50 Years
Par Aide Celebrates 50th Anniversary
5/12/2006
Par Aide, a recognized leader in golf course accessories, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2005. Founded by Joseph Garske in 1955, the Lino Lakes, Minn.- based company offers golf course superintendents and golf enthusiasts hundreds of functional accessories that grace some of the world’s best golf courses.
"Par Aide is fortunate to be celebrating our golden anniversary as a second-generation, family-owned business," says Stephen Garske, president of Par Aide. "It’s a great time to look back at our accomplishments, but even more importantly, we want to look ahead to the next 50 years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the continued support of our dealers and golf course superintendents and the dedication of our suppliers and employees."
Par Aide was born as a division of Progress Foundries in Saint Paul, Minn. The company’s first product was a cast aluminum ball washer that retailed for $18.75 and was later patented. As the years went on, new products were added to the Par Aide line-up including other ball washers, waste receptacles, hole cutters, flagsticks, cups, tee markers, portable scoreboards, rakes, benches, signage and much more. Every Par Aide product is fashioned from the finest raw materials and is hand finished and hand inspected. From a new pre-treatment process assuring the powder coat integrity of color choices to solid design, durable parts and patented features like a helical agitator in the ball washer, Par Aide takes pride in offering golf courses the best products.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Par Aide published a legacy book, complete with significant company developments, important events and golf trivia. Some of the fun particulars include President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s gracious acceptance of a Par Aide ball washer, Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, the United States bicentennial and the launch of hit TV show "The Simpsons".
On a more recent note, Par Aide has continued to expand its product offerings over the last five years. In 2001, the company began a line of recycled plastic products and now use recycled plastic in a wide variety of golf course accessories, including ball washers, golf course markers, trash receptacles and clocks. In 2002, the Accuform brand came under the ownership of Par Aide, bringing with it products like golf course rakes and maintenance tools. Finally, the company recently released a patent-pending, NSF-approved water sanitation system called Safe-Tee Water™. The system provides clean drinking water without the hassles and high cost of bottled water or water fountains. (NSF International is a non-profit organization that certifies products and writes standards for food, water, air and consumer goods.)