A great golf course logo can become almost as recognizable as the golf course itself.
Sometimes it's an animal. Sometimes it's a letter. Sometimes it's a flagstick.
And sometimes it's just a really cool tree.
For this edition of The Golf Draft, we narrowed the field considerably. The assignment was simple:
Draft the best golf course logos featuring a tree or a flower.
Robby and Jonathan went head-to-head in another snake draft, looking for logos that were memorable, unique, beautiful, recognizable and—perhaps most importantly—looked good on a hat or shirt.
As usual, there were some obvious choices.
There were also some deep cuts.
There was a little bit of rule bending.
And there was apparently a golf course called the "Sticky Club."
(There wasn't. More on that later.)
Here's how the draft played out—and who won.
The Draft
Robby's Team
-
Pasatiempo
-
Pine Valley
-
Cypress Point
-
Tree Farm
-
Old Macdonald — Ghost Tree
Jonathan's Team
-
Palmetto Golf Club
-
Champions Retreat — "Broccoli Tree"
-
Kiawah
-
The Saticoy Club
-
Merion
Robby's Team
Pasatiempo
Grade: A
Robby opened the draft with Pasatiempo, and it's a strong way to start.
The logo has personality. You've got the golfer relaxing underneath the tree, giving it a distinctive look that feels different from the standard golf-course logo.
That's important in this category.
There are a lot of golf course logos that feature a tree simply because, well, golf courses have trees.
Pasatiempo actually does something with the tree.
It's memorable, distinctive and has a storybook quality that makes it work particularly well as a logo.
It's also the kind of logo that looks great whether it's embroidered on a hat or printed on a shirt.
Draft value: A
Uniqueness: A+
Merch factor: A+
Pine Valley
Grade: A+
This is where Robby really started building his team.
Pine Valley is one of those logos where the logo itself carries a tremendous amount of weight simply because of the name attached to it.
And Robby correctly pointed out that there's a certain responsibility that comes with wearing a Pine Valley logo.
If you're wearing it and haven't played the course, that's a conversation you probably don't want to have.
It's similar to the way golfers view logos from places like Augusta National. The logo isn't just a logo.
It represents access.
That's a powerful thing for a golf course brand.
From a pure logo perspective, it's also clean and recognizable.
Draft value: A+
Brand recognition: A+
Flex factor: A+
Cypress Point
Grade: A+
This might be Robby's best pick.
Cypress Point is one of those golf course logos that carries enormous cachet, and the course itself is already one of the great bucket-list destinations in golf.
The logo adds to that mystique.
There's also a nice bit of continuity with our previous Golf Draft, where Cypress Point #16 was selected as one of the best par 3s.
So apparently we're becoming the Cypress Point podcast.
And we're okay with that.
The combination of the course's reputation, the logo and the overall exclusivity makes this a fantastic middle-round selection.
Draft value: A+
Recognition: A+
Golf-nerd appeal: A+
Tree Farm
Grade: A
This is a great example of why The Golf Draft isn't just about picking the most famous names.
Tree Farm's logo is distinctive, and Robby specifically noted the work of Zach Blair and Seth McWarter in creating the different versions of the logo.
It's also exactly the kind of logo that looks like it belongs on golf merchandise.
And, unlike some of the other picks, you don't need to know the history of the golf course to appreciate the design.
It simply works.
Draft value: A
Design: A+
Merch factor: A+
Old Macdonald — Ghost Tree
Grade: A
This was a very strong final pick.
The "Ghost Tree" logo at Old Macdonald gives Robby another recognizable destination while staying within the theme.
And, of course, it's Bandon Dunes.
That's important.
Any logo associated with Bandon already gets a little boost in this category because golfers immediately recognize the destination and the overall aesthetic.
The Ghost Tree also gives the logo a little more personality than simply putting a generic tree on a shield.
It's a distinctive logo attached to a destination golfers want to experience.
Draft value: A
Uniqueness: A
Destination appeal: A+
Robby's Team Overall
Grade: A+
Robby built a very difficult team to beat.
Pasatiempo gives him personality.
Pine Valley gives him prestige.
Cypress Point gives him golf history.
Tree Farm gives him design.
Old Macdonald gives him Bandon.
There's also a very strong merchandising argument for this team.
If you laid all five logos on a table and asked golfers which hats they'd want, Robby would have a pretty impressive collection.
More importantly, all five picks are real logos that fit the theme.
That matters.
Jonathan's Team
Palmetto Golf Club
Grade: A
Jonathan started his draft with Palmetto Golf Club, which is a very different strategy from Robby's Pasatiempo.
Instead of going immediately for one of the biggest names in golf, Jonathan went with a logo that has a strong regional identity.
The palm tree immediately communicates something about the course and its location.
And that's one of the things that makes a good golf logo work:
You should be able to see the logo and get a feeling for the place.
Palmetto does that.
It's simple, recognizable and very golf-club-ish.
Draft value: A
Regional identity: A+
Classic feel: A
Champions Retreat — The "Broccoli Tree"
Grade: B+
This is where things get interesting.
The Champions Retreat tree isn't just a tree.
It's the tree.
The legendary tree that looked like a giant stalk of broccoli became an aiming point and a recognizable feature of the course.
Jonathan's argument was that Champions Retreat completely missed an opportunity by not creating a members-only logo featuring the tree.
It's a great point.
Unfortunately, there's one small problem with the pick:
The logo doesn't actually exist.
Jonathan openly acknowledges that he's bending the rules, arguing that the course should have created an alternate members-only logo featuring the tree.
And that makes this one of the most entertaining picks in The Golf Draft history.
As a logo concept?
A+.
As an actual draft pick?
We're going to have to dock a few points.
Creativity: A+
Actual logo status: C
Rule bending: A+
Kiawah
Grade: A
This was a strong pick.
The Kiawah logo has a distinctive tree/palm design and is immediately associated with one of the most recognizable golf destinations in the country.
There's also a nice personal connection here because Jonathan specifically pointed out that Robby has played the course, including playing it around the time of a half marathon.
The story adds another layer to the pick.
And that's becoming a recurring theme with these drafts:
The best picks aren't just logos.
They're logos attached to memories and experiences.
Draft value: A
Recognition: A+
Personal connection: A
The Saticoy Club
Grade: A-
Or, as we'll forever know it:
The Sticky Club.
This was one of the funniest moments of the episode.
Jonathan had found a logo he liked during his research—a tree with a boy sitting underneath it with his golf bag.
Then his phone decided The Saticoy Club should become the Sticky Club.
He didn't notice.
So for several minutes, everyone was trying to figure out what in the world the "Sticky Club" was.
Eventually, the mystery was solved.
The Saticoy Club.
And honestly, the logo is pretty cool.
It's different from the standard golf-course tree logo and has an illustration/storytelling quality that makes it stand out. Jonathan specifically liked it because it set itself apart from the more generic tree logos.
But we're definitely going to remember it as the Sticky Club.
Draft value: A-
Uniqueness: A+
Name confusion: A+
Merion
Grade: A
This was a really interesting way to finish the draft.
Merion's logo is one of those cases where the tree/flower element isn't necessarily the first thing you notice.
The iconic wicker flagstick tends to steal the show.
But if we're allowing bushes and flowers—and we are—then Merion qualifies.
And that's exactly what makes the pick interesting.
It's another incredibly recognizable golf logo, but the element that makes it qualify for this particular draft isn't necessarily what most people think about when they see the logo.
Jonathan even compared the design to the burning bush from the story of Moses.
Whether or not you see that connection, it's a memorable logo.
Draft value: A
Recognition: A+
Creativity: A
Jonathan's Team Overall
Grade: A-
Jonathan's team has plenty of personality.
Palmetto gives him a classic Southern golf feel.
The Champions Retreat pick gives him the best "what if?" logo of the draft.
Kiawah brings another iconic golf destination.
The Saticoy Club gives him one of the most unusual logos.
And Merion gives him one of the most recognizable names in golf.
The problem?
The Champions Retreat pick technically doesn't exist.
That matters.
🏆 Who Won The Draft?
Robby
This one goes to Robby.
And the margin is actually fairly narrow.
Jonathan had some really strong selections, particularly Palmetto, Kiawah and Merion.
But Robby's team is more complete.
Every one of his five picks is an existing logo that fits the theme, and the combination of recognition, uniqueness, golf history and merchandise appeal is tough to beat.
Pasatiempo is distinctive.
Pine Valley is iconic.
Cypress Point is iconic.
Tree Farm is unique.
Old Macdonald gives him the Bandon factor.
That's a really difficult five to beat.
Final Grades
Robby — A+
Jonathan — A-
And yes, Jonathan can complain about the broccoli tree.
But until Champions Retreat actually creates that alternate logo, we're docking him for it.
The Golf Draft Awards
🏆 Draft Winner
Robby
A balanced team with recognition, personality, history and strong logo design.
🎯 Best Pick
Robby — Pine Valley
The combination of the logo, the course's reputation and the "you better have played it if you're wearing it" factor makes this an outstanding pick.
💎 Steal of the Draft
Robby — Old Macdonald / Ghost Tree
A recognizable Bandon destination that fits the theme perfectly.
🤔 Most Debatable Pick
Jonathan — Champions Retreat "Broccoli Tree"
Great idea.
Wrong category.
We're still waiting for the actual logo.
🌳 Best Tree
Jonathan — Champions Retreat
If we're judging the actual tree itself rather than the logo, the broccoli tree wins.
Sadly, it was destroyed by Hurricane Helene.
👕 Best Logo to Wear
Robby — Pine Valley
But only if you've actually played there.
We cannot stress this enough.
🎨 Best Designed Logo
Robby — Pasatiempo
The golfer relaxing under the tree gives the logo personality that most tree logos don't have.
😂 Funniest Pick
Jonathan — The Saticoy Club
Technically The Saticoy Club.
But it will forever be the Sticky Club.
🧠 Best Draft Strategy
Robby
He stayed with recognizable, established golf brands while mixing in a few less-obvious designs.
💡 Best Unmade Logo
Jonathan — Champions Retreat "Broccoli Tree"
This may actually be the best logo idea of the entire draft.
Someone at Champions Retreat should probably call us.
The Bigger Conversation: What Makes a Great Golf Logo?
This draft actually highlights something interesting about golf-course branding.
A tree is one of the easiest things to put into a golf logo.
And that's also the problem.
There are a lot of golf course tree logos.
As Jonathan pointed out at the beginning of the episode, at some point someone decided that another golf course needed another tree in its logo.
So simply having a tree isn't enough.
The best logos do something more.
They tell you something about the course.
They create a sense of place.
They have a story.
Or they're simply memorable enough that you recognize them immediately.
That's why logos like Pine Valley, Cypress Point and Pasatiempo work so well.
And it's why the Champions Retreat "broccoli tree" is such a missed opportunity.
The tree wasn't just a tree.
It was part of the experience of playing the golf course.
It was an aiming point.
It was a landmark.
It was something golfers talked about.
That's a logo waiting to happen.
Honorable Mention: Copetown Woods
There was one particularly appropriate honorable mention during the draft: Copetown Woods.
Jonathan pointed out that the course also uses a broccoli-tree-style image as part of its logo.
So while Champions Retreat may have missed its opportunity, the broccoli tree is apparently already represented elsewhere in golf.
And Then There Was Arnold Palmer
Jonathan ended the draft with a story that might actually be the perfect way to close a tree-themed golf conversation.
A friend of his was at Augusta National during a practice round when Arnold Palmer hit a shot into the trees.
Palmer looked around and supposedly said:
"I could write a book called Playing Golf in the Shade."
Then he hit the ball out of the trees.
It's hard to come up with a better ending for a golf draft about trees.
What Did We Miss?
There are plenty of golf course logos featuring trees, flowers, palms and other natural elements that didn't make the draft.
So now it's your turn.
What golf course has the best tree or flower logo?
And perhaps more importantly:
Should Champions Retreat create the broccoli-tree members logo?
We're pretty sure we know where Jonathan stands.
Let us know what we got right, what we got wrong and what we completely missed.
And if you have an idea for a future edition of The Golf Draft, send it our way.
Because we're always looking for another excuse to argue about golf.