Patent ID: 7066844

Claim:
A one-piece tee for supporting a golf ball, comprising an elongated body having a head on one end formed to receive and support a golf ball and having an end portion on its other end adapted to penetrate the ground to support the tee head at a desired height, the end portion having a cross-sectional area, a first plurality of ribs of the body extending along at least a first portion of the body adjacent to and spaced upwardly from the end portion, the first portion of the body including the first plurality of ribs having a first constant cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the end portion, a first stop formed by the first plurality of ribs where the first portion of the body is adjacent to the end portion, the first stop being constructed to enable a person to sense the increased penetration resistance encountered when the first stop engages the ground so that a first depth of penetration will indicate the approximate amount of the tee extending above the first stop, which would be a desirable location for positioning the golf ball to be hit by a large head golf club, the first stop being further constructed such that the tee can be normally inserted further without difficulty to a second depth desirable for use with a golf club having a smaller head, wherein the tee includes a second plurality of ribs of the body extending along at least a second portion of the body spaced upwardly from the first portion of the body, the second portion of the body including the second plurality of ribs having a second constant cross-sectional area larger than the first constant cross-sectional area, a second stop formed by the second plurality of ribs, the second stop being constructed to provide increased resistance to insertion of the tee into the ground so as to enable the person to sense that the second depth has been reached.