Launched in 2017 with the aim of bringing some much-needed colour and character to the then-boring golf attire trade, Unhealthy Birdie was beamed into hundreds of thousands of properties when Founder and CEO Jason Richardson appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank in April 2020 because the COVID 19 pandemic unfold and golf’s reputation began to surge.
In the present day, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based firm struck its greatest deal since Robert Herjavec missed a putt that value him an additional 5 % fairness stake by signing PGA Tour gamers Si Woo Kim, Harrison Endycott and Callum Tarren that may make sure the model shall be seen on much more screens week in and week out.
“We’re looking for gamers which can be going to form of proceed to develop within the sport and have much more trajectory so we’re making an attempt to get gamers earlier on (of their careers) versus somebody who’s already tremendous, tremendous established,” Richardson stated. “Our complete strategy after we went into it was like, we don’t simply need to signal guys which can be like billboards, we need to signal guys who’re a part of what our model represents.”
Kim, a 28-year-old from South Korea, has 4 PGA Tour victories on his resume together with the 2017 Gamers Championship and the 2023 Sony Open. Endycott, a 27-year-old from Australia, received the 2023 PGA Tour Q Faculty. Tarren, a 33-year-old from England who gained PGA Tour standing starting within the 2021-22 season, had his finest end of T2 on the 2022 RSM Basic.
Richardson stated sponsoring skilled gamers has at all times been on the corporate’s roadmap however Unhealthy Birdie wanted to broaden its product choices sufficient to outfit a Tour participant whereas additionally having sufficient crew bandwidth to assist such sponsorship endeavors.
Assured each containers have been checked, roughly six months in the past Unhealthy Birdie jumped into the PGA Tour world by attending occasions and assembly gamers within the hopes of securing sponsorship alternatives.
“I like to consider rising this enterprise as operating a marathon so we now have been working during the last seven years to get the model the place it’s at right this moment,” Richardson stated. “I believe this 12 months is a 12 months we actually hopefully get to have a breakout 12 months and hopefully pull some advertising levers that quite a lot of manufacturers try this we’ve been form of planning for and considering of actually fastidiously.”
Unhealthy Birdie isn’t stopping right here. The model is increasing its partnerships throughout all ranges of golf, from supporting 10 highschool packages, together with seven-time Florida state champion Ponte Vedra Excessive Faculty, to collegiate packages and particular person gamers like Oklahoma’s Drew Goodman in addition to Korn Ferry and LPGA gamers together with Isaiah Salinda.
Whereas Unhealthy Birdie shall be making its skilled golf debut, it joins an inventory of newer golf attire manufacturers inking offers with PGA Tour and LPGA Tour gamers as the sport continues to develop, evolve and diversify.
Greyson Clothiers, which signed Justin Thomas in March 2022, additionally sponsors Luke Record, Luke Donald, Akshay Bhatia, Erik van Rooyen and Dylan Wu. Malbon lured Jason Day away from NIKE as its first PGA Tour ambassador on Jan. 2 and has since welcomed Charley Hull, Jeongeun Lee and Jesper Parnevik to the household which additionally consists of Yealimi Noh. In the meantime, Min Woo Lee made his assertion on Jan. 16 by turning into lululemon’s first golf ambassador.
“The previous method of golf is completed and with this new technology of golf, the prepare has left the station,” Richardson stated. “There’s manufacturers who’ve been on that prepare for the reason that starting and there’s others which can be having to catch up and are form of caught of their previous methods, so that you see quite a lot of success with these next-generation manufacturers or these manufacturers that take a look at the game in a brand new method, which I believe is the place the tradition goes. It doesn’t shock me that these manufacturers like us, Malbon and lulu which can be taking a brand new take a look at the sport are in a position to have success.
“There’s quite a lot of alternative for brand spanking new manufacturers to come back in and take market share and proceed to innovate the game. On the finish of the day, that’s what it’s about for me. There’s this group of manufacturers and this complete neighborhood that’s making an attempt to reshape the tradition round golf in a extra optimistic method, a extra inclusive method and a extra inventive method and, fortuitously sufficient, that’s truly taking place. Issues are altering and shifting in path.”
