Industrial Design Internship: Pinehurst, North Carolina
Golf Pride is a global leader in the production of innovative and high-performance golf grips located in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
As an industrial design intern at Golf Pride, I reported directly to the Industrial Design Manager. I was a core member of the team supporting the entire product development process consisting of front-end research, innovation, trend forecasting, rapid prototyping, product design, and packaging design.
Throughout my time there, I worked on and saw 5 major projects through to the end. These consisted of collaborations with prestigious golfing organizations, as well as special edition grips available for a limited time.
Projects
1
2
Pinehurst Resort Collab
AJGA Collab
3
4
USA 250th Anniversary
President’s Cup
01 | Pinehurst Resort Collab
What is the Pinehurst Resort?
Pinehurst Resort is a renowned golf resort, most known for its Pinehurst No. 2 course which has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments such as the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup.
What is the goal?
To create a limited-edition putter grip design that commemorates the iconic landmarks and culture of the Pinehurst Resort.
Icon Images and their graphic interpretations
sandhills minecart
golf carts
course clock
par sign
pine needles
Beginning to lay out concepts
Continued Exploration and Map Layouts
Putter Boy
main resort building
Through exploring these concepts, I was playing around with creating scenic graphics vs. more patterned graphics including the iconic elements.
Since the grip is “long and skinny”, I played around with designs that would be suitable for that shape.
Final 4 Design Options
Historic feeling pattern with multiple Pinehurst elements, including the logos of the major courses
Basic pine needle graphic layered behind putter boy logo
Landscape style with resort building, golf course, and golf carts
Creating logo-lockup combinations that will be placed on the grip.
Concept Exploration and Map Layouts
Seasonal design concept inspired by Pinehurst’s “Cradle” putting course
Production samples
02 | AJGA Collab
The American Junior Golf Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping young golfers earn scholarships and valuable exposure for a future in golf.
They provide opportunities to compete in tournaments and events, with around 9,800 junior members.
What is AJGA?
What is the goal?
Looking at existing graphics for the tournament to get an idea of how they advertise and approach the graphics. Also looking at other sporting event ads that are focused on the competition between two teams.
To create a one-of-a-kind putter grip design for the AJGA 2026 Champions that celebrates what AJGA stands for and feels sporty and exciting for the members to have.
Inspiration
Gathering inspiration from various athletic wear, textiles, and graphics. I was specifically inspired by these sporty textures and patterns that have a gradient affect across the surfaces that has a high performance feel and is visually interesting.
Color Ratio Explores
Playing with groups of 3 color combos in the ratio that they will appear on the grip. Inspired by fabrics and some retro sporting graphics.
Color and Texture Application
5 color way options with the chosen texture applied.
Final Design
03 | USA 250th Anniversary
To create a limited edition patriotic design for Golf Pride to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
What is the goal?
Inspiration
Gathering inspiration from Olympic USA uniforms, USA inspired sportswear and goods, and generic patriotic graphics.
The aim is to create a patriotic design that is uplifting and celebratory while maintaining a high-performance feel.
Color Ratio Explores
Playing with groups of 3 color combos in the ratio that they will appear on the grip.
Vertical Graphic Layout Exploration
Continued Exploration and Map Layouts
Inspiration
Final Design
04 | President’s Cup Tournament
Black out color concepts for each team, including team logo, location logo, and tournament logo.
Focusing more on the tournament itself, with more subtle team elements.
Chosen Design
Logo Combination Exploration
Final design with custom deboss emphasizing the flag ribbon design.
The Presidents Cup is a series of matches between a team representing the U.S. and International team representing the world.
This tournament is known for raising a significant amount of money for charities around the world.
What is the President’s Cup Tournament?
To create a limited edition putter grip to be sold at the fan shop as a memento of the event, location, and the teams that competed.
What is the goal?
This grip was chosen to be sold at a PGA Tour event!
Production samples
