos a.k.a. mediaguru Hackers, Miscellaneous