A Clothing Brand Takes A Swing At Diversifying The Game Of Golf

1 week ago

He grew up connected nan Eastside of Atlanta, a mostly African American organization successful a predominantly Black city, and learned to play astatine 6. He was surrounded by Black kids, Black parents and Black coaches astatine his neighborhood’s nationalist courses. It wasn’t until Ajanaku’s first tourney successful people schoolhouse that he realized his ain acquisition was unique.

“I thought that play looked for illustration wherever I was from,” said Ajanaku. “But past you get retired location and you spell to these tournaments, you spot it’s a full different world.”

Due to nan precocious startup costs of nan game, constricted entree to play accommodation and a deficiency of exposure, Black information successful nan crippled has traditionally lagged. A 2019 National Golf Foundation study found that only 3% of recreational golfers were Black. And astatine golf’s highest level, conscionable 4 Black golfers person PGA Tour position retired of much than 200 players, and zero LPGA Tour players are Black

That’s why, successful 2019, Ajanaku and his champion friend and erstwhile Morehouse College play teammate, Earl Cooper, founded Eastside Golf, a manner play apparel marque pinch an unapologetic motion to Black culture. The brand’s logo, named “Swingman,” features a Black man wearing bluish jeans, achromatic sneakers, a shot headdress and a golden Cuban nexus concatenation necklace while swinging a play club.

former members of Morehouse College play squad

“I was virtually conscionable trying to make myself into a logo and definitive really I felt retired connected nan play course,” said Ajanaku, who played master play for a little stint aft assemblage but was incapable to unafraid capable sponsorships backmost past to make a profession retired of it. “I want to consciousness for illustration myself, but I want to proceed to play nan crippled that I love.”

With polo shirts featuring nan brand’s sanction successful oversize book writing, bucket hats successful various pastel colors and play shoes pinch nan Swingman logo replacing nan celebrated Jordan Jumpman imprint (thanks to a coveted Jordan Golf collaboration), Cooper and Ajanaku opportunity nan extremity of nan marque is to alteration nan cognition of golfers while bridging manner and nan fairway.

“Oftentimes successful golf, we believe exclusivity,” said Cooper, referring to really nan crippled is mostly relegated to backstage state clubs pinch rank fees that by default exclude galore people.

“Our marque is for nan masses.”

Former Morehouse assemblage play teammates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper successful 2011.

In 2024, Cooper said, Eastside Golf surpassed $10 cardinal successful revenue, up from $1 cardinal successful 2020. But it’s not each astir bringing successful money. Eastside Golf, Cooper said, has donated thousands to their alma mater, Morehouse College, wherever they graduated 15 years ago. They besides sponsor assemblage golfers, person signed Joseph Bramlett — 1 of nan 4 Black PGA Tour-status golfers — and employment a divers unit of astir 2 twelve people. They tin tally a scope of personage ambassadors, including euphony shaper DJ Khaled and character Anthony Anderson, and marque partnerships pinch Beats by Dre and nan Atlanta Braves, among others, positive a Sprite commercial and brick-and-mortar stores successful Detroit and Tokyo.

But overmuch of Eastside Golf’s activity is astir reaching mundane golfers, too.

“One of nan reasons why I play play is simply a small soft enactment of rebellion, showing that we’re here, we tin play it athletically and mentally,” said Brittany Christian, a Black female from Georgia who credits Eastside Golf pinch building bonds betwixt Black golfers. “It intends a lot.”

For nan past 2 years, Eastside Golf has hosted “Community Days” successful awesome cities for illustration Dallas, and Chicago, wherever it buys retired an full play people for nan time and offers free tee times, nutrient and euphony — and of people play lessons. The events are unfastened to everyone, but nan overwhelming mostly of attendees are African Americans.

“We’re present to show that play is astir accessibility, not only to nan play people itself, but to people,” Ajanaku said. “And that’s nan spot of what play is.”

At nan astir caller Community Day successful early August, a unit of 5 preteen boys (and their dads) joined much than 300 players astatine nan Charlie Yates Golf Course successful Atlanta. Three retired of nan 5 changeable up a manus erstwhile asked who was nan champion golfer.

Eastside Golf co-founders Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper.

Thirteen-year-old Jacob Smith, who’s been golfing since property 2, said play teaches him lessons that he’s capable to use each day.

“You tin ever bounce back,” he said. “If you deed 1 bad shot, nan adjacent changeable could ever beryllium great.”

Mason Madison, 11, who started golfing 3 years ago, said play is “honestly much than fun. There’s besides nan portion wherever you’ve sewage to put successful nan activity to get better, truthful it could beryllium funner.”

The power astir these events, for Ajanaku, is reminiscent of nan situation wherever he first learned nan crippled he’s still successful emotion pinch today. It’s inclusive, divers and open-minded — but historically, that’s acold from nan norm.

“The measurement play is group up — and you look astatine really it was past and really it is now — it follows nan shape of racism successful nan United States,” said Ramona Harriet, a Black play historiographer and nan writer of “A Missing Link successful History: The Journey of African Americans successful Golf.”

Black golfers successful nan U.S. were historically barred from nan crippled successful galore spaces. After play came to nan U.S. from Scotland by nan 1700s, it evolved into a athletics for state clubs, wherever Black group were prohibited from membership. In nan U.S., Black golfers were relegated to caddy roles done nan 1980s, galore utilizing their expertise to thief achromatic players go champions. The PGA Tour maintained its “Caucasian-only” membership clause until 1961, while immoderate backstage clubs remained whites-only arsenic precocious arsenic nan 1990s.

Even greens fees and strict dress codes person excluded immoderate who want to play but can’t spend each of nan accoutrements.

Despite nan challenges, Black golfers person excelled. John Shippen became nan first African American golfer to play successful nan U.S. Open successful 1896. More than 60 years later, Charlie Sifford became nan first Black personnel of what yet became nan PGA Tour successful 1961. Two years later, Althea Gibson — astir known for her prowess connected nan tennis tribunal — became nan first Black female to compete successful nan U.S. Open for golf. And Tiger Woods — arguably nan champion golfer of each clip — has blown nan crippled unfastened for Black golfers complete nan past 30 years. Today, he’s tied for first successful PGA Tour wins, 2nd successful awesome men’s championships and holds a litany of different records.

Woods inspired generations, including Ajanaku and Cooper, to dream of what is possible. Now, nan duo hopes Eastside Golf does nan aforesaid for others — and themselves. Ajanaku is presently moving to get backmost to nan master level, this clip for nan agelong haul.

“I started this marque because I was tired of being told ‘No,’” said Ajanaku. “I sewage complete 300 ‘Noes’ pinch pitching Olajuwon arsenic a master golfer and past besides pitching Eastside Golf. So why not return nan entrepreneur way and sponsor myself? And that’s erstwhile I created Eastside Golf.”