Abstract:
A golf tee is disclosed that provides stability and promotes less spin on a struck golf ball. The tee may be beneficial for use on mats at a driving range. The golf ball may be elevated from the ground surface to help avoid the club head from contacting the ground thereby avoiding injury to the golfer and damage to the club.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application having Ser. No. 62/104,683 filed Jan. 16, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The subject disclosure relates to sporting goods, and more particularly, to a golfing tee. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventional golf tees are designed with a wide tee platform, which tapers down to a thinning shank that can pierce soil. They are typically fragile and many are destroyed by a swing coming in too steep and hitting down on the ball. While adequate for play on a course, conventional golf tees are inadequate for driving ranges that situate golfers on a hard surface. A driving range typically positions a golfer practicing his swing on a hard surface such as concrete and the golf ball is played off a mat. A conventional tee cannot pierce the hard underlying surface of the mat. Even if balanced on the mat, the conventional tee would be top heavy and the golfer would have difficulty maintaining the ball on the tee. The golfer may place the ball directly on the mat or may elevate the ball using an improvised object such as a bottle cap. Such approaches used at a driving range may be harmful to the golfer and the golf club. Hitting a ball off the mat or just elevated therefrom may result in the club striking the surface, jamming the golfer&#39;s arm, or damaging the club head. 
     As can be seen, there is a need for a device that can support a golf ball on hard surface environments with sufficient elevation and stability while holding the ball. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect of the disclosure, a golf tee comprises a support platform configured to hold a golf ball. The support platform includes a first area dimension. A base portion includes a second area dimension greater than the first area dimension. The golf tee also includes a support projection projecting vertically from the base portion. The support platform is supported by the support projection and elevated from the base portion. 
     It is understood that other configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a golf tee holding a golf ball in accordance with an aspect of the subject technology. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the golf tee of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the golf tee of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  a side view of the golf tee of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of various configurations of the subject technology and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the subject technology may be practiced. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without these specific details. Like or similar components are labeled with identical element numbers for ease of understanding. 
     In general, exemplary embodiments of the subject technology provide a golf tee that provides stability and traction for use on hard surfaces. Aspects of the subject technology may be beneficial for use on golfing mats or other surfaces where a tee cannot pierce the ground and/or the ball should be elevated and maintained in position before striking. For example, aspects of the golf tee disclosed may be beneficial for swinging an iron. The disclosed golf tee provides a minimal footprint so that contact with a club head is minimized yet the ball is raised from the ground. This may be helpful as a teaching aid or for use during practice since the low profile of the disclosed golf tee is virtually unseen from the golfer&#39;s perspective. The disclosed golf tee elevates a golf ball just above the underlying surface so that the trajectory of an iron is at or just above the ground. In a practice environment, a golfer may appreciate that his or her swing may be unaltered because of the low profile provided by the disclosed golf tee. The club face may impact the golf ball square to the ground minimizing contact, if any with the underlying surface. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a golf tee  100  is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the subject technology. The golf tee  100  is shown in use holding a golf ball  200 . As will be appreciated by aspects of the description below, the golf tee  100  provides stability. In addition, aspects of the golf tee  100  provide a ventilated tee head with less surface area, which may promote less spin on a struck golf ball  200  for increased distance and precision. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the golf tee  100  generally includes a support platform  110  and a base portion  130 . In an exemplary embodiment the golf tee  100  may be made of for example, plastic, however other materials may be used. The support platform  110  and base portion  130  may be generally round however it will be understood that other shapes can be used effectively and without departing from the scope of the subject technology. The support platform  110  may be supported on a support projection  115  projecting vertically from the base portion  130  (with respect to gravity) so that the support platform  110  is elevated from the base portion  130 . The support projection  115  may range between for example, 0.187 inches to approximately 4.0 inches. The support projection  115  may be for example, a column. The support platform  110  may have a first area dimension (such as a diameter) that is smaller than the area dimension (diameter) of the base portion  130 . The support platform&#39;s first area dimension is large enough to hold the golf ball  200  ( FIG. 1 ). In some embodiments, the support platform&#39;s first area dimension is smaller than the circumference of the golf ball  200 . In some embodiments, the area of the support platform  110  is approximately the same size as a number of current commercial tee heads. The base portion  130  may be smaller than the golf ball  200  which may minimize the area of the golf tee  100  subject to contact with a club head. The golf ball  200  is held stably in place by virtue of the base portion  130  being larger than the support platform  110 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, one or more buttresses  140  may emerge from the top side of the base  130  and may surround the support column  115  and the periphery of the support platform  110 . For sake of illustration, only a single buttress  140  and its features is called out. The exemplary embodiment shown includes six buttresses  140  however it will be understood that any number of buttresses  140  may be employed. Each buttress  140  may include a top edge  125 , which may have a height from the base  130  that is higher than the height of the support platform  110 . The buttresses  140  may have heights slightly higher than the support projection  115 . In an exemplary embodiment, the height of the support projection  115  may be 0.240 inches from the base  130  and the height of the surrounding top edges  125  may be 0.250 inches, however as may be understood any height elevated from the base  130  may be used. The buttresses  140  may be spaced so that at their top edges  125 , air channels are defined between the highest portions of adjacent buttresses  140  and the support platform  110  is ventilated. The spacing provided by ventilation channels which coupled with the smaller support platform  110  area may promote less spin on a struck ball for increased distance and precision. In some embodiments, the buttresses  140  may include a concave sloped surface  145  facing radially away from the support column  115 . The buttresses  140  may also include a sloped concave surface  120 , which may project downwardly from the top edge  125  of each buttress  140  to the support platform  110 . As may be appreciated, the buttresses  140  may provide multiple advantages. For example, the combination of the sloped surfaces  120  and the height of top edges  125  above the support platform  110  surround the support platform  110  and help cradle the golf ball  200  ( FIG. 1 ) to prevent it from falling off the golf tee  100 . In addition, the buttresses  140  generally protect the golf tee  100  from errant swings that would otherwise damage support projection  115 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the base portion  130  may include an underside  160  configured to provide traction with an underlying surface, for example a golf mat or real grass tee box. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the golf tee  100  may be injection molded or extruded from material, for example plastic into a one-piece body leaving a central opening in the underside  160  through which the interior surfaces of the support platform  110  and buttresses  140  may be visible. The base portion  130  may include grip projections  150  projecting from the underside  160 . For sake of illustration only single instances of the grip projections  150  and their features are called out. The grip projections  150  may in some embodiments be inverted pyramids with apexes  170  that are disposed to contact an underlying surface. The grip projections  150  may be hard plastic or rubber depending on the expected surface to be played on. Channels  180  are defined between adjacent grip projections  150 . In embodiments using pyramidal projections  150 , the channels  180  may be diverging. The golf tee  100  has stability since the base portion  130  is conducive to creating traction with a mat or other surface. The channels  180  create a larger surface area to adhere to underlying surfaces. The grip projections  150  may catch fabric loops rising from a mat or may cause friction. The benefits of the grip projections  150  and channels  180  may minimize lateral movement. 
     In general, it will be appreciated that the golf tee  100  is suited for use with, for example, irons or hybrid golf clubs in golfing environments that may be particularly prone to damage when striking an underlying surface. The support platform  110  elevates the golf ball  200  sufficiently above the mat (or other surface) and provides a larger profile so that an iron or hybrid club is swung biased toward the top of the tee  100  rather than just above or at the ground. 
     Those of skill in the art would appreciate that various components and blocks may be arranged differently (e.g., arranged in a different order, or partitioned in a different way) all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. 
     The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The previous description provides various examples of the subject technology, and the subject technology is not limited to these examples. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and do not limit the invention. 
     Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “above,” “below” and the like as used in this disclosure should be understood as referring to an arbitrary frame of reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitational frame of reference. Thus, a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a rear surface may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally, or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference. Similarly, an item disposed above another item may be located above or below the other item along a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction; and an item disposed below another item may be located below or above the other item along a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction. 
     A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. An aspect may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. An embodiment may provide one or more examples. A phrase such an embodiment may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa. A phrase such as a “configuration” does not imply that such configuration is essential to the subject technology or that such configuration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A configuration may provide one or more examples. A phrase such a configuration may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa. 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example or illustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. 
     All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.