Golf Tee with Ground-Gripping Ring and Terminal Tool
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing golf tees are fragile, prone to flying out of the ground, difficult to use, especially for older golfers, and contribute to littering due to their design and materials, which fail to provide adequate support and durability.
Innovation Solution
A golf tee design featuring a sturdy head with a central pillar for minimal drag, a gripping ring structure, and a terminal grounding tool with a pointy tip, combined with a downwardly sloping skirt for improved ground-holding, made from durable thermoplastic materials to prevent breaking and flying, while maintaining ease of use and aesthetic appeal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wooden tees or bulky-headed flexible plastic tees are used, then the tees are cheap and familiar to golfers, but they fracture easily and fly out of the ground frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials combining thermoplastic resin with reinforcing fibers or additives to create a tee structure that resists fracture while maintaining cost-effectiveness. The composite construction provides enhanced strength-to-cost ratio compared to traditional single-material tees.
Solution Approach 2:
The tee is divided into distinct functional segments: a head portion for ball support, a shaft portion for ground insertion, and an expanded base for anchoring. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while using cost-effective manufacturing processes.
2Reliability
If tees are designed to be aerodynamic or lightweight, then they are easier to manufacture, but they fly out of the ground when hit
Solution Approach 1:
The tee structure is segmented into a head, shaft, and expanded base portion. The expanded base acts as an anchor that increases ground holding capability without requiring complex aerodynamic designs or additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The tee transitions from a simple linear structure to one with dimensional expansion at the base. The expanded base portion adds vertical and radial dimensions to the ground insertion point, creating mechanical anchoring that prevents flying without complicating the overall design.
3Reliability
If tees are made from strong composite materials or multiple assembled parts, then they resist breaking and flying, but they increase cost and are inconvenient to use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated tee structure: the expanded base provides both ground anchoring and ball support stability, the shaft provides structural continuity, and the head provides ball placement. This integration maintains simplicity of use while achieving durability through unified design rather than assembled parts.
4Ease of operation
If tees have a small or low-friction ball-support platform, then they claim to reduce drag, but the golf ball is difficult to place on the tee
Solution Approach 1:
The tee head features a localized smooth, low-friction surface area specifically at the ball-contact zone, while other portions of the tee maintain higher friction characteristics. This local quality differentiation enables easy ball placement and minimal drag without compromising overall structural function.
Data Source
AI summary
A golf tee is disclosed, which is resistant to breaking and resistant to flying. The golf tee herein comprises a head; a stem; a ground-gripping ring or rings; and a terminal grounding tool.