OCEAN TEE, the golf industry’s only provider of sustainable tee solutions, has been commissioned to create bespoke branded tees for the Oman Open as part of the event’s drive for sustainability. The co-branded tees will be packaged up in recyclable, custom branded matchboxes and gifted to all Pro-Am participants, with loose tees also being made available for European Tour tournament competitors to use.
Bamboo is an ideal material for manufacturing golf tees as it is both strong and flexible, producing a durable tee that is less prone to snapping than traditional hardwood. In addition, as a grass species, bamboo grows at an astonishing rate with complete stocks replenishing within months after harvesting compared to the decades taken for hardwood forests.
Oman Golf Committee’s Championships and Technical Director, Jamie Wood contacted OCEAN TEE after seeing the announcement that OCEAN TEE has become the exclusive tee provider to The EuroPro Tour. He commented: “We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment so working with OCEAN TEE makes complete sense. The products are fantastic and gives us a relatively low-cost way to showcase the Oman Open’s commitment to environmental responsibility.”
Ed Sandison, Founder of OCEAN TEE, is excited to see his tees in the hands of some of the best players in the world as he explains: “As a business, we want to see bamboo overtake plastic and hardwood to become the number 1 material used to manufacture tees, which is why we are delighted to be working with the Oman Open. The interest that we are receiving from golf clubs, tournaments and organisations across the world clearly demonstrates that there is a desire to move away from plastic and we are proud to lead that movement. We hope that this relationship with the Oman Open will be the first of many and look forward to seeing this event continue to grow in stature year on year.”
Now in its third year, the highly regarded event welcomes the stars of the European Tour to the stunning Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj Golf in Muscat, from February 27 – March 1st. The event not only offers local players vital playing experience, but it is helping drive a change at the very top of Oman’s golf ecosystem with His Excellency Sheikh Sa’ad bin Mohammed Al Mardhouf Al Sa’adi, the Minister of Sports Affairs, announcing last month that the Oman Golf Committee, set up in January 2009, will soon be made into an official association to promote the country.
Founder and Executive Director at GEO Foundation, Jonathan Smith, the international non-profit organisation which helps golf courses, such as Al Mouj Golf, embrace sustainability is delighted to see the range of sustainability actions on show at the Oman Open as he comments, “In recent years the course managers at Al Mouj Golf have done a fantastic job to enhance the natural character and biodiversity of the GEO Certified® course, also reducing the consumption of water and other vital natural resources. Now, the tournament golf committee has partnered with Ocean Tee to provide branded, sustainably sourced, biodegradable bamboo tees for its European Tour event. Every golf venue and event can be a showcase for sustainability, and it is encouraging that a European Tour event is using its platform to take the lead in promoting sustainability in the region.”
For golf clubs, tournaments and organisations wanting to move away from plastic tees, OCEAN TEE provide low cost tee solutions that meet performance, marketing and customer engagement requirements. From loose unbranded tees all the way to club branded tees packaged up in bespoke matchbox units, the company’s service is fully customisable.
OCEAN TEE www.oceanteegolf.com
Pictured top: Kurt Kitayama 2019 Winner Oman Open