The Tee

photo credit: Steve & Jemma Copley   The word tee is derived from the Gaelic word tigh, meaning “house.”  It is also related to the term tee in the sport of curling. 

When the game began,  a golfer would kick the turf with his heel to make a mound, and then place the ball on top.  This practice was very destructive to the turf so a new way had to be found to elevate the ball.

The father of the modern tee in America was Dr. George F. Grant, who was awarded the U.S. patent for his 1898 invention consisting of a wooden peg, topped with rubber tubing that could be pushed into the ground.  Grant was one of the first Afro-Americans to graduate from Harvard Dental School.