Golf News: The Best Golf Course Logos from Around the World

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In today’s golf news, we look at some of the greatest golf logos the world of golf has to offer.

Golf swag is the best kind of swag. We all agree on that. Whenever we play a famous course what do we all do? Buy logoed stuff. Hats, shirts, ball markers, headcovers, balls – everyone has their favorite keepsake. That’s where we head for today’s golf news.

Why do you do it? So you can saunter around the club and have someone see your hat and say, “Have you played Carnoustie?”

You can reply with practiced nonchalance, “Why of course, old boy, haven’t you?”

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“No,” they say, hanging their head in jealous shame. “But I’m planning on going sometime.”

You pat them on the back condescendingly and say, “Of course you will, chap. Of course, you will.”

Then you turn the corner and run into that ambulance-chasing lawyer whose great uncle belongs to Pine Valley and he’ll give you the same treatment.

Ce la vie du golf. One-upmanship is virtually knitted into the fabric of the game.

Regardless, it’s almost impossible to go to Pebble or St. Andrews or any other famous track without coming home with a keepsake. I collect fancy ball markers. It’s great. When I use my Royal Troon hubcap I can relive, yard-by-yard, the excruciating 7X I shot on the par-3 Postage Stamp. Ah, sweet, sweet memories.

UK courses have great swag because they all have beautifully complex crests and badges. Wearing a hat with the crest of a British Open course makes you feel like a knight of the realm. You start saying things like, “She’s in a wee bit of gorse but she’ll come out with well-struck mashie.”

It all got me thinking: What are the best logos in golf? Not necessarily the best courses, but great courses with the best logos. Here’s how I approached my list.

Professionally, I’m a writer and creative in the ad business. I’ve spent my career around great design and designers. To be fair, I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, but I have paid attention to those talented folks who are able to create a logo that captures not just the intended look, but the emotional spirit of a product.

We all know golf is a spiritual game as much as a physical one. Courses have personalities. Some are draped in myth. Some are intimidating, others feel like a pastoral hike dotted with little flags. Each leaves an impression – good or bad – on the player. And their logo is their stamp you carry away to conjure memories and spur conversations.

I hate course logos with kids. I’m not sure why. I like kids. But seeing a scruffy Horatio Alger-ish urchin with an oversized cap and golf bag – I instinctively curl my lip. Bethpage Black and Pinehurst: I’m looking at you.

I also don’t care for trendy or modern logos. Golf endears itself through its history. Some courses have been around since blood-letting was considered an avant-garde treatment for dropsy. Alternatively, think of a young George Washington vacationing in Scotland to tee it up at St. Andrews after a stinging defeat at Fort Necessity during the French and Indian War in 1754.

That could have happened had the 22-year old Washington been a golfer.

Does a clipart logo sound like it can capture the spirit of a course regularly played in 1754?

So without further adieu, I give you my top 5 golf course logos in no particular order. Some are classic old courses and some are modern. All nailed their branding.

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