Who Invented the Golf Tee? George Grant's 1899 Patent

Dr. George Franklin Grant invented and patented a wooden golf tee in 1899. Before his design, golfers commonly shaped wet sand into a small mound before each drive. Grant’s patent was important, but he did not turn it into a commercial business; William Lowell’s Reddy Tee later helped make wooden tees routine. For the equipment and course-history side of golf, compare how much a golf simulator costs, the oldest golf course, the Claret Jug and the records hub, then see SportsLook’s golf prize-money coverage.

Who was George Grant?

George Grant was a dentist, inventor and Harvard professor who played golf near his home in Massachusetts.

The USGA Museum records that he was born in 1846 to escaped slaves, became the second African-American graduate of Harvard Dental School and later taught at Harvard. His golf problem was practical: forming a reliable sand tee was slow and messy.

What did golfers use before the wooden tee?

Golfers generally shaped a small mound of wet sand for the ball.

Courses supplied boxes of damp sand near each hole, and players built the mound by hand or with a cone-shaped mould. The method worked, but it had to be repeated and did not provide the consistent height of a manufactured tee.

When was the golf tee patented?

Grant’s wooden tee patent was issued on 12 December 1899.

The date is an important distinction from the date the tee became common. Grant’s patent established early ownership, but mass adoption came later, when other designs were manufactured and sold at scale.

Why did Grant’s tee not become the standard immediately?

Grant made prototypes for himself and people he knew instead of marketing them widely.

The USGA says he handed tees to family and friends and did not capitalise on the invention. William Lowell’s Reddy Tee, developed in the early 1920s, was the design that helped move wooden tees from a clever solution to everyday equipment.

What did Grant contribute beyond the tee?

Grant’s life is part of the invention story, not just a footnote to a golf accessory.

He built a respected dental practice, worked on cleft-palate repair and taught at Harvard. His tee patent is therefore connected to the history of Black achievement in American science and professional education as well as to golf equipment.

Frequently asked questions

Who invented the golf tee?

Dr. George Franklin Grant, who patented a wooden tee in 1899.

What came before tees?

Small mounds of wet sand.

When was the patent issued?

12 December 1899.

Did Grant commercialise it?

No. He made and shared prototypes.

Who popularised wooden tees?

William Lowell’s Reddy Tee in the early 1920s.

What was Grant’s profession?

He was a dentist and Harvard professor.

Bottom line

Grant deserves credit for the first patented wooden golf tee, but invention and mass adoption were different stages. His 1899 patent solved the sand-mound problem; Lowell’s later commercial design made the wooden tee familiar to golfers everywhere.