Partnership With International WoodFuels Will Enable World’s Leading Manufacturer Of Golf Tees & Maker Of #1 Selling Professional Tee System™ (PTS) Tees To Enhance Environmental Stewardship; Manufacturing Alliance Will Help Save 133,000 Tons Of Carbon Dioxide Emissions Annually
Brentwood, Tenn., July 29, 2009 … A biodegradable product used by every golfer around the world just became more green-friendly. PrideSports, the country’s only wooden golf tee manufacturer, and the world’s leading producer of golf tees, has announced an eco-partnership with Portland, Maine-based International WoodFuels (IWF) to share production facilities at Pride’s Burnham, Maine manufacturing facility.
For many years, PrideSports’ Burnham manufacturing plant has met its goal of producing “Near Zero” wood waste. In fact, over 99% of the wood bi-products created from producing billions of golf tees are reclaimed and reused to create energy in the plant or is recycled for other industries. Now, the partnership with IWF will allow a significant amount of this bi-product to be turned into renewable-energy wood pellets that will be used to heat homes, schools and businesses that would have otherwise burned fossil fuels.
As a result of the partnership, PrideSports and IWF will combine to save up to 133,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually through the manufacturing of wooden golf tees and the clean-burning wood pellets, respectively. Additionally, the proximity of the IWF facility will eliminate the need to transport these products and will conserve thousands of gallons of diesel fuel annually.
“I am thrilled with our partnership with International WoodFuels,” said Joe Zeller, President/COO of PrideSports. “Our company accepted the challenge to set the benchmark for eco-friendliness and always finds ways to exceed our already high conservation standards. The Burnham facility is a shining example of how a U.S. factory can thrive in a competitive world economy and at the same time act in an environmentally responsible manner.”
“As PrideSports only purchases lumber from companies that practice proper forest management, and given the magnitude of golf tees used by golfers around the world on an annual basis, it is imperative that we use lumber that is harvested in a manner that will ensure an abundance of renewable forests for many generations to come,” said John Hohman, Vice President of Marketing, PrideSports. “Our efforts to enhance our already green-friendly products are important for the environment, and good for the game of golf.”
In addition to improved sustainability efforts, and with oversized wooden tees now the standard in golf at both the amateur and professional levels, PrideSports recently enhanced its manufacturing process to make its most popular PTS models, ProLength Plus™ and ProLength MAX™, stronger and more durable. The 3¼” ProLength Plus™ tee is now manufactured to a .185 diameter shank, as compared to its previous .171 size. Additionally, the ProLength MAX™ tee is now manufactured to a .195 diameter shank, as compared to its previous .171 size. The change in shank diameter provides both tee models with the strength to withstand multiple uses, as compared to imported wooden tees of the same length that generally break upon impact.
Hohman adds, “While this slight change in shank diameter might not seem like much, it provides a tremendous strength improvement for a product that is used by nearly every golfer. This new improvement, along with the continued use of 100% Maine Hardwoods, will keep breakage at a minimum and allow golfers longer usage from their PTS tees, thus increasing the value of one of the game’s great staple products.”
The Professional Tee System™ (PTS), which is the #1 wooden tee brand on tour, was created based on golfer demand, at both the professional and amateur levels, for a system to identify the golf tee lengths that worked best for today’s diverse oversize and hybrid golf club models. As a result, PrideSports abandoned the decades-old style of identifying golf tee lengths by inches and created PTS, a proprietary system of color-coded tees that allows for easy identification of length, and which matches the tee to a clubhead size.
PrideSports was formed in January 2003 following Pride Manufacturing Company’s purchase of Softspikes, Inc., and its sister company Trisport, Ltd. of England. This acquisition essentially formed the world’s premier golf accessories company, as Pride and Softspikes are the world’s leading golf tee and golf cleat lines, respectively. Today, PrideSports is the world leader in the design and manufacture of cleats, spikes and receptacles for the entire golf footwear industry.
Contact:
Glenn Mastro (gmastro@mastrocomm.com)
Stefanie Schiavello (stefanie@mastrocomm.com)
Mastro Communications, Inc. @ 732-469-5700
