To commemorate The Open Championship, TaylorMade’s accessories and design teams took a detailed look into the history of the event as well as the heritage of the course to develop custom-designed golf bags for professional staff players.
“When I begin the process of designing major championship staff bags, I start with the course: where it’s located, it’s history, and any iconic features it may have. It’s important to connect with the course to ensure that the concept for the design always relates back to the story of the location itself,” says Dennis Kennedy, TaylorMade Production Designer
Delving into the history of the course—specifically the architect’s approach to the clubhouse design—it was clear that there was a heavy art deco influence. As a result, Kennedy focused in on that unique styling to bring out subtle elements calling back to Royal Birkdale. Sharp lines and repeating geometric patterns characterize art deco, so the design team kept this concept in mind as they began to map out this year’s custom golf accessories.
With the Open Championship (or ‘British Open’ as it is sometimes referred, to the distaste of golf purists), there is an especially rich history that needed to be tapped into as well. To accomplish this, TaylorMade’s design team knew that they wanted to infuse the golf bag with iconography relating back to this year’s host country (England) as well as the broader union that shares the Open Championship’s rotating schedule (United Kingdom).
‘When designing golf bags, you have to take a look at the silhouette as well. Depending on the bag style, you’ll have different shapes and areas to work with. All of that needs to be factored into the overall layout and look.’
Using the bag’s existing contours to his advantage, the designers employed a clean and clear reference to England’s St. George’s Cross with the prominent red and white colorway as well as by embroidering the flag itself onto the bag’s top pocket. Further enhancing the overall design with art deco patterns, the red sections include discreet geometric patterns that add a textured, tonal look to the golf bag.
Honing in on every distinct feature, no detail was left untouched. As seen in the staff bag design layout (below), every zipper pull, every button, and every stitch was carefully considered before going into production.
But it isn’t until you open up the bag that the full payoff is revealed … Each pocket’s interior lining consists of Union Jack flag designs to commemorate each country within the United Kingdom that plays host to the Open Championship on a rotating schedule.
Whether you’re in the market for a Tour staff bag, a customized stand bag, or a unique piece of golf history, TaylorMade’s 2017 Major Championship golf bags are the perfect accessory to celebrate one of golf’s greatest events.
