From Pin Sheets to Pro Shops: Alternate Golf Logos
Though Ryan Gabel has been sketching on pin sheets for 20 years during tournament golf, the COVID-19 pandemic led him to leave his job in insurance and combine his love for golf with his passion for art by launching Alternate Golf Logos. The 37-year-old creates secondary or special event logos for golf clubs, filling a niche area that helps golf professionals boost merchandising efforts or celebrate special occasions. With more than 100 logos in production right now, Alternate Golf Logos has been a fun and interesting ride so far for Gabel.
MGA: How’d this all start for you?
Ryan Gabel: During those first few weeks of the pandemic when they were just telling us to stay home, I just started taking some of the ideas that I had, made my burner Instagram account without my name and just wanted something to pass the time. Then my life changed the first time one of the courses reached out to me and asked how much for one of the designs.
MGA: What’s your background in art and design?
RG: I’ve always been a pretty good artist, but I just never really did anything with it. I kind of walked the straight and narrow path—I had been in sales for most of my life. Somebody told me way back that it’s kind of important to know not just what you want to do with your life, but what you don’t want to do. With this, I really enjoy learning about different clubs all over the country, learning about different areas, traveling and doing something that I’m passionate about.
MGA: Why specify a preference for alternate logos?
RG: I like to come in as an “in addition to” design, so I can give people a second option where maybe they don’t love their current one but want to try something else. I’ve kind of sat on the PGA side of the desk and I’ve kind of sat on the members side of the desk and I understand what both sides are sort of looking for and I can kind of take a little bit off the pro’s plate. Doing something creative can be a daunting thing.
MGA: What are some interesting backstories of logos you’ve done?
RG: One of the designs I sold last year I had drawn on a pin sheet during a tournament when I was 16. A couple of these designs I’ve had since the early 2000s when I was a kid. It’s an interesting, kind of full-circle moment. During events, I’m not a guy that’s generally threatening the lead, so you know if I get some downtime, I’m probably drawing pictures. It was during an MGA qualifier where the logo I created for Wiltwyck in Kingston came from.
MGA: What was it like when you first saw one of your designs in public?
RG: It was weird. The first time I saw one of my logos in person outside of New York was somebody wearing a shirt. I thought that was the coolest moment of my life. It was a couple days before the PGA Show. We were going to play golf, but it ended up being 40 degrees and raining, so me and my friend were kind of killing some time. We went to EPCOT and the guy next to us was wearing a shirt from a course that I did in Chicago.
MGA: What’s a year’s flow of work like for you?
RG: You know, this is the time of year where most of my business happens. Honestly, my business has afforded me the lifestyle to take it a little slower during the summertime, which is nice because I get to travel, and I get to see some of my clients and play golf tournaments. So, come October-November through March, I’m working like a dog all day. It’s ok though, my actual dog appreciates the time that I spend at home.
MGA: Have you seen any consistent themes with what ends up resonating for a club and its membership?
RG: The interesting part of the business is that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. A lot of times conceptually, I’m pretty good at picking the right avenue to go down, but for each course it’s different. Each day is a little different where I’m discovering something different about a property or working up something for a centennial that’s a little different.
MGA: Is there a particular aspect that you enjoy most?
RG: You know, it’s kind of that aha moment of discovery. A lot of times it’s in the middle of the night—I probably do my best design work from about 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., but a lot of the time I’ll thrown a bunch of stuff against the wall. On every single project I’m basically backing myself into a corner on purpose then fighting my way out of it, so that’s where I embrace the challenge and I enjoy the problem solving. I love it when I do something that I think is pretty good that resonates with them right away and they look at it like, “I love that.”