ORLANDO, Florida — Golf logos are all about enhancing a brand. A new way to catch the attention of golfers on the course was launched at the 100th anniversary of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America's Conference and Trade Show.
The product is called Custom Golf Cup, which is a logo liner that fits around the inside of a standard golf cup. Every golfer that reaches into the hole to retrieve their ball after putting out will see the logo — hole-after-hole-after-hole.
The company was founded by the husband and wife team of Todd and Holly Ritz, of Chicago, but the idea actually was hatched by one of the couple’s four sons.
"We’re trying to elevate the experience for our customers with the custom golf liners that are maintenance free, along with being waterproof and UV proof," Holly Ritz says. "It’s the same material that is used for outside advertising banners so it’s really weather resistant."
The hole liners are designed for temporary installation, making them ideal for tournaments, corporate outings or charity events.
Clients can choose a background color, select a layout and upload logos for a custom design. Average turnaround time is between 13 and 16 business days from proof approval.
"Starting a business like this has been so fun and we’ve learned a lot at the Show," Holly Ritz says. "We’ve learned that our market is mostly private clubs because they are looking for ways to elevate the experience."
And the couple arguably had the most unique company logo at the show, which pictures a rabbit jumping into a golf hole.
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SAFETY FIRST
Many people escape to golf courses for serene and peaceful settings. But are those working around our tee shots and putts providing a safe environment for players and staff?
How often have you stood on a tee box and are waved through by a maintenance staffer cutting a fairway? Is he following proper procedure?
That’s where Golf Safety, a risk compliance company, can help golf facilities and country clubs build a safer workplace.
The company provides clients written safety plans, video safety training services and will craft a premier safety compliance program for a course.
"One of the things we do is provide videos that relate to operating machinery safely around golfers," says company spokesman Chris Juarez. "Staffers at a particular course may not have a background in golf maintenance, so they learn through our videos, such as hand signals — or we'll call it proper etiquette regarding operating machinery when golfers are in the area. Our services very much intertwine directly with golfers."
The Stuart, Florida-based company has been in business for more than 25 years and has 900 subscription customers nationwide.
Juarez says health and safety can be overlooked at some courses with an industry that is filled with turnover, so Golf Safety focuses on training and compliance — from the maintenance facility out to the course.
"I would say top three items of concern on the golf course superintendent side of things are the proper storage of flammable containers, the improper use of temporary power sources, improper storage of hazardous chemicals and missing signage."
TO REMOVE OR NOT TO REMOVE
Should the damaged yet strategic tree on the 17th hole, which helps guard an approach shot to the green stay or go? Take the guesswork out of it with a New York-based company that has been consulting golf courses on everything from tree preservation to canopy management since 1978.
SavATree now has more than 100 branches in close to 40 states, and has serviced hundreds of golf courses as it approaches five decades in business.
“"f there's something that has happened with a tree ... say a large limb fell and it came close to somebody in a golf cart or cracked a bench near a tee box ... that's usually when it sparks a course to call us for help," says Brandon Brown, the company’s Southeast district manager. "Or they're about to do some sort of renovation project. That's when we really come into play."
Brown says the one thing that separates SavATree from competitors in the golf industry is the ability to provide National Resource Consulting.
“We can go in and provide a course with a full-blown inventory of all the trees that they have," Brown says. "That way they can make informed decisions, especially for the board, which trees need to go, which trees do we need to save, which trees are key to a certain hole."
Brown says pruning proper branches and the results of new cart paths can be two big issues faces courses.
"If a course is not sure exactly where to cut a limb they might be causing a lot of undue harm on that tree later on down the road," Brown says. "And when a course is cutting in new cart paths you have to ask questions like ‘How many roots are getting damaged? Is a course inadvertently creating a safety issue where a tree might fall over later?'"
In addition to certain clubs as clients, SavATree also works with various architects across the country.
"It’s mostly ones who have been educated enough to understand, 'Hey, this is out of my realm, let me call in an expert here because I need some help,'" Brown says. "And it’s usually on more high-end properties."
