McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

The Buzz

Related Photos

  • At 30 feet, three quarters of an inch, the golf tee in Casey, Ill., is longer than the current record by over three feet. Photo by Jim Avelis

    World record golf tee

  • Jim Bolin, president of Bolin Enterprises, and Michael Bohannon, his operations manager, measure the diameter of the top of the golf tee they created. Photo by Jim Avelis

    World record golf tee
January 30, 2013

Illinois town looks for another place in the record book

CNHI

CASEY, Ill. — This small south-central Illinois town of 2,700 people has learned to think in a big way when it comes to economic development.

It already boasts the world’s largest wind chimes. Now, thanks to Bolin Enterprises, a pipeline servicing company,  Casey is home to the world’s largest golf tee – measuring slightly more than 30 feet in length and weighing more than three tons.

The massive tee and the enormous wind chimes are designed to give people a reason to make a stop in Casey, said Jim Bolin, co-owner of Bolin Enterprises and creator of the massive wind chimes and co-creator of the huge golf tee.

“The goal is to drum up interest in Casey,” Bolin said after an official measurement confirmed the tee is more than three feet longer than the current world record golf tee.

The tee, which is made of yellow pine and is completely solid, can help create interest in Casey, bring new visitors to restaurants and gas stations, and encourage new private investment, Bolin said.

“Like all communities, we’re fighting for economic growth,” he said.

The tee, which weighs 6,659 pounds, is expected to be standing by this summer on the grounds of the Casey Country Club. Plans are already underway to place a giant ball atop the tee.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Illinois State Representative Brad Halbrook, who attended the official measuring of the tee, the results of which will be submitted to Guinness World Records. Ideas such as this can generate positive interest in a community that can only help, he said.

Nicole Weigand, economic development director for the City of Casey, called the tee project a “snowball event,” meaning it can spur other creative ideas and investment in the community.

“It also pulls people together,” Weigand said.

Bolin Enterprises has no intention of allowing Casey to rest on the laurels of its massive wind chimes and golf tee. Plans are already in the works for a third “world’s largest” project, details of which are to be announced later.

 

Text Only | Photo Reprints
The Buzz
Seasonal Content
AP Video
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel? Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
NDN Video
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Beyonce Is Pregnant! SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion Woman tricked into taking abortion pill Emma Watson Goes Pantless IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.