— By Plasteurope.com correspondent — 

A golf club in the Welsh capital Cardiff is the latest of many in the UK to ban plastic tees in a drive to make that most ancient of sports more environmentally responsible. Dozens of courses now prohibit the little white or yellow plastic tees, replacing them with wooden or bamboo alternatives. Yes, these can break easily, prompting some golfers to throw up their hands in despair, but such materials also hark back to a simpler time.

Related: Swing and sadly not a miss

According to the fact-packed Scottish Golf History website, the first tees were actually small piles of sand, upon which a ball would rest before being thwacked towards its ultimate destination. When sand became too messy, tees were crafted from cork, rubber, and even paper. The first tee that could be stuck into the ground was patented in the UK in 1892, while the inaugural plastic – well, celluloid – tee was patented in the US in 1924. From that point on it never looked back, until now. The plastic tee’s days may be numbered, but after more than a century helping golfers perfect their game, it’s fair to say they’ve had a pretty good run.