It seems like every day there is a new brand of golf. New Golf Apparel, New Golf Equipment, New Golf Focused Protein Bars and New Electrolyte Packs blah blah blah. It makes sense – everyone wants to be in golf. The guys make some money in the corporate world, turn 35 and decide they want golf to be their life.
So they build a golf brand with dreams of a beautiful business that allows them to eat, sleep and breathe golf. They might even play a few while they’re at it. Will it succeed?
Maybe not. I’m kidding. That depends. Get three things right and you have a shot.
A successful golf startup brand in 2026 will excel in three areas
- product
- Creative
- COMMUNITY
You should not be allowed to win with a bad product. You can’t capture the attention of new customers without good creative (social, storytelling, design). And you can’t count on repeat customers if they don’t feel like they’re part of something (the community).
Bonus thought: I believe the most successful of these will function like media companies: creating content that reaches their desired audience, giving them something to buy while they’re at it.
Of course, there are nuances, but let’s dive in.
Plans to follow
bad is the obvious example. Their identity is creative first: designs, collaborations, style. They may not have been the first to mix streetwear and golf wear, but they are the first to scale it.
How?
product— High quality material, high quality collaborations, great style for the new age golfer
Creative—Unreal social/production team, thoughtful partnerships. They create content that engages you.
COMMUNITY—Collaborations, events, activations, pop-ups. They are capturing a wide audience by making it feel very small, very warm.
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This is a brand that can weave into your particular hobby and make you fall in love with golf. I really don’t know of another brand that does this.
They are diving into high fashion, they hosted one art show for Werner Bronkhorstthey did a photoshoot in a river. WHY? Because Malbon is in the business of being unpredictable. This is their creative edge.
I wrote more about Malbo in my personal newsletter.
Brands need to think like media companies
Brands that treat content and storytelling as core parts of the business—those are the brands that will make it divided fans. They will be the ones to build loyalty early.
Take it Manors Golffor example. They are as much a media brand (in my opinion) as they are a clothing company. Their presence on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — even LinkedIn — makes them so easy to find for the casual golfer and social media spinner. If you want to win, make yourself easy to find.
For example: I once liked an Instagram reel that Manors put out and now i open every single one of their marketing emails because I expect something unique. Paired with that “something unique” it’s an opportunity to buy a $150 pair of pants. After reading and watching their stuff for the past six months, they can take my money!
NIKE, adidas, Peter Millar, etc.—these guys get so much exposure on the PGA Tour that they can put out a boring commercial and people still buy. Scottie Scheffler wears a NIKE puffer vest on Sunday and suddenly everyone wants NIKE puffer vests. These companies have distribution, athletes and decades of trust to back them up.
If you are a golf startup company, you don’t. You can’t play their game.
How to win in 2026
Take it. The people. Speaking.
Your goal no. 1 next year is to make people say, “Have you seen things from *your brand of golf*?” to their friends.
If people aren’t talking about you, people aren’t buying from you. Tap into the creative side of things to get people talking about you. Have a great product to keep people talking about you. Make people feel like they are a part of something to build loyalty and repeat customers.
Bonus tip from the Malbon playbook: Do the unexpected!
Build a great product, get creative, invite your customers into the story. Viola, good luck in 2026!
Post How to Succeed as a Golf Startup in 2026 appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
