While the basic design of the golf tee has changed little since the late nineteenth century, it has evolved significantly throughout the game's history. There are a variety of theories which suggest how and were golf began. The earliest evidence is a game similar to golf played by the ancient Chinese as early as 300 B.C. According to some, the modern game of golf finds its origins with a game played by during Roman times. This game called Pagancia involved hitting a leather ball stuffed with feathers. Others suggest that it was derived from the French game chole played in the 1300s or the English game cambuca. Both of these involved hitting a ball with a stick. The most direct ancestor to golf was a game called kolfspel played in Holland around 1295. This game required a player to hit a ball with a wooden club, or kolf, into a series of targets. To get a clear shot, players were allowed to elevate the ball on a tuitje, which was a small pile of sand. This was the first type of golf tee known. The modern game of golf developed in Scotland during the 1400s. By 1735, the first golf organization was formed. The first tournament was played in 1744. This tournament followed a set of 13 rules that became standard in 1754. The one exception was that a ball could not be placed on a tee to improve a watery lie.

  In 1899, the first patent for a golf tee was issued to George Grant. Since this time a variety of innovations have been introduced. Some of these innovations relate to the tee's shape. For example, during the 1970s two patents were granted for golf tees that had unique designs which were supposed to help improve the flight of the ball. Other patents were issued for golf tees that stayed in the ground more consistently after the ball was hit. In the 1980s, an angled golf tee was introduced. The composite material of certain golf tees has also changed. For instance, a 1991 patent describes a golf tee made out of a biodegradable resin. Additional materials introduced recently include clay tees, tees made from corn, and tees composed of animal byproducts. Although more than 25 patents have been issued for improved golf tees in the last 20 years, the most popular tees still have the same basic shape as the ones first made a century ago.