For the Love of Golf, Part II

I often preach about the importance of little details. Tee markers on golf course tee boxes are definitely something that would fall into this category. Yes, they are foremost functional objects but possess great brand building potential. The generic oversized golf ball or yule log markers might even be hurting the brand.

There are 18 holes on a golf course, 4 tee boxes on each hole and 2 tee markers on each tee box, so it’s an investment whatever you do. Naturally, you want the markers to clearly show where to tee up your ball. They should stand the test of time and thunderstorms. However, they can also be loved by the members and visitors alike, and serve the brand.

This year, I had a great privilege to design new tee markers for Aura Golf, one of the oldest golf clubs in Finland. With age comes tradition which is never to be taken lightly. You want to respect the past but also design something new that will be respected in the future.

The course is situated within a historic natural park where large oak trees dominate the terrain. These tall oak trees grow on the fairways too. The club’s coat-of-arms style logo has a wreath of oak leaves. It was a no-brainer, I knew from the very beginning that the oak tree is the way to go. The only question was how. Whatever the design, I wanted it to be an integral part of the course and the surrounding natural park.

After summer comes fall and the oaks drop their leaves. They cover the ground in multiple colors as do the tee markers. A single oak leaf with no markings or logos, just the form of the leaf itself. Simple as that.

Creative:
Wolf German • Designer
Miika Heikkinen • Industrial Design Consultant
Tommi Savolainen • Project Manager