I’ve been very fortunate to play golf in some spectacular locations around the world from Vietnam to South Africa and from Mauritius to the UK. I’m not a very good golfer, and for every satisfying Rory McIlroy-type drive off the tee there are a couple of shanks and slices that follow leading to regular bogeys. While it can be frustrating, the biggest takeaway from playing golf is being outdoors.
Since moving to Wales, we’ve been spoilt for choice when it comes to scenic golf courses and while I only get a couple of rounds in a year, usually when my father-in-law comes to visit, it’s extremely relaxing and therapeutic being surrounded by fresh air, wildlife and scenic vistas.
The one that drives me crazy is when I see courses littered with plastic tees. Quite frankly they’re on every golf course and should simply be banned. I collect them when I see them, but when getting home they end up in the bin, so they’re still going to landfill, but at least it’s not been mistakenly eaten by a bird or animal.
So I was thrilled when we were contacted by a UK company called The Bigger Ball whose mission it is to rid golf courses of plastic and unsustainable golf tees.
We were sent The Long One (83mm) and Orange (70mm) bamboo golf tees to check out, and I love the concept. The tees are made from bamboo, and I can hear some people saying that you don’t have to use plastic tees because wood alternatives are available.
They are, of course, correct. I use wood tees. But bamboo is more sustainable than wood because it grows much faster than trees, doesn’t need fertilisers and grows in regions with high rainfalls. What’s more, is it really sensible to be chopping down trees to manufacture golf tees when you’ve got a fast-growing, easy to replenish resource like bamboo? Completely unnecessary if you ask me and bamboo should be the way forward.
They look and feel like wood tees and don’t require precious trees to be felled down, so there’s absolutely no reason not to switch your existing hardwood tees to a sustainable bamboo alternative. Visit The Bigger Ball shop and use the voucher code MHF10 at checkout to get 10% off your next shop.