Equipment Review: FLEXIBILI-T Golf Tee
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

For all the innovation present in the design and manufacturing of golf clubs and balls, the golf tee has held its own over the years. We’ve progressed from sand tees to wooden pegs, and from today’s traditional wooden tees to tees including Brush-Ts, Zero Friction Tees and Perfect-Tees.

Now there’s a new golf tee currently making waves of its own, and it’s made right here in London, Ontario: the FLEXIBILI-T. Developed by father and son team Gord and Cody Bryant of Simcoe, Ontario, the FLEXIBILI-T prototype has been approved by the USGA, and is undergoing further examination before being given a full seal of approval.

Here’s the scoop on the FLEXIBILI-T. It’s a two-piece tee with a flexible top which, according to Gord and Cody, offers a longer life than regular tees; less damage to golf club heads; longer distance and more accuracy due to less resistance; and a variety of colours and sizes.

The FLEXIBILI-T prototype is a 3 ¼ - in. tee for use with oversized drivers – and what driver isn’t oversized these days? The two-piece tee is assembled by King Tool & Mould Canada and China in a two-part single mould. The ABS plastic bottom shaft is injected first, then cooled. Then, in the same mould, the flexible top cone – recyclable TPE plastic – is injected and formed around the bottom shaft. A sister plant in Dong Guan, China assists the London location in the process.

“Cody and I thought up the idea from scratch,” explains Gord. “It happened in the fall of 2006, while we were walking down the 16th fairway at Woodside Greens Golf Park in Simcoe. We were discussing ways to help with our slicing, and less resistance, and the take off from the tee seemed to be a way to help. That’s when the flexible top came to mind.”

After consulting with product designer Mike Chan in London, Gord and Cody’s FLEXIBILI-T prototype was born. Early feedback is very positive. The USGA says the tee design “does not appear contrary to the Rules of Golf.” Snowbirds who have tested the product in the U.S. this winter have given the FLEXIBILI-T a thumbs up.

The Bryants have forwarded tee samples to the LPGA, as well as major sporting goods stores, hoping for additional positive feedback. Gord says he’s investigating the license agreement route versus taking on the business operations with Cody.

The FLEXIBILI-T appears to be a very solid product. At first glance, you can’t tell it’s different from a typical wooden golf tee. The top crown is certainly flexible, and the “less resistance/more accuracy and distance” theory should hold true. I would welcome playing with a pocket full of FLEXIBILI-Ts over the course of a few weeks to discover their true merit, but I’m guessing they would hold their own. And if they do last longer than typical wooden tees – and it appears they will – then that would merit a slightly higher cost than regular wooden tees.

The ingenuity of those involved in the golf industry never ceases to amaze me. It’s good, though, to see some local folks getting in on the action. And it’s interesting that, once again, a golf invention stems from wanting to improve one’s own game.

I like this product, and am looking forward to seeing it progress from prototype to mainstream availability.

For more information on the FLEXIBILI-T, contact Gord and Cody Bryant at buzz1@golden.net.