Sheboygan’s On Par Engravings creates custom golf course art of everything from Whistling Straits to Augusta National
SHEBOYGAN — Andy Bartell didn’t expect his laser engraving side gig to grow into a business.
It took off during the pandemic, first with cribbage boards and then with custom golf course maps, which he first made for a friend in search of a meaningful Father’s Day gift. Now, Bartell is seeing a high demand for On Par Engraving’s laser-engraved golf course artwork.
“Being able to take the golf course and replicate it on a piece of wood is really awesome,” Bartell said. “And really, this combines three things that I love. I love working with my hands. I love golf, and I love cartography and making maps.”
He has 20 years of custom artwork and cartography experience, but to get the business off the ground, he utilized Cedar Grove’s Laser Traditions Engraving & Gift laser for some time and participated in the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation’s entrepreneurial training program, where he examined local business decisions, like choosing which type of wood would look best in his art.
"This is all stuff that I had to learn going along the way," Bartell said.
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He uses cartography software to send the desired map to a laser, which engraves the image into a piece of wood. Then, Bartell hand draws and paints additional features, like greens, fairways and sand traps, on the course. Each one can be customized with a variety of details, like a quote, anniversary date or special message. This can make each piece more “sentimental or personal,” Bartell said.
It can take two to two-and-a-half weeks to make one engraved golf course map.
Bartell said he's engraved hundreds of golf courses from around the world, some in the U.S. like Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, and Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
Custom golf gifts people can take on the course exist on the market, like tees and golf balls, but Bartell wanted to offer something that could stay at home and hang on the wall.
“That's why I started this business — I didn't want golfers to have to buy the same thing,” he said.
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Bartell has a close partnership with Whistling Straits, offering several pieces of its Straits and Irish courses. He hopes to expand production capacity, with more equipment and partner with new maker spaces and golf courses.
“There's 38,000 golf courses in the world, and I can do every single one of them,” Bartell said. “So, I've got 38,000 potential golf course customers.”
The possibilities for On Par Engraving are seemingly endless. Bartell said he can “really engrave anything" on wood because each piece is customized.
He made an engraved runway map of Sundance Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for a pilot and a map of all the golf courses in Wisconsin. He also can make customized coasters, map stands and 3D laser art.
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Find On Par Engraving on social media and Etsy
Contact On Par Engraving on Facebook and Etsy and at https://www.onparengraving.com/ or andy@onparengraving.com.
Have a story tip? Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @alexx_garner.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan business On Par makes custom laser-engraved golf course art
