In the following year and up to 2010 I noticed several new golf companies were showing up with fresh new looks, fabrics and colours. Blogs about golf fashions started popping up as well as media segments on the so called changing face of golf. Anyone who attended the 2010 PGA Golf show were also commenting on this apparel shift. A few of these new brands started "borrowing" some ideas from Golf Cult, like full print back pieces and larger font script graphics, This was pointed out to me by clients and golf bloggers alike. Imitation is the purest form of flattery they say, I say get your own ideas biters!!
My thoughts on this were mixed, on one hand I loved that golf was changing, this was not our fathers golf course, game and style. On the other hand I knew competition was ramping up and market share for the fringe golf brands would be expanding. It wasn't long before the big brands took note and started catering to a new youth market. Some of the new brands exploded into the mainstream, being picked up by major retailers and higher end pro shops.
So let's forget the past and start talking about 2012, what the heck happened? I could pull screen grabs from all the large golf retailers and golf brands big and small and it would literally look like they were all the same brand. Some of the smaller brands that started when Golf Cult did have grown into large golf brands and I notice they do not have the same edge to them as they once did. This is not a criticism of any company, I say what ever makes you the most money is the route you should take as this is a business. This is just an observation and I must say a kind of a disappointing one. Does golf truly only have one style and any other brand be considered novelty?
