A unique design at first glance, but one that stands out. This bag was developed as part of the Big Bag Trail, a collaboration between Callaway and St. Andrews.
Building towards the 150th Open Championship both organizations wanted to celebrate this special occasion by creating a platform to showcase talent of young people in the town. Both Madras College and St. Leonards were commissioned by Callaway and St Andrews Links to design the golf bag and 10 finalists were selected.
Being showcased this week, the winner, Iona Turner is a local student at St Leonards in the St Andrews area. The design theme from Iona was Nessie’s Round to Play and in Turner had this to add.
“In preparation for designing this golf bag I walked around St Andrews with some friends and took photos of the things that we thought were most important, most iconic and recognizable in the town. These included the famous Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole of the Old Course, the colorful houses by the harbour, the cathedral and, of course, the sea.
“Next, I took further inspiration from the whole of Scotland to incorporate into the design. I was very keen to include Nessie – the Loch Ness Monster – due to how iconic she is, and so she was placed right in the center of the design. I also felt I ought to include bagpipes and a kilt, because they are things that my mind would automatically jump to if someone asks me about Scotland.
“When the time came to add color to the design, I chose bright colors that reminded me most of summertime in St Andrews – particularly important as The Open takes place during July. I finished the design of this bag by deciding on a concept for the zips, and for this I was inspired by my friend Tess, who suggested that ice cream would be a good idea.
After all, Jannettas (a local ice cream shop) is an essential part of St Andrews for me – and for so many visitors to the town – and so it deserved a reference in the 150th Open. I wanted the design to be full to the brim of all the things I love about Scotland, and for it to look recognizable and interesting to the viewer.”
What are your thoughts on both the bag and creation story?
