An attraction at Casey (Ill.) Country Club is bringing non-golfers to a spot just behind the clubhouse to view the world’s largest golf tee.
It’s not unusual these days for clubs to seek to make their golf courses more accessible to non-golfers. An attraction at Casey (Ill.) Country Club, in a central-Illinois town of just over 2,700 people, does just that, bringing visitors to a spot just behind the clubhouse to view the world’s largest golf tee.
Accepted into the Guinness World Records in 2013, the enormous wooden structure weighs in at 6,659 lbs. and 30 feet and ½ inches tall, with a head diameter of 6.26 feet and a shaft diameter of 2.1 feet, held together by 60 gallons of glue and 120 lbs. of screws.
The tee was built over the course of seven months. After yellow pine was laminated together and carved into the tee shape with a chainsaw, it was finished with a clear epoxy, which protects the wood while showing the grain for a rich look, says James D. Bolin, a local businessman who built the tee with Mike “Bo” Bohannon, President of Casey CC.
“The idea of the golf tee came after Bo mentioned that it would be nice to have something that would draw folks to our local golf course,” says Bolin. “By that time, Casey had already experienced an influx of visitors to see the World’s Largest Wind Chime.” (Bolin was also involved with building the 56-foot-tall chime and other “world’s largest” items in Casey over the course of six years, including a six-foot-long crochet hook; a 13-foot-long set of knitting needles; a 56.5-foot-tall rocking chair; a 33-foot-tall mailbox; a pair of 5-foot-tall, 12-foot-wide wooden shoes; and a 60-foot-long pitchfork.)
The tee was installed at Casey CC in May 2013, and maintenance of the tee and landscaping of the area that surrounds it is handled by Bolin and his brother Troy, who also co-owns the structure.
“We encourage visitors to come through the clubhouse to sign the guest book and look at the souvenirs,” says Bolin. “The local golfers love having the golf tee at the club. It is a great way to gain exposure for our local course. It’s also great seeing so many people come through and look at the tee. In many cases, the tee has attracted a different segment of tourists than our other attractions.”
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