Golfers Place Their Trademark on Balls

Ray Romano, a famous U.S. comedian, is a golf fan with a 13 handicap. He sometimes writes his wife’s name on the golf balls. He says it works perfectly when he wants to tee off really hard. Of course, he’s just kidding.

Though it’s a little different from Romano’s case, golfers do mark something on their balls to distinguish it from others. In particular, among professional golfers who are highly likely to use balls made from the same manufacturer, they mark their balls with unique symbols.

Korean golfer Jang Jeong (Industrial Bank of Korea), who tours on the LPGA, decorates the balls herself with the Korean national flag. She will be on a Titleist commercial beginning Mar. 1 to let the world know about this flag. But she says it is regrettable that she cannot draw the four divination signs due to the dimples on the surface.

Korean golfer Lee Sun-hwa (CJ) draws a detailed red and yellow flower. Brazil’s Angela Park, last year’s rookie of the year, writes “Jesus loves you” in Portuguese (“Jesus te ama”).

Australia’s Nick O’Hern, who plays on the PGA Tour, uses a kangaroo symbol.

Irish golfers often draw a three-leaf clover, which represents fortune and patriotism.

Like their symbols, golfers prefer different numbers. Korean golfers avoid the number “4” because they think it is bad luck. Last year’s top South Korean golfer Kim Gyeong-tae (Shinhan Bank) often uses “2” or “3” because “1” reminds him of a bogey.

Fijian golfer Vijay Singh uses 1-2-3-4 in order for the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday rounds.

Last week’s Fields Open Winner, Paula Creamer, uses pink balls, her trademark.

Acushnet Korea, which distributes products from Titleist, the No.1 golf ball maker, plans to give free golf balls to the winner of the ball marking competition beginning the end of March.

kjs0123@donga.com