It wasn’t too long ago that I introduced you to the Dixon Earth Ball; an eco-friendly alternative to your current oil-based ball (what did you think Urethane was?).  Now I get to bring news of yet another golf company bringing greener alternatives to market.

Excel golf, makers of the popular Zero Friction Performance Series Golf Tee have announced a new eco-friendly model.  Available in lengths of 2¾” and 3¼”, the new design builds on the success of the company’s original and highly successful 3-pronged product.

While critical design elements, like the “Performance Cup”, which reduces the contact area between the tee and ball by 66%, remain largely unchanged, the Hardwood Series offers a 100% bio-composite alternative to the plastic design of the original.

There’s no arguing that the Zero Friction series has already proven it’s mettle.  The company boasts that the Zero Friction  is the number one performance tee on tour; having claimed over 50 victories and more than 250 top-ten finishes.  While none of my buddies are tour players, several of them swear by the Zero Friction.  Adding a bio-friendly alternative can only help to expand the company’s footprint.

While it’s probably safe to assume you’re going to sacrifice a bit of durability should you switch from plastic to hardwood, given the abundance of broken bits of plastic I see littered all over the tee boxes in my area, it seems like a worthy sacrifice to make.

I won’t lie to you, the golf manufacturers still have a long way to go before anyone is going to refer to the industry as a whole as Earth friendly, but with companies like Dixon Golf, and now Excel taking steps in the right direction, hopefully it won’t be long before the others join them.