As a Club Medicare card member, I only get one child more than my fair share elder abuse by my younger siblings MyGolfSpy.
Hey, I’ll tell you what I tell them: This guy decides sexah back to “sexagenarian”.
However, one concession to aging is the way I dress. My wife’s too-frequent eye-rolling has convinced me that some of my golf outfits may not be, shall we say, age-appropriate. So when Bad bird came calling, a unique challenge presented itself.
Can a 65-year-old man desperately trying to balance his inner child with his wife’s desire for him to dress like an adult find happiness in a brand whose logo looks like a dead bird?
As a famous Zen master once said: We will see.
Who or what is Bad Birdie?
Bad bird was founded in 2017 by Jason Richardson. In his younger days, Richardson caddied at an ultra-exclusive country club. He loved the game but didn’t accept the culture. Like many others his age, he found that culture exclusive and intimidating. By the time he reached his 20s, Richardson had built a career in advertising, helping challenger brands build their businesses.
In short, it was on-the-job training for an outsider looking for something to screw up. That something turned out to be golf wear.
“Driving home from a golf tournament one day, I realized I don’t have to dress up as someone else just to play the game,” Richard said. Leaders Perception Magazine this year. “There was no brand that reflected how my generation wanted to appear, so I decided to build it.”
Richardson self-funded his new company, which launched in 2017. It was a real side hustleoperated from his apartment with an initial run of 100 shirts. The foundation of the company was quality and performance, but the vibe was about personality, with bold prints, cultural relevance and style. She dismissed the idea that players had to “look right” (ie “boring”) to fit in.
You know those new golf apparel brands you see on your social media feeds talking about how they’re different, unconventional, and disruptive? Bad Birdie makes a strong case for being the OG of that movement.
In 2020, Richardson pitched his brand on Shark Tank, securing a $300,000 investment that allowed him to shift brand awareness into overdrive. Bad bird it would soon be found in pro shops and major retailers, cementing itself as a leader in post-Covid golf culture.
Yes, but why “Bad Birdie?”
I think, as golfers, we can all agree that there is no such thing as a “bad birdie” unless, of course, you dig a little putt for eagle. As a brand name, however, it may help to imagine one Pulp Fiction– era Samuel L. Jackson saying it, only without the attributive maternal adjective formed from a present participle between “Bad” and “Birdie”.
As for the logo, it could be a dead bird or it could be a dead bird. It depends on your interpretation. Visually, it represents the overthrow of the old traditions of golf and the rejection of safe, conservative norms. In a word, it is a rebel.
I may be ready for Social Security but Bad bird you are speaking my language After all, I grew up in the 70s.
That’s all well and good, but can this old man pull off the badass spring collection while earning his wife’s approval?
As it turns out, he can. He just needs to keep his rebellious instincts age-appropriate.
Going through Bad Birdie’s Spring collection
For pure comedy, I’m pretty sure John Cleese and Michael Palin would have enjoyed watching me and Mrs. Bad Birdie Spring Collection. It wasn’t at all Cheese Shop Sketchbut it was close.
I: Oh, that’s nice.
She: No.
I: How about this?
She: No.
She: No.
She: No.
She: No.
All kidding aside, we actually found some polos we can agree on. We (meaning she) especially liked it The midnight muse, Arizona and some of Ridge Performance polo with ribbed collar and cuffs. We (she) also liked the golf shorts, but we (she) decided that darker colors would look better on a man my age. I (she) finally decided on the Ridge Performance Wild One (can’t keep a good rebel down!) in navy blue and a pair of medium blue golf shorts (Bad Birdie calls it “mirage blue”).
For good measure, Bad Birdie threw one in black snapback hatwhich we will discuss later.
Does Bad Birdie’s Spring Collection work for the over-60 crowd?
The short answer is absolutely. yes, Bad Birdie Spring Collection it’s bold and colorful and, yes, contains more than a few pieces that would look better on one of my offspring than on me. But if you still have that connection to your rebellious youth (along with an understanding and extremely patient husband), any “seasoned” golfer can find joy in what Bad Birdie has to offer.
I have to call the hat though. Like many men my age, I prefer the more relaxed, low-profile type often referred to as the “daddy cap.” The style features an unstructured crown without rigid panels. Like me, it’s soft and somewhat squishy as opposed to straight and stiff.
I can identify with this.
The Bad Birdie hat I tried on was a classic snapback type with a high crown and a flat brim. I have a 29 year old son who would look great in it. For me, at 65, not so much.
With that, see you on the golf course, my friends. If you ever make it up to Breakfast Hill in Greenland, NH, you can’t miss me. I’ll be that sharp-dressed male who gets close to a ZZ Top and styles a Bad Birdie, albeit with my trusty Red Sox dad hat.
If you want to shop The Barba Collection (at least that’s what I’m calling it – I’m not sure Bad Birdie can put enough zeroes after ones to get my NIL, but I’m willing to let them try), here are the links to Bad Birdie Ridge Performance Wild One AND Bad Birdie Golf Shorts.
