As a believer in recycling, I’ve always hated how golf pencils are consumed.

You see golfers casually discard them after the round. They end up on the cart barn floor, in the trash can, in the trunk of the car, anywhere really.

Considering that golf pencils are free and useful for one simple purpose, it’s hard to get too bent out of shape about it all. Still, I can’t help but wonder how many trees are wiped out by several million of these little sticks.

Turns out, there are alternative uses for all those extra pencils. My daughter’s kindergarten teacher said she’d love as many as she could get her hands on. The children’s hands are so small, and their motor skills still so raw, that short golf pencils work much better than full-sized ones in teaching them how to write. Who knew?

I cleaned out my golf bag tonight and went to my shag box of golf treasures to find about two dozen more to give to the school. I get a chuckle thinking that these little kids will be snapping these things in two, chewing them up and generally mistreating them. Some of the pencils are from some of the world’s most famous golf courses … the TPC of Sawgrass, Kiawah Island, Whistling Straights, even Pebble Beach.

Even if they have a little sentimental worth, I don’t mind giving them up. They will be put to work for a greater good, teaching tiny tots to write.

And besides, I’m sure by the end of next week’s trip to Ireland, my bad will be full of exotic replacements all over again.

Next time you think about throwing a handful of golf pencils away, give your local elementary school a call. They might just welcome the castoffs with open arms.

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