• BJ Maloy, 35, inventor of the Epoch tee, a performance peg with an eye on the environment
"I know what you're thinking: 'Just another gimmicky tee — what makes this one any different?' Well, for starters, its success on the PGA Tour — 33 Tour wins since 2004. The physics are simple: The tee's four radius posts span the dimples, removing the friction and deflection created by a standard tee. This promotes faster ball speed, less sidespin and longer tee shots — up to 12 extra yards, according to testing with real golfers. The only way you could create less friction would be to have your ball actually hovering over the ground. Obviously test results are only useful if they are backed up in the real world, which is why our success in the pro game has been so important — we also have 73 wins on the LPGA, Nationwide and Champions Tours. Another bonus: the tee is built entirely from recycled and renewable materials and is completely biodegradable, so it won't damage the environment. Changing golf equipment isn't easy — the modern wood tee was invented in the 1890s, but it wasn't until 30 years later that most people stopped teeing it up on sand mounds. When I showed up with my tee on the PGA Tour they laughed at me. After 106 tour wins in four years, they're not laughing anymore."
Credit: Logan Mock-Bunting
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