dingdingding!!!
Those are, in fact, golf-tees, caught on clearance at WalMart a few weeks back for just this purpose.
I'm going to do some up in a "hammered black" finish and some in a lighter "sparkling champaigne" finish - that way, I'll have sets of a visible color regardless of the background. I also have several other architectural elements for stools and such, so I'll be playing with those as I can - one idea requires a couple of exacting cuts, but *should* result in a rather nice chair with a nice back. if all goes well, I'll figure out how to build these guys up in a way that allows me to make casts of them.