Even before the first patent registrations, there were a number of golf tees. Many golfers experimented with different materials and shapes to make the tee easier to hit.
The first golf tee patent in the USA is from David Dalziel from Glasgow/Scotland. The patent covers a cylindrical, concave rubber.
The first golf tea patent
The first American to have a tea protected was the artist Prosper Senate from Philadelphia. His tea consisted of a C-shaped strip sewn together at the ends to form a cone. There were additional markings on the edge to count the blows.
The first known patent for golf tees dates back to 1889, and the two Scotsmen William Bloxsom and Arthur Douglas had a teeing aid protected.
Percy Ellis of Surrey, applied for a patent for his “Perfectum” tee in 1892, followed by Dr. George Grant with another tee patent in 1899.
In 1922 Dr. Lowell’s “Redy Tea” was patented and is still the standard today.
In 1925 Henry B. Tilton, Assignor to Morley Button Manufacturing, registered the patent for the “Morley Yello Golf Tee” in America.
In 1925 Henry B. Tilton received his patent for his invention from the Patent and Trademark Office of the United States of America (USPTO).
In the file there were 4 documents for this patent.
The specification sheet of the patent was reproduced on parchment paper, prepared to be mounted in an 8″ x 10″ frame.
The other 3 reproduced sheets of the USPTO documents describe the technical and formal scope of his invention:
“Be it known that I, Henry B. Tilton, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Portsmouth, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Golf Tees, of which the following is a specification. Theis invention relates to golf tees of the type having a shank for insertion into the ground and a head for supporting the ball, the principal objects being to provide a tee of this character in which the shank will not readily break off or blunt when being inserted, in which the head will hold the ball from rolling off even though the top is not exactly horizontal, in which the head will not split off at the sides…”
Tabular overview
| Date | Exhibitor and patent no.. | Inventor | Place | Species |
| 16.8.1889 | GB 12941 1889 | Bloxsom U. Douglas | Schottland | Gummiplatte mit angehobenem Kugelsitz. Erstes Tee-Patent der Welt. |
| 29.2.1892 | GB 3916 1892 | P. Ellis | Wallington, Surrey, England | Wallington, Surrey, England |
| 10.9.1895 | US 567455 | P.L. Senat | Philadelphia | Kegel . Erstes Tee-Patent von einem US-Bürger. |
| 12.6.1897 | GB 14292 1897 | P.M. Matthews | Schottland | Schalenförmiger Gummikopf, Metallspitze |
| 1.7.1899 | US 638920 | G. Grant | Boston | Röhrenförmiger Gummikopf, hölzerne Spitze |
| 5.5.1922 | US 1493687 | W. Lowell | S. Orange, NJ | Hölzerner Stöpsel mit konkavem, Trichterförmigen Kopf |