Break-away, low resistance golf tee

Abstract

The invented device is a golf tee that helps eliminate interference between a golf club and ball, and that reduces compression between the golf ball and tee to improve overall golf ball trajectory. The preferred tee includes a reduced circumference/cross-section zone along the shaft, which makes the tee more likely than conventional tees to break, deform or otherwise fail upon impact of the golf club head against the ball or the tee. Also, the preferred tee includes leading and trailing edges, relative to club movement, that are “scalloped” to produce a ball-receiving surface that is elongated in its transverse direction “T” (generally perpendicular to path of club) relative to its width direction “W” (generally parallel to path of the club). The ball-receiving surface is still slightly cupped to hold the ball, but much of the leading and trailing material is removed compared to conventional tees, for less compression and less resistance to follow-through.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A break-away golf tee, comprising: 
 a top for supporting a golf ball;    said top being supported by a shaft with a tip at the other end for insertion into the ground; and,    said shaft having a zone of substantially reduced cross-section that provides a break-away point for easily separating said top from said shaft.    
     
     
         2 . The break-away tee of  claim 1  wherein there is a plurality of zones of reduced cross-section.  
     
     
         3 . A low-resistance golf tee, comprising: 
 a top for supporting a golf ball;    said top being supported by a shaft with a tip on the other end for insertion into the ground; and,    said top having a reduced edge scalloped from one side of said top.    
     
     
         4 . The low-resistance tee of  claim 3  wherein said top has two reduced edges, a leading edge and a trailing edge, scalloped from opposite sides of said top.  
     
     
         5 . A break-away, low resistance golf tee, comprising: 
 a top for supporting a golf ball;    said top being supported by a shaft with a tip on the other end for insertion into the ground;    said shaft having a zone of substantially reduced cross-section that provides a break-away point for easily separating said top from said shaft; and,    said top having a reduced edge scalloped from one side of said top.    
     
     
         6 . The tee of  claim 5  wherein there is a plurality of zones of reduced cross-section.  
     
     
         7 . The tee of  claim 5  wherein said top has two reduced edges, a leading edge and a trailing edge, scalloped from opposite sides of said top.