The Entrepreneur
• 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."