When you are in the tee box, you may be pondering what club to use. With a whole bag of clubs, there are so many options to pick from. But, are you allowed to tee off with all of them? Can you tee off with a wood, hybrid, iron, or even…a putter?
To help you figure this out, I read through the USGA’s and Randa’s rule book to see exactly what clubs you are allowed to tee off with.
What golf clubs can you tee off with? You can tee off with any club that you’d like. This means you can tee off with a driver, hybrid, wood, iron, or even a putter. The USGA has no rules on which clubs a golfer can or cannot tee off with.
What Clubs Can You Tee Off With?
To give you a better idea of what clubs are allowed to be used to tee off, I put together this table. This is a better visualization to show you that you are allowed to tee off with every club.
While you may not have all of these clubs available in your bag, it is good to have an understanding of what clubs you can use out of the tee box. So, even with a very limited amount of clubs in your bag, you are still able to legally hit out of the tee box.
| Woods | Hybrids | Irons | Drivers | Putter |
| 1-Wood | 1-hybrid | 1-iron | All Drivers | All Putters |
| 2-Wood | 2-hybrid | 2-iron | ||
| 3-Wood | 3-hybrid | 3-iron | ||
| 4-Wood | 4-hybrid | 4-iron | ||
| 5-Wood | 5-hybrid | 5-iron | ||
| 6-Wood | 6-hybrid | 6-iron | ||
| 7-Wood | 7-hybrid | 7-iron | ||
| 8-Wood | 8-hybrid | 8-iron | ||
| 9-Wood | 9-hybrid | 9-iron |
Why Can You Use Any Club Off The Tee?
You may be wondering why the USGA doesn’t ban clubs like a putter to tee off with. There is a very simple reason why there is no restriction on clubs you can tee off with. The answer is that each player is different, so they may need to use a certain club off of the tee.
Depending on the hole, some players may need a driver, others may need a wood, or an iron, or a hybrid. Each player uses their clubs differently, so by restricting players to what they can tee off with, you are giving some players an advantage and others a disadvantage.
Can You Tee Off From Anywhere Within The Markers?
If you are teeing off, and don’t like the position of the markers, you may wonder if you can tee off behind the markers or in front of the markings. But is teeing off outside of the markers legal to do in golf? In other words, what is considered legal in the teeing area?
Can You Tee Off Behind The Tee Box Markers?
The USGA states that you are allowed to play behind the tee box markers as long as it is within 2 club lengths of the markers. In other words, yes it is totally legal to play behind the tee box markers.
Below is an image that better depicts the area that you are able to tee off from:
The two blue tee box markers are on the top of the picture indicating the front of the box. The only legal place to hit from is either even with the markers or behind the markers (indicated by the two golf clubs).
Can You Tee Off In Front Of The Tee Box Markers?
According to the USGA’s rules, you are not allowed to tee off in front of the tee box markers. Let’s say you are playing the blue markers at a course, your ball must be even or behind those blue markers in order for it to be considered legal.
If you are playing in front of the markers, you are giving yourself and advantage by giving yourself a closer distance to the hole, that is why it is illegal to tee off in front of the markers in the tee box.
What Happens If You Tee Off In Front Of The Tee Box Markers?
If you accidentally or purposefully tee off in front of the tee box markers, you are supposed to take a 2-stroke penalty. So, if you do tee off in front, your next shot will be considered stroke #4. This is a very large penalty to receive, so its best that you tee off behind the markers.