Next On the Tee!

Golf is a real smorgasbord for the senses, but it is especially geared to the visual. Case in point when playing a course, surely you notice:

• the layout
• the agronomy and the course’s overall condition
• grandiosity (or lack thereof) of the clubhouse
• the large number on the receipt of a must play track

We bet there is one thing that you don’t recall from your last round of golf played at your non-home track. The tee markers. Yeah, you heard us. The tee markers.

Who cares about tee markers? After all, even golf’s granddaddy, Augusta National, uses what amounts to rough sawn branches with painted ends.

Following in the flatulence trail of our recent discussion of professional golf’s must see trophies, we looked at other unique features of high-level touring golf, and we stumbled upon some of the best tee markers used for professional tournaments.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Section: KFT BMW Pro-Am, Porsche European Open, LPGA’s ANA Inspiration, Turkish Airlines, Hero Indian Open, BMW Championship

Gratuitous Sponsor Section: John Deere Classic, Valspar, Barbasol,  Travelers Championship, Wells Fargo Championship, FedEx St. Jude, Waste Management Phoenix Open,

Organization(s) That Need No Introduction Section: USGA, Olympics, R&A’s Open Championship, The Players Championship,

Odd & Unusual (But Still Awesome) Section: Wyndham Championship, Honda Classic, Sentry TOC, Dubai Desert Classic, Sand Valley’s Sand Box

Our personal favorite, and not because of the link to its black and brown cock rooster trophy, are the Sanderson Farms markers; hand painted by patients at the local children’s hospital (the tournament’s beneficiary).

Due to the revolving door of sponsors for tournaments, many A-grade tee markers have been pushed aside. Fear not, we have donned our elbow length latex gloves and trolled the bowels of the internet for some of our favorites:

Wegman’s LPGA, Safeway Open, Navistar LPGA Classic, RBC Canadian Open, Constellation Energy Senior Players, Frys.com Open, Tour Championship,

We have surely overlooked some old classics and some newer tee markers, but it’s refreshing knowing there are more to tee markers than the painted logs or cement globe/cone/cube we have all rattled a tee shot (or two) off of over the years.

Does your local club have a skookum tee marker? Send it our way: News@TheStarterShack.com