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TFD.Golf | Art + Culture + Golf + Travel
What We Do
We golf.
We create.
We travel.
What We're Up To
Par-3 or short-track or executive course—whatever you choose to call it; we're on the hunt to find, document and share the best short courses in America.
Who We Are
Ian n. Markus
Photographer/Printmaker/Graphic Designer/Filmmaker & Director of Photography of TFD.Golf and Studio Casita Verde.
Ian was raised in Kalispell, Montana, the second son of acclaimed photographer, Kurt Markus. From an early age, photography wasn’t just part of Ian’s life—it was life. He grew up learning how to load film, shoot a camera and assist on shoots, while traveling the world with his father. Much like Kurt, the darkroom became as familiar as his own backyard.
In high school, Ian worked as a caddy at Eagle Bend Golf Club—his first real job (outside photography). The stuffy, country club atmosphere wasn't quite the environment Ian was looking for and he began to consider joining the military to become a war photographer. After a couple of conversations with his father, who reminded him: “you wouldn’t own your photos,” leading Ian to seek alternative pathways in life.
Ian’s early career was marked by adventures & creative exploration. From summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro with Kurt and Christy Turlington, to living with the Maasai in Africa—teaching them digital photography. Eventually, co-directing It’s About You, a documentary chronicling John Mellencamp’s album recording and coinciding stadium tour, which premiered at SXSW in 2012.
After a stretch of nonstop work in Seattle, Ian returned to school in Montana for graphic design, where he met Eric. The two became best friends/roommates and collaborators—creating together, pushing each other towards personal growth and building the early pieces of what would become TFD.Golf.
These days, Ian is based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he maintains a studio and continues to shoot, process and print his fine-art film photography. As Director of Photography at TFD.Golf, Ian brings decades of lived experience, an unmatched eye for light and composition and a deep respect for storytelling to every frame.
Eric J. k. Ward
Artist/Entrepreneur/Writer & Founder of TFD.Golf and Studio Casita Verde.
I was born and raised in Olympia, Washington and I was introduced to golf before I could read. My brother-in-law, an aspiring Tour pro who chased Q-School for years, proclaimed early on (2 years old) that I might be his shot at creating the next Tiger Woods. What followed was attendance to several early youth golf programs (1990's, early 2000's) and second-hand lessons. Like most kids, I played multiple sports and golf was the most expensive, so I played when able. In those days, golf wasn’t a "cool" sport at the time—but I stuck with it, varsity-lettering all four years on my high school golf team & competing in local USGA tournaments.
After graduation, life pulled me in different directions—college, civil service, military service—and golf faded into the background for a while. It wasn’t until I found some friends in the Navy who enjoyed golfing that I started playing again. At first, it was just for fun—more often with a cooler full of cold snacks—but I started falling back in love with the game. Then came a major back injury and surgery that took me off the course completely. A life changing program helped me swing a club again, albeit poorly. That small win had me hooked again.
After my time in the military, I moved to Montana to study engineering—playing whenever I could. Healing came slowly, through jiu-jitsu, I found yoga. As my yoga practice evolved, so did my golf game. Golf became something deeper: a source of creativity, mindfulness and connection with nature.
These days, I explore the game through storytelling and travel—building content, experiences and business collaborations that celebrate the soul of golf and those who live it deeply.