There is something unique about the golf course logo.
Sure, there are plenty of logos in the world—for sports teams, for fast food chains, for corporate businesses, etc.—but golf course logos are especially awesome.
A great club logo can be simple or symbolic, complex or timeless. Some countries opt for old standbys like interlocking letters, but others go with animals, mythology, or a region’s history.
I’m always fascinated by what a club chooses. Some of these logos have become so famous that they are instantly recognizable.
I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the 10 best golf course logos with a little explanation of why it slaps. Feel free to argue in the comments.
10. Whistling Strait (Sheboygan, Wisc.)
I’m a stickler for the Whistling Straits logo of a mythical wind god who appears to be, well, whistling.
Inspired by an 18th-century Irish rococo carving found by former CEO Herb Kohler, the pursed lips and large, rugged character symbolize the windswept nature of the Wisconsin coastline.
You’ll see this as a theme on the list, but I love it when a club ties their logo together with the nature of the course.
Whistling Straits does it like any other country.
Come on, you gotta love the Winged Leg logo inspired by Greek mythology.
When the golf club was founded in 1921, its founders were primarily members of the prestigious New York Athletic Club. Because they wanted a physical location for their golf course, they adopted NYAC’s iconic “winged foot” seal—inspired by the winged sandals of the Greek god Hermes, which symbolize versatility and the pursuit of excellence.
Rarely can you get a course logo that is on the nose and still so iconic.
8. Waterville (Ireland)
This one isn’t the most popular here – most of the great golf course logos are in America – but I had to put Waterville’s Irish rabbit logo on the list.
Irish rabbits are a common sight along the dunes and fairways of the coastal links, so they make a great symbol.
I’m not usually a fan of the club’s founding year being included in a logo, but the way the rabbit is standing between 1889 really does it for me. I also like the look of the rabbit with its head turned. Great stuff.
7. Goat Hill Park (Oceanside, California)
This may be an achievement, but I’m obsessed with the Goat Hill Park logo.
Designed by Linksoul co-founder Geoffrey Cunningham, the goat sits atop an “O” for Oceanside, California. The course was originally called Center City but was renamed Goat Hill as a joke due to deteriorating conditions, but was officially renamed in 2014 to Goat Hill Park it’s not a joke.
The goat logo is both respectable as a legitimate course emblem and representative of the relaxed, anti-country club atmosphere that is synonymous with Goat Hill.
No note. This fell from the Park (Goat Hill).
6. Wildwood (Portland, Ore.)
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The Wildwood Golf Club logo was recently created as an ode to Bigfoot/Sasquatch, the legend of the Pacific Northwest.
“Placing Bigfoot seems like an elusive task, but the truth is that Bigfoot has always been here,” the club’s website states. “All this time, over our 30 years—just shape-shifting into many forms, but mostly playing golf—Bigfoot has called Wildwood home.
“Perhaps you’ve caught glimpses of someone (or something), fluently playing a cut on the 10th hole, just as the moon takes over. Maybe you’ve teed it up and heard a faint ‘sleep’ through the firs. Maybe you’ve noticed an unusually large footprint pressed into the worn range mat. ‘Isn’t that right?’ you ask yourself, only to chip away at the shot in confusion.”
I love everything about it. The logo. The design. The meaning behind it. They even named the logo after a man who helped build the course. Flawless.
5. Pinehurst (Pinehurst, NC)
Putter Boy. You don’t need to say anything else (although, of course, I will).
Pinehurst’s iconic logo dates from advertising materials from the early 1900s and a subsequent statue built by Lucy Richards in 1912.
“The shaft of the club created the shadow that would be used on the sundial to tell the time, and to get the right angle, the length of the club had to be extremely long,” according to the Pinehurst website.
This is so cute on so many levels. Putter Boy represents that youthful, pure enthusiasm for golf that we all share. Just take a club that is too long and try to make it work.
The sundial element is sick. “Hey, how many more holes can we get in? Putter guy says we can get in at least nine more.”
4. Seminole (Juno Beach, Fla.)
There’s something to be said for a classic logo.
The Seminole Golf Club logo features a stoic Seminole Native American with red feathers emerging from his hair. The golden circle around it and the choice of colors really brings it all together.
When financier EF Hutton founded and built the club in 1929, he drew inspiration from Florida’s landscape, history and local culture. The Seminole people of Florida proudly call themselves the “Unconquered People.”
The word “Seminole” also means “wild” or “untamed”—appropriate for Donald Ross’s course that features ever-present winds and sandy areas.
3. Merion (Ardmore, Penn.)
Of all the timeless golf course logos, I think Merion’s wicker basket club splitting the Scotch Broom bush is the best.
You have to consider how iconic the wicker basket is. Do any other courses use anything other than a flag? I’m sure someone does, but Merion is so attached to the wicker basket.
I also have to say that the symmetry of this logo just screams golf tradition. It’s so aesthetically pleasing for reasons I can’t quite explain. You can see this in a polo from a mile away and know exactly what the club represents.
2. Passing Time (Santa Cruz, California)
No one loves a good afternoon siesta like you do. Pasatiempo’s logo really takes that concept to the next level.
Pasatiempo translates to “pastime”, “hobby” or “quiet pastime” in Spanish. So the logo of a person sitting under a tree resting under his sombrero is right on brand (and very relatable).
The logo also doubles as an embodiment of the relaxed atmosphere of a club.
You won’t feel as free from Pasatiempo’s greens, but I absolutely adore the concept of this logo.
1. Sleepy Hollow (Briarcliff Manor, NY)
There are two parts of the Sleepy Hollow logo that really make this stand out to me.
One is mythology. Washington Irving’s 1820 story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow talks about the Headless Horseman, a legendary supernatural figure dating back to the Middle Ages.
It makes a perfect fit here.
Second, I just love the design. The angry horse, which flows like fire. Headless knight’s cape flowing in the wind. Color scheme. Everything goes together perfectly.
What are your favorite golf course logos? Let me know below in the comments.
