Modern golfing would be impossible without George Grant, the African American inventor who patented the world's first golf tee in 1899. Born in Oswego, New York in 1847, George Franklin Grant was the son of former slaves. He made his way to Harvard Dental School, where he was one of the first ever black graduates, becoming one of the nation's first African American dentists.
A devoted golfer, Grant found himself frustrated by the movement of the ball from where he was trying to hit it. His invention was a small wooden (originally rubber) peg that could be pushed into the ground for stability, with a slightly concave top to cradle the ball's curved edge. Although the sport of golfing was then hundreds of years old, Grant's was the first patent for a golf tee.

Grant also invented new products and devices to help with his profession, patenting an appliance used in the treatment of cleft palate.