Bag-Clip Tee & Ball Twist Dispenser

A golf-bag-mounted tube that holds a shake-out stack of tees and clips a spare ball to the outside, replacing the two or three separate pouches most golfers dig through on the first tee.

Date: 2026-09-27 Category: Sports and Fan Gear Modeling difficulty: Beginner Estimated print: ~2.8 h total · ~49 g PLA/PETG mix (estimate) Suggested price: $10–16 printed · $5 digital file (estimate) Status: Concept

Description

This is a small cylindrical tube that clips onto a golf bag strap and holds about 18 tees loose inside. Tip the tube and shake it, and a tee lines up in a side slot where a flexible flap lets it push through one at a time — the same shake-and-pop action as the tee dispensers already sold on Etsy, just built with a spring clip so it lives on the bag instead of loose in a pocket. A twist-lock cap on top keeps the tees in when the tube isn't in use and comes off for refills. A separate ball cup twist-locks onto the bottom, holding one spare ball in a set of flexible retention tabs.

The whole thing breaks into five small parts that print independently, none bigger than a golf tee is long, so it's an easy first multi-part project for someone modeling their first mechanical assembly.

Why it sells

3D-printed golf tee dispensers already move on Etsy — a "Golf Tee Holder and Dispenser" listing describes a bag-mountable ASA-printed tube with a push-and-pop valve mechanism (Golf Tee Holder and Dispenser), and Etsy runs dedicated market pages for the category: 3d Printed Golf Ball Dispenser, 3d Printed Golf Gear, 3d Printed Golf Holder, and Golf Tee for 3d Printer. These listings sell tee dispensers and ball holders as separate products.

None of the researched listings combine a tee dispenser with a ball holder on the same bag clip. Golfers carrying both still need two accessories and two mounting points; this design gives them one.

Who buys it

Recreational and league golfers who want tees and a spare ball within reach on the tee box instead of digging through a bag pocket. It's an inexpensive add-on sale — a golf-gift or Father's Day item, or a bundle add-on for sellers already listing tee dispensers.

Design overview

• Twist-lock cap keeps tees contained and comes off in a quarter turn for refills.
• Side dispense slot with a flexible TPU flap: shake the tube, a tee lines up, push the flap to pop one out.
• Ball cup twist-locks onto the tube's bottom, so the tee supply and a spare ball travel as one unit.
• Spring-arm bag clip slides onto a dovetail rail on the tube exterior — removable without re-printing the whole tube if the clip ever breaks.
• Lanyard hole in the cap for a carabiner, as a second mounting option besides the bag clip.
• Every part is a simple revolve or extrude — no gear meshing, no dovetail sliding fits beyond the clip rail.

Dimensions

Parts list

Hardware and non-printed parts

None — fully printed. The retention flap anchors to the tube via two press-fit posts (2 mm diameter PLA posts molded into the tube, 2.2 mm holes in the TPU flap, 0.2 mm interference press fit).

Fits and tolerances

• Twist cap ↔ tube neck: bayonet fit, 2 lugs (4 mm wide × 8 mm long × 2 mm tall) on the tube neck engaging matching L-slots in the cap, quarter-turn lock, 0.2 mm clearance on lug width.
• Ball cup ↔ tube base: bayonet fit, same lug geometry as the cap, quarter-turn lock.
• Retention flap ↔ tube posts: press fit, 2 mm diameter posts into 2.2 mm holes, 0.2 mm interference per side.
• Bag clip ↔ tube dovetail rail: sliding fit, 0.2 mm clearance per side, rail is 8 mm wide × 3 mm deep × 40 mm long.
• Ball cup retention tabs ↔ golf ball: press/snap fit, 3 tabs angled 8° inward, rim opening 40 mm against a 42.7 mm ball for a light interference grip.

Modeling guide

Origin at the center of the tube's bottom face, Z=0 at the tube base, +Z running up toward the cap.

Dispenser tube body

1. Sketch a circle 32 mm diameter centered on origin at Z=0. Extrude up 90 to Z=90.
2. Shell the extrusion from the top face down, wall thickness 3 mm, leaving the bottom (Z=0) face solid as an integral cap.
3. On the tube wall, cut the dispense slot: rectangle 10 mm wide × 60 mm tall, centered on one side, from Z=15 to Z=75.
4. Near the slot edges, add two retention posts: 2 mm diameter × 3 mm tall, positioned 3 mm outside the slot's top and bottom corners on the same side.
5. At the top (Z=90), add two bayonet lugs on the outer wall: 4 mm wide × 8 mm long (running circumferentially) × 2 mm tall, positioned 180° apart, 3 mm below the top rim.
6. At the bottom (Z=0, outward face), add two matching bayonet lugs for the ball cup, same geometry.
7. On the side opposite the dispense slot, add a dovetail rail for the bag clip: 8 mm wide at the base narrowing to 6 mm at the tip (external dovetail), 3 mm deep, 40 mm long, centered vertically on the tube.
8. Fillet the top and bottom rim edges, radius 1.

Twist cap

1. Sketch a circle 34 mm diameter. Extrude 15 mm.
2. Shell from the open (bottom) face, wall thickness 2.5 mm, leaving the top face solid.
3. On the inner wall near the open edge, cut two L-shaped bayonet slots matching the tube's lugs: vertical entry 4 mm wide × 3 mm tall, then rotating 90° circumferentially 8 mm with a 2 mm tall channel.
4. On the top face center, cut a lanyard hole: 5 mm diameter through the solid top.
5. Fillet the outer top edge, radius 2.

Retention flap

1. Sketch a rectangle 12 × 65, corner radius 2.
2. Extrude 1.5 mm thick.
3. Near each short end, cut a mounting hole 2.2 mm diameter, positioned 4 mm from the edge and centered in width, matching the tube's retention posts.
4. Apply a slight longitudinal curve (radius 20 mm) so the flap sits proud of the slot and springs back after being pressed.

Bag clip

1. Sketch the clip profile on the YZ plane: a "P"-shaped spring arm, main arm 50 mm long × 15 mm wide, 3 mm thick, curving back on itself at one end with a 6 mm gap to form the spring jaw.
2. On the flat back of the main arm, add a dovetail tab matching the tube's rail: 5.6 mm wide at the base tapering to 7.6 mm at the tip (0.2 mm clearance per side), 2.8 mm deep, 40 mm long.
3. Fillet all edges, radius 1.5.

Ball cup

1. Sketch a circle 48 mm diameter at Z=0 (bottom of cup, will attach to tube base). Extrude up 30 to Z=30.
2. Shell from the top (open) face down, wall thickness 3 mm, leaving the bottom face solid.
3. On the bottom outward face, add two bayonet lugs matching the tube's bottom lugs (external, since this part faces the tube's underside).
4. On the inner wall near the top opening, add three retention tabs: each 8 mm wide × 10 mm tall × 2 mm thick, angled 8° inward from vertical, spaced 120° apart, positioned so the tab tips form a 40 mm diameter opening.
5. Fillet the top rim, radius 2.

Print settings

Assembly

1. Press the retention flap onto the tube's two mounting posts over the dispense slot.
2. Load tees loosely into the tube through the open top (up to ~18 standard 70 mm tees).
3. Twist the cap onto the tube's top bayonet lugs, quarter turn to lock.
4. Twist the ball cup onto the tube's bottom bayonet lugs, quarter turn to lock, then press a golf ball into the cup's retention tabs.
5. Slide the bag clip's dovetail tab onto the tube's rail until it seats.
6. Clip the assembly onto a golf bag strap or belt loop.

Variants and upsells

• Two-tube "twin" variant holding both wooden and plastic tees separately, sold as a step-up SKU.
• Colored cap and clip 2-packs as a $3 add-on, since they're the most visible parts.
• A no-ball-cup "tee only" variant for buyers who just want the dispenser, priced lower.

Selling and distribution

List on Etsy alongside the existing tee-dispenser and ball-holder market pages — search volume already exists for both terms separately, and this design's combined function is the differentiator to lead with. Price the printed unit at $10–16 based on ~49 g of mixed filament and under 3 h of machine time; sell the digital file at $5. License the STL for commercial personal use only (CC BY-NC), consistent with how the comparable tee-dispenser listing sells finished prints rather than open files.

Listing keywords: golf tee dispenser, golf ball holder, golf bag clip, golf accessory, golf gift, tee holder, bag mount, golf gadget, Father's Day golf, golf gear.

Risks and IP notes

• The bayonet lug tolerances are tight (0.2 mm clearance) and may need print-specific tuning on a first test print. Mitigation: note in the listing that a test-fit and light sanding may be needed on some printers.
• Category has multiple existing Etsy sellers for tee dispensers alone. Mitigation: lead marketing with the combined tee-and-ball function, which the researched listings don't offer together.
• No golf brand names, tour logos, or course names should appear anywhere in the listing or design — keep all branding generic ("golf bag dispenser," not tied to any specific tour, brand, or club).

Resource links

• Golf Tee Holder and Dispenser (Etsy) — comparable bag-mountable tee dispenser with a shake-and-pop mechanism.
• 3d Printed Golf Ball Dispenser (Etsy market) — category page for printed golf ball dispensers.
• 3d Printed Golf Gear (Etsy market) — broader golf-accessory category showing seller activity.
• 3d Printed Golf Holder (Etsy market) — category page for printed golf holders.
• Golf Ball Dispenser 3d Printed (Etsy market) — additional category page confirming demand for dispenser-style golf accessories.
• Golf Tee for 3d Printer (Etsy market) — market page showing tee-specific printed accessories.