The small town of Casey, Ill., is taking a novel – or novelty – approach to economic development.
The town already boasts the world’s largest wind chimes. Now, thanks to Bolin Enterprises, a pipeline servicing company, the town of about 2,700 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 near U.S. 40 and south of Interstate 70. Plans are already underway to place a giant ball atop the tee. The ball will include a large opening allowing golfers to hit real golf balls from inside.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Illinois State Representative Brad Halbrook, who attended Tuesday’s 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 after the official measuring, which was attended by about 50 Casey residents in addition to more than a dozen 3- to 5-year-olds from Casey Head Start, one of whom mistook the tee, at first glance, for a giant flashlight.
The big wooden tee will eventually stand at its full height near the first tee of the Casey Country Club’s nine-hole golf course. If all goes according to plan, its tip will be below the surface of the ground, but still visible thanks to a large, submerged tank, said Mike Bohannon, operations manager at Bolin Enterprises and co-creator of the tee along with other members of the Bolin team.
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.
The folks at Bolin Enterprises “care about Casey,” Weigand said after ensuring the measurements taken Tuesday afternoon met all Guinness standards. “We haven’t heard the last of Jim Bolin.”
Terre Haute Tribune-Star reporter Arthur Foulkes can be reached at 812-231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
Fore! Government officials line up along with Casey Head Start students and Bolin Enterprise officials after the measuring was complete in the Illinois city’s latest try at the Guinness Book of World Records. At 30 feet, three-fourths of an inch, it is longer than the current record by over three feet. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis)
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Specialty: Jim Bolin holds one of the tapes used to get an accurate measurement of the Casey golf tee. At 30 feet, three quarters of an inch, it should take top spot in the Guinness Book of World records.
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Tale of the tape: Jim Bolin, president of Bolin Enterprises, and Michael Bohannon, his Operations Manager, take a measure of the diameter of the top of the golf tee they created. Six feet, three and an eighth inches was the figure they came up with. The tee is 30 feet, three-fourths of an inch long and weighs in at 6,659 pounds.
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Close inspection: Students from the Casey, Ill., Head Start program get an up close look at the outsized wooden golf tee at Bolin Enterprises Tuesday afternoon.
Discussion
Casey to Tee it up: Town looking for another place in world record book
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Illinois Senate approves sex education bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A proposal that revamps sex education in Illinois public schools to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases has cleared the state Senate.
-
Gregg pondering 2nd run for Indiana governor
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg is pondering another run at the state's top job, but has yet to make a decision.
-
Illinois senator apologizes for Nazi remark
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Sen. Donne Trotter has apologized for remarks that compared a member of Gov. Pat Quinn’s cabinet to a Nazi.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 22, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Rose-Hulman professor researching ways to make homes storm safe
Tornadoes produce greater uplift forces than hurricanes, which can flatten homes such as in Moore Okla., south of Oklahoma City.
-
Group wants to connect downtown Terre Haute with the Wabash River
Fairbanks Park is underutilized.
The Wabash River is peaceful and inviting, but there is some concern about its cleanliness as well as pollution levels. Also, people can’t get on the river unless they have a boat. -
New conservancy district appoints first directors
Members of the first board of directors of a new lake conservancy district were appointed Tuesday by the Vigo County Board of Commissioners.
-
Vigo law enforcement signs Triad charter to protect seniors
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller joined Vigo County law enforcement and community activists Tuesday to sign the county’s first Triad charter, becoming the 22nd Triad in Indiana.
-
Wabash Valley Red Cross wraps up Save the Day Campaign
The American Red Cross Wabash Valley Chapter’s 2013 annual meeting concluded the 17th annual Save the Day Campaign, and the results lifted the spirits of all who were involved.
-
Some Vigo roads washed out
Spring storms resulted in $250,000 in damages to roads in southern Vigo County, with costs including sand and labor to save homes near river bottoms, said county highway Assistant Superintendent Dan Bennett.
-
County Council votes $78K toward rail spur
County officials voted Tuesday night to make good on a 2011 promise to help improve a railroad spur just north of Terre Haute for Menard Inc.
-
Spring flooding damages future CSO holding lagoon
Flood waters from the Wabash River have done costly damage to one of the city-owned “lagoons” on former International Paper property.
-
Vigo tops state average for IREAD-3 scores
The Vigo County School Corp. exceeded the state average in the percentage of students passing the state’s mandatory Grade 3 reading test, IREAD-3.
-
Storms cause minor damage in Valley
Tuesday morning storms in the Wabash Valley caused thousands of Duke Energy customers to lose power.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 21, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
UPDATE: Damage surveys show 2 weak tornadoes hit near Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says storm surveys show two weak tornadoes struck central Indiana.
-
Storm causes scattered Indiana power outages
INDIANAPOLIS — A line of thunderstorms that moved across Indiana caused scattered building damage and power outages for several thousand homes and businesses.
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down 4 percent
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
UPDATE: 5 killed, 6 injured in I-70 van crash in Illinois
ST. LOUIS — A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times today, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.
-
2 children reported dead from Indianapolis fire
INDIANAPOLIS — Authorities say some autistic children lived in the Indianapolis condominium unit where a fire has killed two children.
-
Tighter Indiana drunken driving law seems unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — Some key Indiana legislators say it’s unlikely that the state will any time soon go along with a federal safety board’s recommendation that the threshold for drunken driving be cut nearly in half.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 20, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on jail records.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” - More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Illinois Senate approves sex education bill
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Today in History May 22
IRS Official Pleads 5th Amendment
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Florida FBI Shooting Has Boston Bombing Links
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
