Building a golf brand from scratch is nearly impossible.
It just is.
You’re not just fighting a headwind of familiar rides that have dominated the field for decades; you are charged with the ethereal challenge of soul building. Beyond clubs, you need to answer the toughest questions about branding: What are you really about? Who are you talking to? Who are you?
This week, McLaren Racing – in association with 8AM Golf, the parent company of GOLF.com – officially introduced the McLaren Golfsmart timing with the PGA Tour (Cadillac Championship) and Formula 1 (Miami Grand Prix) converging on South Florida.
McLaren Racing’s ethos is “Forever Forward”, a mantra that leaves nothing to the imagination. It screams innovation, excellence and a refusal to settle for second place – and McLaren has a track record (literally) that proves the motto is no slouch. In 2025, with the help of star driver Lando Norris, McLaren Racing landed on top of the F1 podium at the end of the year. Not only was the triumph a massive step in bringing down Red Bull, but it also established McLaren as a $5 billion sports marketing giant.
Luxury Icon Cemetery
When it comes to luxury brands getting into golf club engineering, we’ve seen this movie before – and usually it ends up on the clearance rack. Porsche Design tried its hand with the “902” series; the clubs were beautifully crafted but struggled to find a home in serious club bags. In 2012, Ferrari teamed up with the Cobra on a $2,000 driver that looked like it belonged in a museum but lacked the “everyday” playability the market demanded. Even Fila made a run in golf in the mid-to-late 90s (license deal via Renaissance Golf), proving that lifestyle prestige doesn’t always translate to consumer excitement.
The golf equipment ecosystem is built on innovation – new technology, AI and PhDs in aerodynamics. How do you start a golf company and make sure it lives up to the standards McLaren is known for?
With the right people.
The team behind McLaren Golf
I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I first learned of the McLaren news at the start of 2025. It’s not easy having a 9 million pound gorilla like McLaren looking over your shoulder. But then I heard who the captain of the ship was: Neil Howie.
My old friend and former president of Callaway Europe is exactly who you would want at the helm. Neil could play the MI6 chief in a Bond film – he’s a seasoned and articulate executive who guided Callaway to both great success and troubled waters. It takes someone who has experienced the ups and downs of this industry to have the perspective and expertise for a project like this.
I was eager to understand where Neil’s head was at after months of grinding.
“Anything like this will always start with four main things,” he told me. “For one, you have to assemble a great team of people. Without that you can’t really execute something extraordinary. In our case, we were lucky enough to get interest from some very smart people from other big OEMs in multiple departments. I think the idea of a small team, the agile business model and the energy and drive of a startup is so important. Add to that where we couldn’t be limited in terms of McLaren. remember a meeting where someone asked: ‘Should the shaft be round?’ It may sound crazy to some, but to me this is the case of a company that will stop at nothing to innovate. Second, the product must be relevant, unique and, in this case, in harmony with the McLaren brand. We couldn’t just make a club. This is their first four-wheeled endeavor, and the responsibility to exceed expectations was always top of mind. I truly believe that our first launch, although small in footprint, is the right one.
“Tournament verification via Justin Rosewho is in this as a business partner, not a paid ambassador, (along with) the likes of Ian Poulter and Michelle Wie, gave us a great baseline. These are three players with very distinctive palettes for golf clubs and all brutally honest in terms of feedback. Our R&D team had no choice but to listen, respond and push each other to get this right.
“The bottom line honestly is the full backing and support from McLaren. This is not a casual licensing deal, it’s a partnership, a real business and believe me when I tell you this is not a hobby for them. They take it seriously and push us to think beyond the normal. That kind of ethos is what can make an old dog like me. a lot of excitement and confidence like this, and this is just the opening number.
Skeptics will try to “honma” this story to death (ie, refer to Rose’s short-lived experiment with Honma clubs). Given Rose’s history, I understand the sentiment, but this isn’t it. at all.
Exclusivity by design: This is not a volume game. McLaren has no plans to sell hundreds of thousands of kits. Like a McLaren car, this is a one-of-a-kind, high-performance item for the golfer who wants a curated history. They are not here to fight the “Big 5” OEMs; they are doing something specific for the true golf nut.
Scar tissue factor: Everyone involved has already made initial mistakes. You have veterans from Callaway, Cobra and TaylorMade – like dealer Ryan Lauder and chief designer JP Harrington – who have seen great success and great failure. This is not a group that doesn’t understand what it means to lose.
So yes, starting a brand like this starts with great ideas and then people. Then you run and run (or run) as fast as you can.
I asked head designer JP Harrington if this project carries new forms of pressure.
“I try not to think about the outcomes of success and failure,” he said. “If I feel it in my bones, I do it. I’m not here to sell bones with ketchup to women in white gloves. I just want to make a difference.”
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