The Sand Mound was the predominate tee used for four centuries.  The first patents for wooden tees were issued in the 1890’s.  It took 30 years for wooden tees to replace sand mounded tees.  The Reddy Tee was the first commercially successful wood tee.  Sales of the Reddy Tee increased after Dr. William Lowell hired Walter Hagen to promote his Reddy Tee during professional tournaments.  The Reddy Tee became the benchmark for the standard wood tee design.  Corn starch tees were introduced in the 1990’s but failed to catch on because the corn tees cost more and broke more frequently than wood golf tees.

The standard golf tee design was not improved until the introduction of the Epoch golf tee in 2003. The Epoch was the first golf tee to offer golfer’s improved performance and environmental advantages.