Last week I went through a bag of travel brochures from the Chicago Golf Show, and I found a packet of golf tees. Now I’m kind of a purist, I like the old fashion wooden golf tees.  Either bright white or natural. That’s how I grew up, and thats how I’ll carry on. Brushes…good for hair, not balls. Triangle prong do-dads look better on a show about I.M Pei than on-top of a tee. I guess that sandy tees are respectable, but there is something about wooden tees I admire. Fortunately I have seen the light and these packet of tees are not my fathers Oldsmobile. A company called Eco Golf, (located in Knox, Indiana) has designed a classic looking golf tee made from biodegradable materials. Which means that less trees need to be cut down to make traditional wooden tees, and they are very durable.

Going to Go Hug a Tree

I’m not a tree hugger, but I am impressed with something so simple as the Eco Endurance golf tee. The Endurance tee is made from natural starches and a composite of resins. According to the manufacturer they will degrade in 3-4 years (um that is a long time…but I guess those plastic water bottles I use take like 3000 years so I’ll say that 3-4 years is very good) or if placed in compost 12 months. Eco Golf also touts that the Endurance tee will last 10x’s longer than a wooden tee and will cause less damage to mowing equipment. This is a win-win situation. By lasting longer, and causing less damage to mowers, this tee could revolutionize the game of golf!…well sorta. At least the Amazon forest won’t be supplying my wooden tee fetish.

Playability

I’ve tried so called “hi-tech” golf tees in the past. And none of them really did anything for me. I mean I like the feel of a solid piece of wood, and the bonus of having a ready toothpick. The shape and size (2 3/4″) of the Eco Endurance were similar to what I use, I would have rather played a 3″ tee but these were gratis…no complaints. I noticed that it was a smidge lighter than a wooden tee, but the savings in weight were evident while walking down the 18th hole. I didn’t feel as tired and had more energy!

The Eco Endurance tee did its simple yet important job. It held my golf ball, and fluttered through the air on my big swinging drives. Since the tee is not painted with a color, the bottom of my driver and hybrid demo didn’t show the usual paint transfer. That is great if you don’t regularly clean your clubs, but kinda limits the telltale signs of a poor swing.

As far as durability, the tee lasted me all 14 tee shots. Which is actually a very good thing. I have splintered many a tee in my days, so kudos to Eco Golf. The downside I see is on par 3’s. I usually look for wounded soldiers, those discarded broken tees. If everyone played the Eco Endurance, I wouldn’t have to hunt for the right sized temporary tee. Darn!

Conclusion

So if you want to be more green, and save some, then go out and ask for your club or retailer to stock the Eco Golf Endurance Tee. They come in stock colors (white, tan and natural whatever that color is) and custom colors can be ordered. The tees can also be printed on (mine were courtesy of the Holiday Inn Lafayette City Center) and purchased directly from Eco Golf. 1,000 tees for $45.00 isn’t too steep, especially if you only need 2 per 18 holes…thats like a lifetime of golf. Now I only wish the packaging wasn’t in a plastic bag.