Tying It All Together

Signage, flags and flagsticks, ball washers, yardage markers, even benches; they can all be used to subtly create a clean, unifying look. It’s an effective way to enhance a club’s prestige while promoting its attention to detail. For some resorts, it’s as simple as putting their logo on all fixtures. But at Bay Creek Resort & Club in Cape Charles, Va., the course fixtures combine to pay homage to the area’s colonial roots.

The resort’s Director of Golf, Tom Stevenson, says this tribute didn’t start as a marketing ploy. Rather, it was borne of a desire to preserve the rich heritage of the region (Cape Charles is at the southern tip of the DelMarVa peninsula, just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Norfolk).

“[Resort owner] Dick Foster and I share an interest in history, and this was an opportunity to showcase that in a unique way,” Stevenson says.

Stevenson heads a growing list of industry managers who’ve seen the benefits of focusing on course peripherals. To them, tee markers, yardage plaques, ball washers, statues and other fixtures are not just utilitarian extras, but opportunities to enhance overall visual aesthetics—and the golfer’s playing experience.

Honoring the Past
The area surrounding Bay Creek was a major railway and maritime center in the 19th century—a legacy now reflected throughout the grounds. “We completely restored an 1886 lighthouse from the original plans,” Stevenson says. The handsome building, which once stood sentinel over the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, now serves as a target for golfers navigating the first hole of the resort’s Arnold Palmer course.
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Further links to the past can be found in touches like Bay Creek’s four-sided clock garden. “In the 19th century, street clocks were quite common in towns like Cape Charles,” Stevenson says. An ornate garden surrounds the club’s modern version. 

A statue depicting a fishing scene, known as “A Father’s Legacy,” further recognizes the era. “This was once an important fishing community—still is, actually,” says Stevenson.

Why go to all the effort and expense? “This area’s history deserves to be preserved,” says Stevenson. And for golfers escaping from the Big City to Bay Creek, the throwback to a quieter, more civilized era makes an important contribution to the relaxation factor.

Design On a Dime
This type of attention to detail doesn’t have to be confined to higher-end clubs. One supplier suggests that clubs with limited budgets can still update their signage or other course equipment by adapting a sponsorship program. “It really offsets the cost, and allows local clubs or municipal courses to invest in much nicer fixtures,” he notes. “Some courses are even applying for arts grants, to help pay for sculptures and other statuary.”

Budgeters at cash-strapped courses should also look at the long-term benefits of higher-end on-course options. Wood signs and tee blocks might be significantly cheaper, but bronze, aluminum or stone versions can last for decades. Over time, the savings—and positive impressions—can add up.

Shiny New Accessories
Miami’s impressive skyline used to provide the visual distractions for golfers playing the Links at Fisher Island. But after a comprehensive investment in course infrastructure, the club’s First Assistant Professional, Dave Ayyar, now says the club’s new and refurbished signage competes with that sparkling cityscape.

“It’s not something you would expect to make much of a difference,” Ayyar says. “But the upgrades we made to the on-course equipment have had a huge impact on the entire resort.”

The Fisher Island course was in the enviable position of undergoing a complete tee-to-green renovation, so the decision to do a simultaneous upgrade of signage and other fixtures was easy. In some cases, though—as with the 13-year-old bronze directional markers and yardage plates— replacement was cost-prohibitive.

“Our supplier suggested that refurbishment could have them looking like new, at a fraction of the cost,” Ayyar reports. The savings amounted to close to 40%, he estimates—no small amount when members, through a one-time assessment, were bankrolling the entire restoration. 

Now even the tarnished old fixtures have been improved to provide the proper complement to the new, pristine setting—and Ayyar says the overhaul has been a rousing success.

So what has been the biggest surprise for this 10-year, tenured professional? The number of compliments from the course’s players about the refurbished signage. “It’s a testament to just how important these things are,” Ayyar feels. “It’s shown us that course fixtures are as integral to the course’s overall image as its greens or bunkers.”

Avoiding Fashion Disasters
Despite glowing testimonials like these, peripherals like tee markers and yardage signs still too often fall into neglect, as management focuses on larger-scale projects, or underappreciates their value. Before long, these accessories become dated, damaged eyesores.

That, says a Kentucky-based equipment supplier, reflects badly on the property. “You can have the most pristine greens in the world,” he notes. “But a golfer will surely remember the faded sign on a tee box or missing yardage marker.”
It’s up to everyone, from the marshals and maintenance staff to the general manager, to keep an eye out for deteriorating fixtures. “This type of equipment must enhance the golfing experience, not detract from it,” the supplier believes.

And that doesn’t just pertain to unsightly or decaying infrastructure. “I’ve seen some courses use huge, imposing tee markers or garish signage that’s completely out of character with the rest of the property,” the supplier adds.

The key is to achieve a simple, subtle blend between aesthetics and the purpose of the equipment—be it to route golfers, help them choose clubs, or clean their gear.

The fewer colors and materials used in fixtures, the better.  Think of the course as a men’s dress shirt, and fixtures as the cuff links that can provide a needed function, without overpowering the showcase item.