tee off

verb

1. golf to strike (the ball) from a tee, as when starting a hole

2. informal,  to begin; start

Idioms and Phrases

Start or begin, as in We teed off the fundraising drive with a banquet . This usage is a metaphor taken from golf, where tee off means “start play by driving a golf ball from the tee.” [Second half of 1900s]

Make angry or irritated, as in That rude comment teed him off , or I was teed off because it rained all weekend . [ Slang ; mid-1900s] Also see tick off .

Example Sentences

While several of the chasing pack did all they could to add pressure before the Japanese duo teed off, much of that effort would have proved irrelevant had the final group shot low themselves.

From BBC

Wearing a white "USA" cap and accompanied by his second son Eric, he teed off for a round of golf at about 10:15 on his first morning at the resort.

From BBC

Less than one hour after he teed off on Sunday afternoon, Scottie Scheffler had effectively won his first Open Championship title.

From BBC

It comes as thousands of people are in Portrush to watch the world's top golfers tee off in the official practice session of The Open Championship.

From BBC

They tee off at the same time on different holes, known as a shotgun start.

From BBC

Related Words

• adopt 
• assume 
• commence 
• continue 
• embrace 
• enter 
• initiate 
• open 
• pick up 
• renew 
• reopen 
• resume 
• tackle 
• undertake