Golf awards to remember: the unusual, and the extraordinary. (Sports).

Gone are the days of ubiquitous cast metal golf trophies, the bronze figure swinging a golf club atop a wooden base. Say hello to a whole new breed of golfing awards. As unique as those who win them, these trophies combine a variety of material, workmanship, and design to create commemorative awards to be enjoyed for years to come.

Whatever the golfing occasion--corporate, family, friends, and, in some cases, a non-golfing occasion--these awards commemorate not only a member's participation in golfing events, but also a corporation or individual's experience at the club. They are reflective of the era: beautiful, timeless crystal, pewter, marble, brass, and mahogany. Plates, pyramids, balls, schooners, sculptures, floral arrangements, luggage, and yes, even chairs. This new breed of trophies can provide a boost to a club's goodwill, club logo exposure, increased member satisfaction, and a whole lot of fun. The key ingredient is knowing what the possibilities are and allowing one's imagination to move outside the box.

A Different Kind of Box

For a unique, multidimensional approach, there's the "The Pyramid" golf ball trophy case by Galleria Arts International Inc. (www.golfcase.com). "The Pyramid" is a three-dimensional trophy case that houses one or more golf balls for viewing. A handcrafted acrylic case with a base made of cherry wood or black acrylic, The Pyramid holds one, 10, or 19 golf balls. The acrylic top opens, allowing removal and replacement of the golf ball(s). The base is actually a turntable, allowing the ball(s) to be seen at a variety of different angles. Mirrors inside the case create the illusion of a golf ball suspended in space. Collector custom printed balls can be ordered for the Pyramid from Galleria. Clubs can order all the balls at once for their trophy or the recipient can collect different balls over a period of months or years, commensurate with the occasion. The Pyramid also provides ample opportunity for clubs and tournament sponsors to advertise their logos.

Beyond tournament prizes, according to Galleria Arts, one of the hottest new ways to use the single ball cases is for autographed golf balls. Galleria International's "Motivational Golf Ball Collection" highlights themes like leadership, goals, and employment anniversaries. Managers at some clubs have used them as employee awards, she said.

Outside the Box

Peter Young, CCM, general manager of Jonathan's Landing Golf Club in Jupiter, FL and his staff have used thinking that steps out of the proverbial trophy case, and onto the fairway of endless possibilities, resulting in some novel trophy ideas. Young credited these unique prizes to the ingenuity of his merchandise manager, Carol Beckmann and to the club's director of golf, Fred Harkness.

Hosting 10 in-house golf tournaments per year for their regular membership means that Beckmann has had to flex her creativity in devising new awards every year. This year, for ladies' guest day, Beckmann bought potted silk orchid arrangements. She says they were gorgeous and cost about $100 each. What will her club do for an award encore next year? Beckmann has already made arrangements to award next year's winners with Swarovski crystal.

For its most prestigious tournament, Jonathan's Landing has designed club championship brass plates framed in mahogany with the match play in brackets-so the winner can look back 20 years later and see who he played in each flight. The club purchases these awards from Heritage Creations. And for their prestigious Director's Cup this year, the award was a canvas "directors chair," with the club's logo printed on the back.

Merchandise is a hit with female members. Luggage pieces are popular awards for ladies' golf tournaments. For one of their women's tournaments last year the award trophy was something a woman can never have too many of ... a handbag.

On the more conservative end of the spectrum, Jonathan's Landing presented a trophy at an annual men's event that was a bronzed three-dimensional medallion of their logo, atop a wooden plaque.

Chris Borders, CCM, general manager of the Atlanta Athletic Club (AAC) said a lot of companies have come onto the market in the last 10 years with new award ideas. One recent option, Borders said, is shadow boxes with replicas of the golf clubs of well-known golf legends such as Arnold Palmer or Bobby Jones. A replica of the club is placed inside the box along with a written illustration of the legend. An engraved brass plaque is placed on the front of the box. AAC has also presented winners with sterling silver cigar cases that can be engraved with the member's name and the club's logo.

Custom medals can enhance one's golf award repertoire. Working with Alex Kirkwood and Associates, a silversmith in Edenborow Scotland, Atlanta Athletic Club customized their medals with an engraving on the back and a cast design on the front. The finished piece was presented inside a display case.

The most extraordinary golf award from the Atlanta Athletic Club? That would have to be a second edition of a rare publication by Bobby Jones, who was a member of AAC. Illustrating the basics of a golf swing, only 10,000 copies of this book were originally published. The Atlanta Athletic Club republished the book and bound it in leather. That's a novel award idea, indeed.