Eastside Golf Keeps Bringing More Swagger to the Course
Founders Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper are capitalizing on making golfers look better on and off the course.
Over the last few decades, golf’s dress code has become more relaxed. Golfers of all ages have taken a liking to that, and companies have capitalized on this shift in consumer preference. It has given rise to popular companies like Bad Birdie, which is known for its loud shirts and gear. But there’s one company that I’ve been consistently impressed with since they launched in 2019. Eastside Golf is one of the few black-owned golf companies that has gotten the attention of professional athletes from multiple leagues, created partnerships with other big brands, and even has a documentary on Hulu called Grails: When Sneakers Changed The Game that features Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Daymond John, and more - all within the span of six years. They have a unique brand story and, in my personal opinion, have a path to become one of the coolest sports apparel brands of all time.
Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper were friends and teammates on the golf team at Morehouse University where they helped to bring home the school’s first national championship title. Olajuwon tried to go pro a few years after graduation but struggled to find sponsorship. He got the idea to start a brand that was more representative of him and what he brought to the game. The logo of a black man swinging a club while wearing a cuban link chain comes from a picture he had in his mind of what it would look like to be his authentic self while playing. After drumming up the idea, he reached out to Earl to talk through his vision. Earl had a bit of skepticism at first, but he quickly came around and knew Olajuwon was onto something. From there they went to the PGA Merchandise Show and realized there was quite literally no other company that was doing what they were about to do. The first few pieces they wore to the show struck a cord in dozens of conference attendees. These comments might have been anecdotal, but the reaction and excitement they saw from other people was validation enough.
Partnerships
Jordan was one of their first large-scale partnerships. Through a series of serendipitous events (including NBA superstar Chris Paul wearing their gear on camera just as the pandemic was shutting the world down), the Eastside Golf duo was introduced to some of the key executives on the Jordan team. They were inspired by the narrative and how Earl and Olajuwon came correct with the business side of the house. They eventually had a zoom call with Michael Jordan himself, and it was almost a no-brainer to bring them into the fold. Since then they’ve done several collaborations with Jordan and Nike, my favorite of which being their Air Jordan 4 golf shoe. The shoe features the signature logo on the tongue with the outsole showing a painting of what the founders describe as a golfer wearing Eastside golf apparel while playing at a tournament in front of a large crowd.
They used this progress to create a host of other big partnerships. The list is extensive, but to highlight a few: they’ve collaborated with Rolling Loud (the global multi-city hip-hop music festival) to host a celebrity pro-am in Miami. They collaborated with the legendary sports apparel brand Mitchell and Ness to create one of their capsules last year that had some incredible jerseys and button downs. They hosted their inaugural HBCU Classic last fall in Texas that was sponsored by State Farm. Finally, they’ve been able to collaborate with tons of leagues and associations, including the NBA, MLB, NFL, and of course, the PGA Tour.
Community-Driven Efforts
The duo built this company with diversity and inclusion in the forefront of their minds. They were fortunate enough to play collegiate level golf, but also acknowledge that a large portion of the black community doesn’t have access to play the sport because of economic barriers. Mercedes-Benz and Bridgestone Golf (yes the tire company does have a golf arm) have both become marquee partners in helping them execute initiatives that will create accessible touchpoints to broader audiences, spotlighting golf talent and programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA), and creating more opportunities to bring in new, diverse audiences and players to the sport. Mercedes-Benz and Bridgestone have also been influential on the apparel and accessory side too, as the former created a few pieces of apparel for the women’s line, and the latter has created a high quality golf ball with the Eastside Golf logo on it.
Current Line
Eastside Golf just released their latest capsule dubbed “Shattering Expectations” and oh man they dropped some HEAT. While they’ve restocked some of their core pieces (t-shirts, pullover sweaters, etc) they’ve also added a few new items. Some of my favorites include their member vest, a redesigned cream cardigan, and their invitational polo as an ode to one of the tournament they hosted last year. They also have some incredible pieces for women in their arsenal, making their brand even stronger for whoever wants to sport their look. All of their pieces range in fabric from 100% cotton to cotton and nylon/polyester blends, giving you not only variety in the look and feel but also plenty of options for you to play in any type of weather.
Overall, I’m a massive fan of what Olajuwon and Earl have built thus far. They have an incredible amount of momentum behind them and are both extremely creative and scrappy. The global golf apparel market size is expected to reach $13.28B by 2032 and with very few companies coming remotely close to what they’re doing, they have a long runway to continue to reach customers and steal marketshare. No matter if you’re a scratch golfer or cant quite break 100, Eastside Golf will have you looking good on and off the course.
