Unofficial Review - The Tee Claw

Mike Z · February 10, 2016

Unofficial review of The Tee Claw

Last December, I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a Skytrak launch monitor. One of the things I did not like about it was that you have to hit from the same (or nearly the same) spot each time unless you decide to move the launch monitor. Most of my practice (at least over the winter) is indoors. I like to be able to alternate clubs so the question became: How was I going to tee the ball up to hit drivers when I wanted to and not need to move the launch monitor. I left that as something â€œto be figured out.â€

One chilly January morning in 2015, while I was huddled under my blanked which served equal parts of keeping me warm and as a psychological shield from the reality of having to get ready to go to work, I got my answer. The Golf Channel was profiling some interesting new products it ran across at the PGA Merchandise Show.

Enter: The Tee Claw. This little invention promised to let me use a tee anywhere on an artificial surface I wanted to use it. A pack of three will cost you $14.95 plus a nominal shipping charge

Here is what you get (note: the package now includes three tees in various sizes â€“ when I purchased, it did not):

And in use:

Just twist a claw into the ground and inset a tee. The green elastic strings, or lanyards, can be used to attach the tee claw in use to another one to anchor it from flying away â€“ and it will fly away when you hit a ball.

One immediate challenge I faced was in getting the ball to the right height. Since none of the tee goes below the ground, an average tee is going to be way too long to be used in a Tee Claw. It took me some trial and error, but I figured out what length I needed to trim a tee to. I eventually just purchased some tees in this length. Currently, Tee-claw now ships thee tees in their package each of a different length though you still need to figure out which one is right for you and how to get more.

I didn't use them much last winter. This winter, however, it's a different story. I have simulator software I have been using the monitor with and hitting driver a lot. Within two rounds of use, I had broken one. I swapped it out and within a day I had broken another one. At this point I was getting a little bit annoyed. These are too expensive to go through as quickly as tees. Even though they are still usable with one claw missing, I didn't like the direction this was going. Being the resourceful (read: cheap or frugal) guy I am, I decided to see if I could super-glue then back together. The repairs were successful. See the below picture where you can see the failure point and the repair.

The next day something VERY interesting happened. This is the text of a question I asked on their web site (and I probably could have worded it better):

â€œAny tips for keeping these in one piece? I bought a 2-pack last year after seeing a feature on them from the PGA show. I didn't use them much at all. This winter I just started using them and within 2 sessions both broke on the hard plastic part. I really like the product, but having them break so easily may leave me searching for another option.â€

Literally within 5 minutes I got this reply â€“ directly from the CEO of the company:

â€œHi Mike,

Do you have a phone number I can call you at. Would like to find out how you were using them.

John Black â€“ CEOâ€

I spent about 15 minutes on the phone with him. I discovered that instead of pushing the tee into the Tee Claw, I needed to just set it in. He also mentioned that a steep swing could also break them. At the end of the conversation, he thanked me and told me he was sending me three more Tee Claws at no charge. We have emailed back and forth a few more times and he has been extremely receptive to feedback and has thanked me for it.

I received the replacements and have been using them and the along with the repaired units successfully since then with only one casualty. One of my friends (not me, of course) happened to bottom out his swing on a repaired Claw. It was nearly fatal. It cracked a previous repair and made a new break. It was clearly not a fault of the product. The thought had not crossed my mind until now but I suspect that using the claw for irons would be a very bad idea.

Conclusion:

If you want to be able to tee the ball up on artificial surfaces and you don't mind a little effort to get your tee height right for you, the Tee Claw is a very viable option. For me, it helps to make indoor practice a little more course-like. I just cannot say enough about the company and their customer service. I have never had an issue with a product and had it handled more swiftly or courteously. John made me feel like his most important customer. For a $15 sale, this is astounding. I will definitely be purchasing again when the time comes.

Ratings

:

Concept: 10/10 â€“ solves a problem for those who practice on artificial surfaces and despise the one-size-fits-all rubber tee.

Execution 8/10 â€“ While proper use makes these fairly durable, they are still able to be broken with a bad swing or an aggressive swing with a steep angle of attack. I believe that the plastic on the base material could be a little more pliable.

Packaging/Instructions 6/10 â€“ Not a big believer in packaging. But in this case I think a prominent warning would benefit the company and the consumer. Had I not reached out to the company I would have a very negative opinion of the product. No doubt, there are other customers out there who did not reach out and are feeling like they did not get their money's worth. Since pushing the tee into the ground is what we all do on the course, the need NOT to do this with the claw could have been much more prominently displayed upon opening the package. A warning may have been there, but I no longer have the original packaging so I don't know. The fact remains that I did not know it until I reached out to the company.

Customer Service 10/10 â€“ See comments above. John simply could not have handled it better.

Overall 9/10 â€“ I am pretty much throwing one category out of the average. Exceptional customer service made up for it. I recommend this product if you have a need for it.

GolfSpy Barbajo · February 10, 2016

Nice job Mike! Appreciate the info. I tried a pack of these last year but had my troubles with them -- more than likely user error but found them to be more trouble than they were worth. I'd think a home simulator would be a very different application. I was using them at a heated outdoor range and they kept flying all over the place. Like I said, user error.

Anyone else have experience with these things?

Mike Z · February 10, 2016

I had that problem, too, until I figured out the right way to attach them. I had been hooking the loop in the string around one of the claws. That didn't do much.

Now that I attach them to each other and use one as an anchor, they stay really close to where I am hitting from. Here is how to attach the string:

Very curious to hear other opinions.

hckymeyer · February 10, 2016

If I ever get a Skytrack these will be the next purchase.

On a side note, how do you like the Skytrack? How is the simulator software working out?

Mike Z · February 10, 2016

See this post just added:

http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/14857-skytrak/?p=190673

for an answer. Also lots more information there about Skytrak.

Ramsey_Steve · March 5, 2016

Sounds and appears to be a hi-tech solution to a lo-tech problem. Up until a few years ago I lived on the north east and we'd play through the winter months when you couldn't get a tee into the ground under any circumstances. We had a set of these rubber tees that we shared between us:

41ucveVrQqL._SY450_.jpg

Worked like a charm for every club in the bag, never broke, never got lost, and you could hit them as hard as you want and they wouldn't break. Best part is they only cost $5.70 with free shipping from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Winter-Colors-Different-Heights/dp/B009CJV43W.

Kenny B · March 6, 2016

Sounds and appears to be a hi-tech solution to a lo-tech problem. Up until a few years ago I lived on the north east and we'd play through the winter months when you couldn't get a tee into the ground under any circumstances. We had a set of these rubber tees that we shared between us:

Worked like a charm for every club in the bag, never broke, never got lost, and you could hit them as hard as you want and they wouldn't break. Best part is they only cost $5.70 with free shipping from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rubber-Winter-Colors-Different-Heights/dp/B009CJV43W.

I have used similar ones, but no string. We then punched a small hole in base like shown in your pic, then used fishing line attached to a lead fishing weight to keep them from flying. Works great!

KCLeo12 · March 6, 2016

I have been using them for about a monthh and I love them. If you follow them on social media they post other cool ways to use the. I actually met the owner and creator today at Golf Fest in San Diego he's a great guy.

HighFade · March 6, 2016

Definitely need these. Simple solution to cold weather play. Last season, I used snow as a tee. Worked great, and I felt tough.

808nation · April 11, 2016

Looks interesting, I definitely got to look into these for those cold winter days where I can't seem to stick a tee into the ground because it's frozen. Thank you!

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