If you are living, driving by or visiting anywhere near the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, then you know: the countdown is officially on for the 2026 U.S. Open golf championship, held this year on the storied 1891 course from June 18 to 21. But what does that have to do backgammon? If the board in question was made by Westhampton artist Jean-Michel Andriot, a covetable everything.
Known for his painstakingly hand-crafted boards that he crafts in his studio in Westhampton, Andriot has been working on a board to celebrate the storied golf event.
Dubbed “Double Eagle” after the rare three under par shot, Andriot’s latest creation features a beautiful English Fiddleback sycamore wood base hand dyed in course-green, complete with sand traps and little golf tees. The 24 points, also made from sycamore, alternate between the honey-colored wood and white engraved with different types of golf clubs.
The board itself is smooth as glass, thanks to the multiple layers of hand-poured resin, a painstaking process that takes no small investment of time and patience on the part of the artisan.
The “Double Eagle” board from Studio Jean-Michael takes about four weeks to custom make, based on wait-list times. (Photo courtesy of Studio Jean-Michel)
Marbled acrylic playing checkers in putting-green green and bright white. The dice, too, are the same perfect-course green hue, making for a handsome cache of accoutrements to complement the handcrafted board. The outer casing is made from handsome walnut, sanded to a smooth finish.
Crafting a board includes the original drawing, hand-cutting, dying, curing, layering and smoothing of the epoxy, and it takes Andriot a minimum of 10 days—and up to three weeks — to make them.
And while a pricey set of golf clubs can set you back tens of thousands of dollars, a handmade backgammon set from Andriot seems like a bargain in comparison at $2,750 for your own custom version, which is a special order with a four-week completion date. And it’s a lot lighter to haul around, too.
To get your hands on an original U.S. Open “Double Eagle” board, go to Andriot’s Jean-Michel Studios website here.
