Par Aide

Corporate Headquarters: Lino Lakes, Minnesota

Website: http://www.paraide.com

Category: Turf & Course Suppliers

LEADERSHIP

Steve Garske, CEO

Mike Hilliard, President

Since being founded in 1955, Par Aide has been providing superior golf course accessories, including tee markers, flags, cups, rakes, maintenance equipment, practice-area products and other facility-related supplies to golf courses around the world.

The company’s story starts in 1954 when founder and self-trained pattern maker, Joseph S. Garske opened Progress Foundries in St. Paul, Minnesota. While attending a PGA meeting in St. Paul, Joseph was inspired to invent what he referred to as a “good ball washer.” In less than a year Joseph had designed his game-changing ball washer, created the tooling needed to produce it, and received a patent to protect it. With all of those aspects in place, Joseph took his product and pitched it to two golf-accessory companies. Both companies rejected the product and with that Par Aide was born.

In the years to come, Par Aide thrived under the leadership of Joe Garske, Robert F. Gerding, and, most recently, Steve Garske, Joe’s son.

(Photo courtesy: Par-Aide)

While most golfers will associate the Par Aide name with ball-washers, the brand offers a wide variety of golf course maintenance and accessory products that span from the practice area to the tee box to the green. Products range from divot mix containers, 360-degree hole painters, bunker rakes, hazard markers, club washers, cup plugs, benches, shoes, cleaners, tee markers, trash receptacles, and their Accuform/Accuseed line of maintenance equipment.

While based in the U.S. Par Aide does have a large international presence, doing approximately 20 percent of their business internationally facilitated by warehouses located in the Netherlands and Singapore. Its global recognition mixed with a dedication to quality has made Par Aide a recognized name in the golf-accessory industry around the world.