Frank talk: don't sweat the silly new rule on tees; plus the shelf life of today's golf balls

Golf Digest, March, 2004 by Frank Thomas

Does the U.S. Golf Association's new rule on tees make long tees and tees that claim to improve launch angle illegal?

T.L., Lubbock, Tex.

The good news is that after more than 50 decisions on tees and an eight-year-old proposal to do so, the USGA has adopted a definition for a tee. The bad news is that the new rule is complicated and includes a questionable limit on the length of a tee. The rule limits tee height to four inches and states that a tee cannot be designed "in such a way that it could indicate the line of play or influence the movement of the ball." First, some things in life are self-regulating, and tee height is one of them. One can gain no more benefit from a 10-inch tee than a four-inch tee or even a three-inch tee. Second, my understanding is that tees in the past were ruled to be conforming based on the current definition of a tee. So my sense is that all existing tees that were previously ruled to be conforming by the USGA will still be OK. So that means that even tees that claim to improve your launch conditions are legal, and, therefore, I guess, they don't improve your launch conditions.

I see the pros occasionally tweak the lofts of their fairway woods. Should I try this with my 3-wood? Andrew Litchfield, England

It is not a good idea to change the loft of any metal wood, certainly not to the extent that you will be able to recognize and take advantage of the change. This will damage the club and weaken the hosel section. Also, most of the woods have the shaft inserted inside the head. The shaft will not bend with the hosel section. I would suggest you find a wood with the loft you like, rather than trying to bend a club and risk turning it into something you don't like.

You've said that temperature affects distance. I live at a high altitude and wonder if this has any effect on distance. Jose Lazarini, Mexico City

As altitude increases, air density decreases, and the ball experiences less drag. It will also experience a decrease in the lift forces, and gravity's effect will be microscopically weaker. For these reasons the ball speed and initial trajectory are important. At a higher altitude, one should try to get a little more spin and a higher launch angle at average ball speeds to get maximum distance. There are no specific conversion tables because of the number of variables involved, but researchers in the book How Golf Clubs Really Work have shown that a 209-yard drive at sea level would fly an additional 11 yards at 6,000 feet of elevation. Also, research in the book The Physics of Baseball has shown an increase in carry for baseball hits of seven feet for every 1,000 feet of elevation. So though many players and caddies over the years have suggested a 10-percent gain in distance at a mile of elevation, in truth the benefit may be somewhat less. A big variable is the soundness of your individual hits. I suggest that you plot your distances with each club in Mexico City and choose the club for the occasion at these high altitudes. Expect the ball to fly a little shorter the lower you go, unless you are downwind or downhill. As I said, there are plenty of variables to consider. Don't get hung up on any one of them.

What is the estimated shelf life of new golf balls? D.L., Fairfield, N.J.

The shelf life of a new ball today, assuming you're not storing it in a place of high humidity or high temperatures, is at least four to five years. But use them. Golf balls are not like fine wine. Of course, if the balls are of the old wound variety, then they will deteriorate faster and are probably useless today. If you have any of these, leave them where they are. In 100 years or so, your great-great-grandchildren can find them, sell them and go out and buy some new ones.

Frank Thomas, technical director of the USGA from 1974-2000, is Golf Digest's Chief Technical Advisor. E-mail him at equipment @golfdigest.com.