How To Remove Tee Marks From A Golf Driver
You just bought a shiny new driver that cost you an arm and a leg. After using it for a couple of holes you notice there are marks on the face and sole of the club.
You want to try and keep your clubs looking nice and neat so you’re now wondering what caused them and how to remove tee marks from a golf driver.
Below I explain what’s causing the marks, how to avoid them and how to clean them to make sure your driver looks as good as possible.
Why Does My Driver Have Tee Marks?
Over time your driver can start to show signs of wear on the face due to hitting the ball. If you’re not careful you might get other marks and scratches if you contact the ground when playing from the tee.
The other likely marks you’ll find on most people’s drivers are marks made by their tees.
It’s even more obvious what causes the mark if you use different colored tees since the mark will match the colors of the tees you’ve been using.
You’re most likely to see marks on the driver if you use wooden tees since wooden tees tend to be painted in different colors.
When you strike the golf ball with your driver there’s a good chance you’ll also connect with the tee. Some of the paint on the tee will be transferred to the driver’s face or sole.
The paint is usually fairly cheap so it will easily transfer to another object if struck firmly enough. With your driver club head swinging at somewhere between 70 mph and 125 mph, there are certainly plenty of opportunities for the paint to transfer onto the golf club.
Are Tee Marks On My Driver Bad?
Tee marks on your golf driver shouldn’t have any effect on how the club or ball performs when you are playing golf. Tee marks are only a cosmetic problem. If you’re not particularly bothered by how your clubs look or if your clubs are already quite old then having tee marks on your driver shouldn’t be any great problem.
How Do I Avoid Tee Marks On My Driver?
Painted wooden tees are the most likely to cause marks on your driver face or sole. So the best way to avoid getting any marks is to avoid using painted wooden tees. Personally, I prefer wooden tees and would rather put up with the odd paint mark on my driver.
If you would rather not get any marks then you need to try to find wooden tees that are unpainted. You could also try unpainted bamboo tees. Plastic tees might be another option although I have also known them to leave marks on occasion. It depends on the quality of the plastic. I also don’t think they are the best option environmentally. You could even try the rubber tees that you see people sometimes use in winter golf when the ground is frozen.
Since most drivers tend to be quite dark in color you could also try to stick with wooden tees that have been painted with dark colors since these will not show up so easily even if the paint is transferred across. Even if you just avoid white tees you will probably greatly reduce the visibility of any marks caused on your driver.
Instructions For Removing Tee Marks From Your Driver
The vast majority of people will have some form of metal-headed driver. You should follow these instructions to try and remove the tee marks from your club.
You can buy specialist “golf” brushes but I always use an old toothbrush and find that is usually sufficient for any club cleaning tasks.
You should take care using a brush with hard bristles since that may end up causing more damage to the surface of your driver than the tee marks you are trying to remove.
I would also think carefully before using any chemical cleaners as they are likely to cause more damage to the driver’s finish. You should be able to remove tee marks on bottom of driver as well as on tee marks on the face.
Steps To Remove Tee Marks From A Metal-Headed Driver
It is a relatively simple process:
- Get some warm soapy water
- Dampen the brush in the soapy water
- Gently rub the brush over the tee marks
- For stubborn marks you may want to try a brush with harder bristles but take care to avoid damaging the surface of your driver when you scrub – I think it would be better to leave the paint mark rather than damage the surface of the driver
- Dry the club off with a towel
Steps To Remove Tee Marks From A Wooden Driver
In the unlikely event you have a wooden-headed driver then you should use the following steps to get tee marks out:
- Get some warm water
- Dampen a towel in the warm water
- Rub the tee marks gently to remove them
- Dry the club with a clean towel
How To Remove Tee Marks From A Golf Driver: Conclusion
So now you know how the marks are made and how to remove tee marks from a golf driver you should be able to keep your driver looking good for longer!
Now you’ve done that, why don’t you clean the grooves on your irons or maybe your balls need a clean!
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]
How To Remove Sky Marks From Driver
Most golfers have wondered how to remove sky marks from their driver after a really bad shot! Depending on how bad the mark is you may be able to remove it with an everyday household item. A humble tube of toothpaste could do the trick.
Simply rub some toothpaste into the mark with your finger then apply a little water. Boom that annoying mark may disappear. If the mark is too deep then you will probably have to resort to T-cut to repair it.
How To Get Tee Marks Off Driver?
The simplest way to remove tee marks from golf drivers is to avoid getting them on there in the first place. Using plastic rather than painted wooden tees is likely to help.
However, if like me you prefer wooden tees then try to find unpainted ones or use ones with dark colors that won’t be so obvious.
White tee marks are usually the worst since modern drivers tend to be fairly dark. In this case, the only option is to use some warm soapy water and a cloth or brush with soft bristles and some elbow grease to remove them.
