01 of 21
The Michelin Man
A Michelin Man tee marker at the 2005 Michelin Championship in Las Vegas. Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Tee markers on golf courses’ tee boxes and teeing grounds tend to be … boring. Often just a globe, cone or cube, wood or plastic (sometimes stone), painted various colors to represent the different playing lengths available.
Tee markers designate the space from which golfers begin each hole. And traditionally, they were colored red for forward tees, white for middle tees and blue for back tees. Today golf courses often use more than three sets of tees, and many different colors.
But we’re still talking mostly about the same ol’ boring shapes, colors and materials.
Not so for the tee markers on the pro golf tours! Like the mini-Michelin Man above - he was used when tire company Michelin was title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Las Vegas tournament - the tee markers on the following pages are fun and sometimes even funny.
All of them are a lot more interesting that what golfers typically find on our local courses. Turn the page and enjoy.
02 of 21
Plush Tiger
Tee marker at the Czech Masters in 2015. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
“It’s the eye of the tiger …” It’s a plush, white tiger tee marker in use at the European Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters tournament in 2015.
And the cute tiger was one of many different tee markers in use there. They had little bottles of champagne, semi truck models, airplanes, and little barrels of beer, among other things. Fun! (There were probably a few golfers in the field who tried to break into the beer barrels.)
03 of 21
Boys and Their Toys
At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2014, they had cars as tee markers. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
The hands in this photo belong to Zach Johnson, who couldn’t resist playing with the Hyundai model used as tee markers during the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions event in 2014. Model cars are actually pretty common at pro golf tournaments that have title sponsors from the auto industry.
04 of 21
Coke
A Coca-Cola 6-pack as tee markers at the 2014 Tour Championship. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Have a Coke and a smile? Well, that all depends on your score. Coca-Cola is a presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, and miniature Coke bottles turn up as tee markers there.
05 of 21
Tastes Like Chicken
At the Sanderson Farms PGA Tour event, the tee markers are naturally chickens. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
This painted bird was one of the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. Only appropriate, since title sponsor Sanderson Farms is a major United States poultry producer.
During the 2015 edition of that tournament, the PGA Tour tweeted that all the tee markers are hand-painted by children at Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
06 of 21
Chips Off The Ol’ …
Swinging computer chips at the Frys.com Open. Steve Dykes/Getty Images
These cute little guys were used as tee markers at the 2015 Frys.com Open. What are they? You mean you’ve never seen golfing computer chips before? Frys.com is an electronics retailer.
07 of 21
Gone Shopping
Miniature shopping carts at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in 2011. Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Hey, anybody need any groceries? Maybe some tiny boxes of cereal or thimble-sized cans of soup?
These miniature shopping carts were the tee markers at the Wegmans LPGA Championship during the last few years of that tournament’s history with Wegmans as the title sponsor. (This photo is from the 2011 tournament.)
Wegmans, a grocery store chain, was title sponsor of a regular LPGA Tour stop for many years before becoming title sponsor for one of the tour’s majors, the LPGA Championship. The tournament is now called the Women’s PGA Championship. So the mini-grocery carts are gone, but not forgotten.
Wonder if any of the golfers ever got stuck with the tee marker that had the squeaky wheel.
08 of 21
Nothing Runs Like A …
John Deere tractors and heavy machinery of various types at the John Deere Classic. Darren Carroll/Getty Images
Well, what else would you expect the tee markers to be at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour except for John Deere heavy equipment? This one is a skid steer loader with a drill screw; other miniatures used during the tournament include farm tractors and combines, and front-end loaders.
09 of 21
Barbasol
Barbasol shaving can tee marker. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Barbasol Championship made its debut on the PGA Tour in 2015, and title sponsor Barbasol was ready with cans of its shaving cream as tee markers. Cue the “close shave” jokes for anyone whose drive barely misses the fairway or trouble.
10 of 21
They Deliver
FedEx delivery truck tee markers at the St. Jude Classic. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
When your tee markers absolutely, positively have to be there overnight, who you gonna call? At the St. Jude Classic, title sponsor FedEx delivers miniatures of its delivery vans for use as tee markers.
11 of 21
One Small Step for Golfers
This Honda Classic tee marker is a spaceman. David Cannon/Getty Images
Well, hello there Mr. Spaceman! This fun tee marker was photographed during the PGA Tour Honda Classic in 2015. That tournament is played in Florida, which is where so many astronauts have blasted off into space.
This little guy is not the most famous astronaut golfer, however. That would be Alan Shephard, who hit a 6-iron shot on the moon.
12 of 21
Cleared for Takeoff
Model airplane tee marker at the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Warren Little/Getty Images
The tee marker here is the model airplane. The tortoise just happened to be passing by.
That’s a Turkish Airlines airplane, and the tournament using these tee markers is - big surprise - the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Planes are popular tee markers at any pro tournament sponsored by an airline.
If the airplane model and tortoise were both to scale in this scene, how big would the tortoise be? Too darn big.
13 of 21
Vroom, Vroom
A Porsche model as tee marker at the 2015 European Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
These models of Porsche automobiles showed up as tee markers at the European Open in 2015, when the famed German carmaker became title sponsor. If you’re like me, you probably can’t afford Porsche tee markers. But they are nice to look at.
14 of 21
Don’t Forget Your Helmet
A Hero motorcycle tee marker at the Hero Indian Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
We’ve seen airplanes and automobiles and delivery vans and tractors … so here’s a motorcyle tee marker. These bikes are used at the Hero Indian Open on the European Tour. Hero Honda Motors Ltd. - a company that makes a lot of motorcycles - is the title sponsor.
15 of 21
Umbrella Game
The Travelers umbrella as tee marker. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
I wonder if any golfer has picked up one of these little umbrellas and tried to hide under when it started raining. That would make a great photo. Somebody should do that.
The red umbrella is the corporate logo of The Travelers Companies, an insurance company. And these little umbrellas are the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship.
16 of 21
A Splash of Color
Tee marker in the form of a little can of Valspar paint. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
A can of paint. Yep, that’s a can of paint. Hey, we didn’t necessarily say that the tee markers featured in this article are exciting, just that they are different.
Valspar is a manufacturer of paint. And the company is also a PGA Tour title sponsor for the Valspar Championship.
17 of 21
El Camaleon
A tee marker in the form of a chameleon lizard. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
Admit it: At first glance you thought this was two lizards mating. It’s not! It’s just one lizard sunning itself on a rock.
It’s a chameleon, to be exact, and this one was a tee marker during the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour. That tournament is played at El Camaleon Golf Club, hence the lizard-on-a-rock tee markers.
18 of 21
Man of the World
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
This tee marker is a real man of the world. That little guy sports the colors of many nations in the form of their flags. It’s a colorful, fun tee marker with a meaning. The tournament? The World Cup of Golf, and this little golfer is in China in 2009 in the photo above.
19 of 21
Solar Power
Tee markers in the shape of solar panels. Hunter Martin/Getty Images
The Senior Players Championship has an energy company, Constellation Energy, as its title sponsor. And it has little, tiny solar panels for some of its tee markers. Too bad they don’t actually work. The Champions Tour golfers could charge up their cellphones while they wait to tee off.
20 of 21
Bullish on Golf
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Toro, toro, toro! When the Shenzhen International debuted on the European Tour in 2015, the tournament in China had some very colorful tee markers, including this bull.
21 of 21
Flock of Birdies
‘Birdie’ tee markers at the Sony Open. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Well, if you’re playing golf you want to see lots of birdies. And this pair are tee markers during the 2005 Sony Open on the PGA Tour.
That tour through the tee markers of pro golf was fun! Here are a couple photo galleries you might enjoy:
Weird, wacky and unusual golf trophies Fashion show: Ian Poulter’s wild golf outfits
01 of 21
The Michelin Man
A Michelin Man tee marker at the 2005 Michelin Championship in Las Vegas. Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Tee markers on golf courses’ tee boxes and teeing grounds tend to be … boring. Often just a globe, cone or cube, wood or plastic (sometimes stone), painted various colors to represent the different playing lengths available.
Tee markers designate the space from which golfers begin each hole. And traditionally, they were colored red for forward tees, white for middle tees and blue for back tees. Today golf courses often use more than three sets of tees, and many different colors.
But we’re still talking mostly about the same ol’ boring shapes, colors and materials.
Not so for the tee markers on the pro golf tours! Like the mini-Michelin Man above - he was used when tire company Michelin was title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Las Vegas tournament - the tee markers on the following pages are fun and sometimes even funny.
All of them are a lot more interesting that what golfers typically find on our local courses. Turn the page and enjoy.
02 of 21
Plush Tiger
Tee marker at the Czech Masters in 2015. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
“It’s the eye of the tiger …” It’s a plush, white tiger tee marker in use at the European Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters tournament in 2015.
And the cute tiger was one of many different tee markers in use there. They had little bottles of champagne, semi truck models, airplanes, and little barrels of beer, among other things. Fun! (There were probably a few golfers in the field who tried to break into the beer barrels.)
03 of 21
Boys and Their Toys
At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2014, they had cars as tee markers. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
The hands in this photo belong to Zach Johnson, who couldn’t resist playing with the Hyundai model used as tee markers during the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions event in 2014. Model cars are actually pretty common at pro golf tournaments that have title sponsors from the auto industry.
04 of 21
Coke
A Coca-Cola 6-pack as tee markers at the 2014 Tour Championship. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Have a Coke and a smile? Well, that all depends on your score. Coca-Cola is a presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, and miniature Coke bottles turn up as tee markers there.
05 of 21
Tastes Like Chicken
At the Sanderson Farms PGA Tour event, the tee markers are naturally chickens. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
This painted bird was one of the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. Only appropriate, since title sponsor Sanderson Farms is a major United States poultry producer.
During the 2015 edition of that tournament, the PGA Tour tweeted that all the tee markers are hand-painted by children at Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
06 of 21
Chips Off The Ol’ …
Swinging computer chips at the Frys.com Open. Steve Dykes/Getty Images
These cute little guys were used as tee markers at the 2015 Frys.com Open. What are they? You mean you’ve never seen golfing computer chips before? Frys.com is an electronics retailer.
07 of 21
Gone Shopping
Miniature shopping carts at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in 2011. Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Hey, anybody need any groceries? Maybe some tiny boxes of cereal or thimble-sized cans of soup?
These miniature shopping carts were the tee markers at the Wegmans LPGA Championship during the last few years of that tournament’s history with Wegmans as the title sponsor. (This photo is from the 2011 tournament.)
Wegmans, a grocery store chain, was title sponsor of a regular LPGA Tour stop for many years before becoming title sponsor for one of the tour’s majors, the LPGA Championship. The tournament is now called the Women’s PGA Championship. So the mini-grocery carts are gone, but not forgotten.
Wonder if any of the golfers ever got stuck with the tee marker that had the squeaky wheel.
08 of 21
Nothing Runs Like A …
John Deere tractors and heavy machinery of various types at the John Deere Classic. Darren Carroll/Getty Images
Well, what else would you expect the tee markers to be at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour except for John Deere heavy equipment? This one is a skid steer loader with a drill screw; other miniatures used during the tournament include farm tractors and combines, and front-end loaders.
09 of 21
Barbasol
Barbasol shaving can tee marker. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Barbasol Championship made its debut on the PGA Tour in 2015, and title sponsor Barbasol was ready with cans of its shaving cream as tee markers. Cue the “close shave” jokes for anyone whose drive barely misses the fairway or trouble.
10 of 21
They Deliver
FedEx delivery truck tee markers at the St. Jude Classic. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
When your tee markers absolutely, positively have to be there overnight, who you gonna call? At the St. Jude Classic, title sponsor FedEx delivers miniatures of its delivery vans for use as tee markers.
11 of 21
One Small Step for Golfers
This Honda Classic tee marker is a spaceman. David Cannon/Getty Images
Well, hello there Mr. Spaceman! This fun tee marker was photographed during the PGA Tour Honda Classic in 2015. That tournament is played in Florida, which is where so many astronauts have blasted off into space.
This little guy is not the most famous astronaut golfer, however. That would be Alan Shephard, who hit a 6-iron shot on the moon.
12 of 21
Cleared for Takeoff
Model airplane tee marker at the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Warren Little/Getty Images
The tee marker here is the model airplane. The tortoise just happened to be passing by.
That’s a Turkish Airlines airplane, and the tournament using these tee markers is - big surprise - the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Planes are popular tee markers at any pro tournament sponsored by an airline.
If the airplane model and tortoise were both to scale in this scene, how big would the tortoise be? Too darn big.
13 of 21
Vroom, Vroom
A Porsche model as tee marker at the 2015 European Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
These models of Porsche automobiles showed up as tee markers at the European Open in 2015, when the famed German carmaker became title sponsor. If you’re like me, you probably can’t afford Porsche tee markers. But they are nice to look at.
14 of 21
Don’t Forget Your Helmet
A Hero motorcycle tee marker at the Hero Indian Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
We’ve seen airplanes and automobiles and delivery vans and tractors … so here’s a motorcyle tee marker. These bikes are used at the Hero Indian Open on the European Tour. Hero Honda Motors Ltd. - a company that makes a lot of motorcycles - is the title sponsor.
15 of 21
Umbrella Game
The Travelers umbrella as tee marker. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
I wonder if any golfer has picked up one of these little umbrellas and tried to hide under when it started raining. That would make a great photo. Somebody should do that.
The red umbrella is the corporate logo of The Travelers Companies, an insurance company. And these little umbrellas are the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship.
16 of 21
A Splash of Color
Tee marker in the form of a little can of Valspar paint. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
A can of paint. Yep, that’s a can of paint. Hey, we didn’t necessarily say that the tee markers featured in this article are exciting, just that they are different.
Valspar is a manufacturer of paint. And the company is also a PGA Tour title sponsor for the Valspar Championship.
17 of 21
El Camaleon
A tee marker in the form of a chameleon lizard. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
Admit it: At first glance you thought this was two lizards mating. It’s not! It’s just one lizard sunning itself on a rock.
It’s a chameleon, to be exact, and this one was a tee marker during the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour. That tournament is played at El Camaleon Golf Club, hence the lizard-on-a-rock tee markers.
18 of 21
Man of the World
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
This tee marker is a real man of the world. That little guy sports the colors of many nations in the form of their flags. It’s a colorful, fun tee marker with a meaning. The tournament? The World Cup of Golf, and this little golfer is in China in 2009 in the photo above.
19 of 21
Solar Power
Tee markers in the shape of solar panels. Hunter Martin/Getty Images
The Senior Players Championship has an energy company, Constellation Energy, as its title sponsor. And it has little, tiny solar panels for some of its tee markers. Too bad they don’t actually work. The Champions Tour golfers could charge up their cellphones while they wait to tee off.
20 of 21
Bullish on Golf
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Toro, toro, toro! When the Shenzhen International debuted on the European Tour in 2015, the tournament in China had some very colorful tee markers, including this bull.
21 of 21
Flock of Birdies
‘Birdie’ tee markers at the Sony Open. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Well, if you’re playing golf you want to see lots of birdies. And this pair are tee markers during the 2005 Sony Open on the PGA Tour.
That tour through the tee markers of pro golf was fun! Here are a couple photo galleries you might enjoy:
Weird, wacky and unusual golf trophies Fashion show: Ian Poulter’s wild golf outfits
01 of 21
The Michelin Man
A Michelin Man tee marker at the 2005 Michelin Championship in Las Vegas. Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Tee markers on golf courses’ tee boxes and teeing grounds tend to be … boring. Often just a globe, cone or cube, wood or plastic (sometimes stone), painted various colors to represent the different playing lengths available.
Tee markers designate the space from which golfers begin each hole. And traditionally, they were colored red for forward tees, white for middle tees and blue for back tees. Today golf courses often use more than three sets of tees, and many different colors.
But we’re still talking mostly about the same ol’ boring shapes, colors and materials.
Not so for the tee markers on the pro golf tours! Like the mini-Michelin Man above - he was used when tire company Michelin was title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Las Vegas tournament - the tee markers on the following pages are fun and sometimes even funny.
All of them are a lot more interesting that what golfers typically find on our local courses. Turn the page and enjoy.
02 of 21
Plush Tiger
Tee marker at the Czech Masters in 2015. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
“It’s the eye of the tiger …” It’s a plush, white tiger tee marker in use at the European Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters tournament in 2015.
And the cute tiger was one of many different tee markers in use there. They had little bottles of champagne, semi truck models, airplanes, and little barrels of beer, among other things. Fun! (There were probably a few golfers in the field who tried to break into the beer barrels.)
03 of 21
Boys and Their Toys
At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2014, they had cars as tee markers. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
The hands in this photo belong to Zach Johnson, who couldn’t resist playing with the Hyundai model used as tee markers during the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions event in 2014. Model cars are actually pretty common at pro golf tournaments that have title sponsors from the auto industry.
04 of 21
Coke
A Coca-Cola 6-pack as tee markers at the 2014 Tour Championship. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Have a Coke and a smile? Well, that all depends on your score. Coca-Cola is a presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, and miniature Coke bottles turn up as tee markers there.
05 of 21
Tastes Like Chicken
At the Sanderson Farms PGA Tour event, the tee markers are naturally chickens. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
This painted bird was one of the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. Only appropriate, since title sponsor Sanderson Farms is a major United States poultry producer.
During the 2015 edition of that tournament, the PGA Tour tweeted that all the tee markers are hand-painted by children at Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
06 of 21
Chips Off The Ol’ …
Swinging computer chips at the Frys.com Open. Steve Dykes/Getty Images
These cute little guys were used as tee markers at the 2015 Frys.com Open. What are they? You mean you’ve never seen golfing computer chips before? Frys.com is an electronics retailer.
07 of 21
Gone Shopping
Miniature shopping carts at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in 2011. Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Hey, anybody need any groceries? Maybe some tiny boxes of cereal or thimble-sized cans of soup?
These miniature shopping carts were the tee markers at the Wegmans LPGA Championship during the last few years of that tournament’s history with Wegmans as the title sponsor. (This photo is from the 2011 tournament.)
Wegmans, a grocery store chain, was title sponsor of a regular LPGA Tour stop for many years before becoming title sponsor for one of the tour’s majors, the LPGA Championship. The tournament is now called the Women’s PGA Championship. So the mini-grocery carts are gone, but not forgotten.
Wonder if any of the golfers ever got stuck with the tee marker that had the squeaky wheel.
08 of 21
Nothing Runs Like A …
John Deere tractors and heavy machinery of various types at the John Deere Classic. Darren Carroll/Getty Images
Well, what else would you expect the tee markers to be at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour except for John Deere heavy equipment? This one is a skid steer loader with a drill screw; other miniatures used during the tournament include farm tractors and combines, and front-end loaders.
09 of 21
Barbasol
Barbasol shaving can tee marker. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Barbasol Championship made its debut on the PGA Tour in 2015, and title sponsor Barbasol was ready with cans of its shaving cream as tee markers. Cue the “close shave” jokes for anyone whose drive barely misses the fairway or trouble.
10 of 21
They Deliver
FedEx delivery truck tee markers at the St. Jude Classic. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
When your tee markers absolutely, positively have to be there overnight, who you gonna call? At the St. Jude Classic, title sponsor FedEx delivers miniatures of its delivery vans for use as tee markers.
11 of 21
One Small Step for Golfers
This Honda Classic tee marker is a spaceman. David Cannon/Getty Images
Well, hello there Mr. Spaceman! This fun tee marker was photographed during the PGA Tour Honda Classic in 2015. That tournament is played in Florida, which is where so many astronauts have blasted off into space.
This little guy is not the most famous astronaut golfer, however. That would be Alan Shephard, who hit a 6-iron shot on the moon.
12 of 21
Cleared for Takeoff
Model airplane tee marker at the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Warren Little/Getty Images
The tee marker here is the model airplane. The tortoise just happened to be passing by.
That’s a Turkish Airlines airplane, and the tournament using these tee markers is - big surprise - the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Planes are popular tee markers at any pro tournament sponsored by an airline.
If the airplane model and tortoise were both to scale in this scene, how big would the tortoise be? Too darn big.
13 of 21
Vroom, Vroom
A Porsche model as tee marker at the 2015 European Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
These models of Porsche automobiles showed up as tee markers at the European Open in 2015, when the famed German carmaker became title sponsor. If you’re like me, you probably can’t afford Porsche tee markers. But they are nice to look at.
14 of 21
Don’t Forget Your Helmet
A Hero motorcycle tee marker at the Hero Indian Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
We’ve seen airplanes and automobiles and delivery vans and tractors … so here’s a motorcyle tee marker. These bikes are used at the Hero Indian Open on the European Tour. Hero Honda Motors Ltd. - a company that makes a lot of motorcycles - is the title sponsor.
15 of 21
Umbrella Game
The Travelers umbrella as tee marker. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
I wonder if any golfer has picked up one of these little umbrellas and tried to hide under when it started raining. That would make a great photo. Somebody should do that.
The red umbrella is the corporate logo of The Travelers Companies, an insurance company. And these little umbrellas are the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship.
16 of 21
A Splash of Color
Tee marker in the form of a little can of Valspar paint. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
A can of paint. Yep, that’s a can of paint. Hey, we didn’t necessarily say that the tee markers featured in this article are exciting, just that they are different.
Valspar is a manufacturer of paint. And the company is also a PGA Tour title sponsor for the Valspar Championship.
17 of 21
El Camaleon
A tee marker in the form of a chameleon lizard. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
Admit it: At first glance you thought this was two lizards mating. It’s not! It’s just one lizard sunning itself on a rock.
It’s a chameleon, to be exact, and this one was a tee marker during the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour. That tournament is played at El Camaleon Golf Club, hence the lizard-on-a-rock tee markers.
18 of 21
Man of the World
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
This tee marker is a real man of the world. That little guy sports the colors of many nations in the form of their flags. It’s a colorful, fun tee marker with a meaning. The tournament? The World Cup of Golf, and this little golfer is in China in 2009 in the photo above.
19 of 21
Solar Power
Tee markers in the shape of solar panels. Hunter Martin/Getty Images
The Senior Players Championship has an energy company, Constellation Energy, as its title sponsor. And it has little, tiny solar panels for some of its tee markers. Too bad they don’t actually work. The Champions Tour golfers could charge up their cellphones while they wait to tee off.
20 of 21
Bullish on Golf
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Toro, toro, toro! When the Shenzhen International debuted on the European Tour in 2015, the tournament in China had some very colorful tee markers, including this bull.
21 of 21
Flock of Birdies
‘Birdie’ tee markers at the Sony Open. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Well, if you’re playing golf you want to see lots of birdies. And this pair are tee markers during the 2005 Sony Open on the PGA Tour.
That tour through the tee markers of pro golf was fun! Here are a couple photo galleries you might enjoy:
Weird, wacky and unusual golf trophies Fashion show: Ian Poulter’s wild golf outfits
01 of 21
The Michelin Man
A Michelin Man tee marker at the 2005 Michelin Championship in Las Vegas. Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Tee markers on golf courses’ tee boxes and teeing grounds tend to be … boring. Often just a globe, cone or cube, wood or plastic (sometimes stone), painted various colors to represent the different playing lengths available.
Tee markers designate the space from which golfers begin each hole. And traditionally, they were colored red for forward tees, white for middle tees and blue for back tees. Today golf courses often use more than three sets of tees, and many different colors.
But we’re still talking mostly about the same ol’ boring shapes, colors and materials.
Not so for the tee markers on the pro golf tours! Like the mini-Michelin Man above - he was used when tire company Michelin was title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Las Vegas tournament - the tee markers on the following pages are fun and sometimes even funny.
All of them are a lot more interesting that what golfers typically find on our local courses. Turn the page and enjoy.
02 of 21
Plush Tiger
Tee marker at the Czech Masters in 2015. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
“It’s the eye of the tiger …” It’s a plush, white tiger tee marker in use at the European Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters tournament in 2015.
And the cute tiger was one of many different tee markers in use there. They had little bottles of champagne, semi truck models, airplanes, and little barrels of beer, among other things. Fun! (There were probably a few golfers in the field who tried to break into the beer barrels.)
03 of 21
Boys and Their Toys
At the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2014, they had cars as tee markers. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
The hands in this photo belong to Zach Johnson, who couldn’t resist playing with the Hyundai model used as tee markers during the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions event in 2014. Model cars are actually pretty common at pro golf tournaments that have title sponsors from the auto industry.
04 of 21
Coke
A Coca-Cola 6-pack as tee markers at the 2014 Tour Championship. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Have a Coke and a smile? Well, that all depends on your score. Coca-Cola is a presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, and miniature Coke bottles turn up as tee markers there.
05 of 21
Tastes Like Chicken
At the Sanderson Farms PGA Tour event, the tee markers are naturally chickens. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
This painted bird was one of the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. Only appropriate, since title sponsor Sanderson Farms is a major United States poultry producer.
During the 2015 edition of that tournament, the PGA Tour tweeted that all the tee markers are hand-painted by children at Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
06 of 21
Chips Off The Ol’ …
Swinging computer chips at the Frys.com Open. Steve Dykes/Getty Images
These cute little guys were used as tee markers at the 2015 Frys.com Open. What are they? You mean you’ve never seen golfing computer chips before? Frys.com is an electronics retailer.
07 of 21
Gone Shopping
Miniature shopping carts at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in 2011. Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Hey, anybody need any groceries? Maybe some tiny boxes of cereal or thimble-sized cans of soup?
These miniature shopping carts were the tee markers at the Wegmans LPGA Championship during the last few years of that tournament’s history with Wegmans as the title sponsor. (This photo is from the 2011 tournament.)
Wegmans, a grocery store chain, was title sponsor of a regular LPGA Tour stop for many years before becoming title sponsor for one of the tour’s majors, the LPGA Championship. The tournament is now called the Women’s PGA Championship. So the mini-grocery carts are gone, but not forgotten.
Wonder if any of the golfers ever got stuck with the tee marker that had the squeaky wheel.
08 of 21
Nothing Runs Like A …
John Deere tractors and heavy machinery of various types at the John Deere Classic. Darren Carroll/Getty Images
Well, what else would you expect the tee markers to be at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour except for John Deere heavy equipment? This one is a skid steer loader with a drill screw; other miniatures used during the tournament include farm tractors and combines, and front-end loaders.
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Barbasol
Barbasol shaving can tee marker. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
The Barbasol Championship made its debut on the PGA Tour in 2015, and title sponsor Barbasol was ready with cans of its shaving cream as tee markers. Cue the “close shave” jokes for anyone whose drive barely misses the fairway or trouble.
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They Deliver
FedEx delivery truck tee markers at the St. Jude Classic. Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
When your tee markers absolutely, positively have to be there overnight, who you gonna call? At the St. Jude Classic, title sponsor FedEx delivers miniatures of its delivery vans for use as tee markers.
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One Small Step for Golfers
This Honda Classic tee marker is a spaceman. David Cannon/Getty Images
Well, hello there Mr. Spaceman! This fun tee marker was photographed during the PGA Tour Honda Classic in 2015. That tournament is played in Florida, which is where so many astronauts have blasted off into space.
This little guy is not the most famous astronaut golfer, however. That would be Alan Shephard, who hit a 6-iron shot on the moon.
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Cleared for Takeoff
Model airplane tee marker at the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Warren Little/Getty Images
The tee marker here is the model airplane. The tortoise just happened to be passing by.
That’s a Turkish Airlines airplane, and the tournament using these tee markers is - big surprise - the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Planes are popular tee markers at any pro tournament sponsored by an airline.
If the airplane model and tortoise were both to scale in this scene, how big would the tortoise be? Too darn big.
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Vroom, Vroom
A Porsche model as tee marker at the 2015 European Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
These models of Porsche automobiles showed up as tee markers at the European Open in 2015, when the famed German carmaker became title sponsor. If you’re like me, you probably can’t afford Porsche tee markers. But they are nice to look at.
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Don’t Forget Your Helmet
A Hero motorcycle tee marker at the Hero Indian Open. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
We’ve seen airplanes and automobiles and delivery vans and tractors … so here’s a motorcyle tee marker. These bikes are used at the Hero Indian Open on the European Tour. Hero Honda Motors Ltd. - a company that makes a lot of motorcycles - is the title sponsor.
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Umbrella Game
The Travelers umbrella as tee marker. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
I wonder if any golfer has picked up one of these little umbrellas and tried to hide under when it started raining. That would make a great photo. Somebody should do that.
The red umbrella is the corporate logo of The Travelers Companies, an insurance company. And these little umbrellas are the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship.
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A Splash of Color
Tee marker in the form of a little can of Valspar paint. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
A can of paint. Yep, that’s a can of paint. Hey, we didn’t necessarily say that the tee markers featured in this article are exciting, just that they are different.
Valspar is a manufacturer of paint. And the company is also a PGA Tour title sponsor for the Valspar Championship.
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El Camaleon
A tee marker in the form of a chameleon lizard. Michael Cohen/Getty Images
Admit it: At first glance you thought this was two lizards mating. It’s not! It’s just one lizard sunning itself on a rock.
It’s a chameleon, to be exact, and this one was a tee marker during the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour. That tournament is played at El Camaleon Golf Club, hence the lizard-on-a-rock tee markers.
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Man of the World
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
This tee marker is a real man of the world. That little guy sports the colors of many nations in the form of their flags. It’s a colorful, fun tee marker with a meaning. The tournament? The World Cup of Golf, and this little golfer is in China in 2009 in the photo above.
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Solar Power
Tee markers in the shape of solar panels. Hunter Martin/Getty Images
The Senior Players Championship has an energy company, Constellation Energy, as its title sponsor. And it has little, tiny solar panels for some of its tee markers. Too bad they don’t actually work. The Champions Tour golfers could charge up their cellphones while they wait to tee off.
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Bullish on Golf
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Toro, toro, toro! When the Shenzhen International debuted on the European Tour in 2015, the tournament in China had some very colorful tee markers, including this bull.
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Flock of Birdies
‘Birdie’ tee markers at the Sony Open. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Well, if you’re playing golf you want to see lots of birdies. And this pair are tee markers during the 2005 Sony Open on the PGA Tour.
That tour through the tee markers of pro golf was fun! Here are a couple photo galleries you might enjoy:
Weird, wacky and unusual golf trophies Fashion show: Ian Poulter’s wild golf outfits
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The Michelin Man
Tee markers on golf courses’ tee boxes and teeing grounds tend to be … boring. Often just a globe, cone or cube, wood or plastic (sometimes stone), painted various colors to represent the different playing lengths available.
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Tee markers designate the space from which golfers begin each hole. And traditionally, they were colored red for forward tees, white for middle tees and blue for back tees. Today golf courses often use more than three sets of tees, and many different colors.
But we’re still talking mostly about the same ol’ boring shapes, colors and materials.
Not so for the tee markers on the pro golf tours! Like the mini-Michelin Man above - he was used when tire company Michelin was title sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Las Vegas tournament - the tee markers on the following pages are fun and sometimes even funny.
All of them are a lot more interesting that what golfers typically find on our local courses. Turn the page and enjoy.
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Plush Tiger
“It’s the eye of the tiger …” It’s a plush, white tiger tee marker in use at the European Tour’s D+D Real Czech Masters tournament in 2015.
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And the cute tiger was one of many different tee markers in use there. They had little bottles of champagne, semi truck models, airplanes, and little barrels of beer, among other things. Fun! (There were probably a few golfers in the field who tried to break into the beer barrels.)
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Boys and Their Toys
The hands in this photo belong to Zach Johnson, who couldn’t resist playing with the Hyundai model used as tee markers during the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions event in 2014. Model cars are actually pretty common at pro golf tournaments that have title sponsors from the auto industry.
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Coke
Have a Coke and a smile? Well, that all depends on your score. Coca-Cola is a presenting sponsor of the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, and miniature Coke bottles turn up as tee markers there.
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Tastes Like Chicken
This painted bird was one of the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014. Only appropriate, since title sponsor Sanderson Farms is a major United States poultry producer.
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During the 2015 edition of that tournament, the PGA Tour tweeted that all the tee markers are hand-painted by children at Batson Children’s Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Chips Off The Ol’ …
These cute little guys were used as tee markers at the 2015 Frys.com Open. What are they? You mean you’ve never seen golfing computer chips before? Frys.com is an electronics retailer.
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Gone Shopping
Hey, anybody need any groceries? Maybe some tiny boxes of cereal or thimble-sized cans of soup?
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These miniature shopping carts were the tee markers at the Wegmans LPGA Championship during the last few years of that tournament’s history with Wegmans as the title sponsor. (This photo is from the 2011 tournament.)
Wegmans, a grocery store chain, was title sponsor of a regular LPGA Tour stop for many years before becoming title sponsor for one of the tour’s majors, the LPGA Championship. The tournament is now called the Women’s PGA Championship. So the mini-grocery carts are gone, but not forgotten.
Wonder if any of the golfers ever got stuck with the tee marker that had the squeaky wheel.
08 of 21
Nothing Runs Like A …
Well, what else would you expect the tee markers to be at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour except for John Deere heavy equipment? This one is a skid steer loader with a drill screw; other miniatures used during the tournament include farm tractors and combines, and front-end loaders.
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09 of 21
Barbasol
The Barbasol Championship made its debut on the PGA Tour in 2015, and title sponsor Barbasol was ready with cans of its shaving cream as tee markers. Cue the “close shave” jokes for anyone whose drive barely misses the fairway or trouble.
09 of 21
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10 of 21
They Deliver
When your tee markers absolutely, positively have to be there overnight, who you gonna call? At the St. Jude Classic, title sponsor FedEx delivers miniatures of its delivery vans for use as tee markers.
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11 of 21
One Small Step for Golfers
Well, hello there Mr. Spaceman! This fun tee marker was photographed during the PGA Tour Honda Classic in 2015. That tournament is played in Florida, which is where so many astronauts have blasted off into space.
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This little guy is not the most famous astronaut golfer, however. That would be Alan Shephard, who hit a 6-iron shot on the moon.
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Cleared for Takeoff
The tee marker here is the model airplane. The tortoise just happened to be passing by.
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12
That’s a Turkish Airlines airplane, and the tournament using these tee markers is - big surprise - the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour. Planes are popular tee markers at any pro tournament sponsored by an airline.
If the airplane model and tortoise were both to scale in this scene, how big would the tortoise be? Too darn big.
13 of 21
Vroom, Vroom
These models of Porsche automobiles showed up as tee markers at the European Open in 2015, when the famed German carmaker became title sponsor. If you’re like me, you probably can’t afford Porsche tee markers. But they are nice to look at.
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Don’t Forget Your Helmet
We’ve seen airplanes and automobiles and delivery vans and tractors … so here’s a motorcyle tee marker. These bikes are used at the Hero Indian Open on the European Tour. Hero Honda Motors Ltd. - a company that makes a lot of motorcycles - is the title sponsor.
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Umbrella Game
I wonder if any golfer has picked up one of these little umbrellas and tried to hide under when it started raining. That would make a great photo. Somebody should do that.
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The red umbrella is the corporate logo of The Travelers Companies, an insurance company. And these little umbrellas are the tee markers at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship.
16 of 21
A Splash of Color
A can of paint. Yep, that’s a can of paint. Hey, we didn’t necessarily say that the tee markers featured in this article are exciting, just that they are different.
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Valspar is a manufacturer of paint. And the company is also a PGA Tour title sponsor for the Valspar Championship.
17 of 21
El Camaleon
Admit it: At first glance you thought this was two lizards mating. It’s not! It’s just one lizard sunning itself on a rock.
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It’s a chameleon, to be exact, and this one was a tee marker during the 2011 Mayakoba Golf Classic on the PGA Tour. That tournament is played at El Camaleon Golf Club, hence the lizard-on-a-rock tee markers.
18 of 21
Man of the World
This tee marker is a real man of the world. That little guy sports the colors of many nations in the form of their flags. It’s a colorful, fun tee marker with a meaning. The tournament? The World Cup of Golf, and this little golfer is in China in 2009 in the photo above.
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Solar Power
The Senior Players Championship has an energy company, Constellation Energy, as its title sponsor. And it has little, tiny solar panels for some of its tee markers. Too bad they don’t actually work. The Champions Tour golfers could charge up their cellphones while they wait to tee off.
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Bullish on Golf
Toro, toro, toro! When the Shenzhen International debuted on the European Tour in 2015, the tournament in China had some very colorful tee markers, including this bull.
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20
21 of 21
Flock of Birdies
Well, if you’re playing golf you want to see lots of birdies. And this pair are tee markers during the 2005 Sony Open on the PGA Tour.
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That tour through the tee markers of pro golf was fun! Here are a couple photo galleries you might enjoy:
- Weird, wacky and unusual golf trophies
- Fashion show: Ian Poulter’s wild golf outfits
