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According to recent projections, the golf apparel and accessories industry will triple over the next five years with the most substantial growth coming by way of the Middle East and Africa. This year also marks a sea change in the sport with Nike and Tiger Woods parting ways while several others claw for position atop of a red ocean market.

NFL Hall of Famer (to be) JJ Watt has said many wise things in his career and beyond it. But it’s something he mentioned six years ago that is still relevant today, “Has any one athlete ever moved the needle for an entire sport like Tiger for golf?! Maybe MJ, Serena… idk.” Given recent events, a rundown of the sport’s most interesting was in order.

To do this, I collected every list of golf brands that I could find over the last year, from Gear Patrol to GQ to Golf to Men’s Health and everything in between. I used ChatGPT to identify the brands most consistent among the many lists (with one clear exception). The list blends the old, the new, and the to-be launched.

The 2024 List of Top Golf Brands

• Sun Day Red – May 1, 2024 launch from Tiger Woods will symbolize dominance, victory, tradition.
• Fore All – A new women’s golf apparel brand that mixes functionality with fashion.
• Greyson Clothiers – Known for high-quality, stylish golf apparel.
• A. Putnam – A fresh brand in women’s golf apparel focusing on understated luxury.
• Adidas – Consistently stylish and functional golf apparel for both men and women.
• Malbon – A fashion-forward brand with partnerships across the industry.
• Ecco Golf – Offers some of the most comfortable spikeless golf shoes.
• Polo RLX Golf – Classic golf fashion meets innovative fabrics.
• Puma – Known for quality golf clothing and innovative shoe technology.
• FootJoy – Embraces traditional styles with modern technology.
• Rhone – Offers the “Everyday Five Pocket Pant” and stylish polos.
• True Linkswear – Stylish golf shoes designed for comfort and functionality.
• 7Diamonds – Offers the Yael Striped Sweater Polo, blending fashion with golf attire.
• Original Penguin – Known for its stylish upcoming collections.
• Devereux – The brand’s mantra is “play more, complain less.”
• Lohla Sport – European designs for the American sporty-resort lifestyle.
• Jones Sports Co – Offers high-quality golf bags and backpacks.
• Stitch Golf – Known for its travel accessories and golf bags.
• Sunday Golf – Light and fun golf gear, known for their golf bags.
• Lululemon – High-quality, fashionable athleisure suitable for golf.
• Nike – Offers a wide range of golf apparel and gear, known for affordability.
• J. Lindeberg – A luxury lifestyle brand with a strong golf apparel line.
• Manors – Focuses on classic, preppy shades and quality knitwear.
• G/Fore – Contemporary take on golf apparel with vibrant colors.
• Bogner – Luxury brand known for its functional and stylish golf polos.
• Rhoback – Functional, stylish, breathable, stretchy, vibrant, comfortable, sporty.
• Under Armour – Offers a wide range of golf apparel and accessories.
• Eastside Golf – A newer brand that blends streetwear with golf tradition.
• Bogey Bros – Golf style with an impeccable sense of humor.
• Peter Millar – Offers premium fabric golf apparel, from sweaters to jackets.
• Mizzen+Main – One of the original players in the performance wear space.

One of these brands deserves a spotlight given recent developments and it isn’t Tiger’s. Charlie Woods recently stepped into the limelight with Greyson Clothiers, diverging from his father’s first apparel partner. Tiger, an apparent fan of Greyson but in need of something more, leaned towards TaylorMade for the iconic Sun Day Red partnership. This decision likely hinged on TaylorMade’s robust omnichannel distribution network, despite the textiles bearing a closer resemblance to Greyson’s sophisticated offerings than anything TaylorMade has previously crafted. This strategic partnership reflects a blend of legacy, modernity, and a familiar design ethos (from what I can tell by the early images). That design ethos reminded me of Charlie Schaefer’s burgeoning brand.

In Awe of Greyson Clothiers

The Greyson story is shaping up to become the rare exit outcome in DTC fashion, one plagued with stall outs and private equity mergers (fire sales).

I consider Greyson the sartorial knight of the sweat-wicking fabric category.

Schaefer swung his way from the Duke golf team fairways to the polished floors of Ralph Lauren, only to later set the stage for a fashion revolution of sorts in a stale golf category. It was here, amidst the racks of preppy attire, that fate played its hand. As the story goes, he found himself plucked from the sales floor by Ralph Lauren himself, and whisked into the whirlwind world of corporate fashion development. He there learned how to manage a fashion retailer while maintaining the creativity required to see it to growth.

In 2015, armed with a dream and a rolodex to envy, Schaefer and world’s no. 1 amateur golfer, Morgan Hoffmann, birthed Greyson Clothiers. This wasn’t just another brand; it was a fusion of sophistication and performance, destined to redefine the golf attire landscape. Fast forward through nine years of cutting-edge designs and bold fashion statements, Greyson Clothiers now boasts a roster of brand ambassadors that reads like a who’s who of the golf world, including Justin Thomas and Matthew Fitzpatrick. This family, as Schaefer fondly calls it, is united not just by a love for the game but by a shared commitment to a lifestyle that transcends the golf course.

Justin Thomas, a brand ambassador and also an investor, sums up the Greyson ethos with the zeal of a true believer. When Thomas talks to fashion reporters about the brand, he notes the company line: it’s not just about looking good; it’s about feeling good, about embracing a lifestyle that’s as much about making a statement off the course as it is on it. Greyson has turned joggers from a golfing faux pas into a symbol of sporty chic, a testament to the brand’s influence on golfing culture and its trajectory.

In a world where golf attire regurgitated tradition, Greyson Clothiers leapt forward, crafting a future where fashion and function stride hand in hand down the fairway. This answer stands out amongst the rest; it’s from a 2021 article in Golfweek.

The evolution of sport and specifically golf has seen some “colorful” fashion. Knickers have been in and around the game since the beginning. I believe that the jogger is the modern-day knicker.

I consider Greyson the sartorial knight of the sweat-wicking fabric category. This is not just a story of triumph in the cutthroat realm of DTC menswear brands; it’s a saga of how Greyson clothed its way to the top of a heap that includes competitors like Mizzen+Main, State & Liberty, Rhone, and the Goliaths known as Travis Mathew and Peter Millar gazing in awe at its meteoric rise.

Greyson understood that to capture the imagination of consumers, it had to do more than just sell clothes with technical properties. It needed to sell a lifestyle, an ethos, and perhaps, a sprinkle of magic (there are a few quirks that I admire). The kind of magic that convinces a man or woman that they can shave strokes off of their game by donning the right polo, joggers, or members-only ball cap.

Ahead of Greyson, Mizzen+Main brought stretchy shirts to the table and relentlessly targeted a psychographic that could only be summarized as the “Chads.” State & Liberty, Rhone, and Rhoback offered sharp fits designed for athletes. And then there were the many others, with brands so entrenched in the golf world, they seemed as immovable as the ancient trees lining the 18th fairway at Augusta. In many ways, Greyson decided it would redefine the edges rather than join the fray.

Armed with the audacity of a startup and the finesse of a fashion house, Greyson Clothiers embarked on a campaign of charm, cool, and innovation. They looked at the sea of sameness – the predictable plaids, the mundane monochromes – and nearly ignored those statements altogether. Why settle for the status quo when you can disrupt the very fabric of golf attire? Thus, they unleashed bold designs (enough to make paisley look pedestrian) and patterns so intricate, you’d think they were hiding the secrets in the member house at Cherokee Plantation.

But Greyson knew that in the heart of every golfer, beneath the veneer of competitive spirit, lies a yearning for comfort and functionality. This is where they were able to match their competitors without giving up on perfecting its style cues. They engineered clothes that felt like a second skin while on course, yet possessed the resilience of a caddie carrying your clubs uphill both ways. Their offerings are not just garments; they were shields against the elements.

It’s safe to say that some of the competition watched in disbelief, wondering if their next line of shirts needed to double as yoga mats to keep up. Others pondered if their next innovation would involve integrating GPS technology into their fabrics to help golfers find the nearest hole. Travis Mathew might have even raised an eyebrow, acknowledging the audacity of the newcomer.

What truly set Greyson apart, however, was its ability to capture the essence of golf itself – a sport of tradition yet constantly evolving, steeped in etiquette but always on the brink of revolution. They understood that to win over the golfing community, they needed to respect its roots while gently nudging it towards the future. And nudge they did, with every stitch, every seam, every daring design that whispered, “This, too, is golf.”

As Greyson Clothiers ascended to the pinnacle of golf fashion, it became clear that they had not just overcome their competitors; they had transcended many of them with a compressed timeline. They had turned the act of dressing for golf into a statement, a declaration that one was part of a movement that honored the game while daring to dream of its possibilities.

In the end, Greyson Clothiers did not just capture the imagination of consumers; it captured the spirit of an era. An era where golf attire could be as dynamic as the game itself, where tradition and innovation could walk the course hand in hand, and where a brand could rise from the ranks to become not just a player, but one with staying power. In the world of DTC menswear brands, amidst the rivalry and the competition, Greyson emerged as an innovator in a space that is incredibly difficult to achieve the balance between sales today and innovation tomorrow.

By Web Smith | Edited by Hilary Milnes with art by Christina Williams 

The buy now, pay later BNPL boom is on the verge of being vilified. The idea of “phantom debt” continues to become an emerging issue in the consumer credit market (impacting platforms like Affirm, Klarna, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and others).

Now, nearly every major retailer has partnered with a company or companies on Buy Now, Pay Later, or BNPL, products — online and, in some cases, even in stores. “The main thing at the end of the day is just the competitive effects,” deHaan said. “If Walmart — just to throw out some names — starts accepting BNPL, then Target has to do so as well, because we see that BNPL is a favored product and consumers will change their behaviors to shop at places that offer it.”

Reports like the above from the Gothamist give the impression that the spread of BNPL is a negative. However, store credit cards maintain positive press. Adjacently, branded digital payments are the white space according to our recent analysis. With Tandym leading the charge and two other enterprise SaaS companies developing similar products, it begs the question. When will Shopify react to the digital branded payments space? The following is complete conjecture but don’t be surprised if Shopify eventually warms to the idea.

Prediction: It wouldn’t surprise if Shopify introduced an upgrade to Shop Pay in 2024, targeting the elite top 0.01% of brands on its platform. I would classify those with $250M+ in annual revenue. This particular upgrade concept would revolve around enabling these premier brands to white-label Shop Pay as their own branded payment system. This would allow this select few retailers to issue brand-specific payments, a move that promises to deepen retail’s reliance on Shop Pay while offering enterprise DTC-level companies a new way to stand out on the Shopify platform.

This tier for qualified, enterprise retailers and marketplaces would enable these leading brands to craft personalized payment experiences and new, loyalty-driven value propositions that resonate with their distinct brand identity and customer base, transforming the payment process from a transaction into a key element of the brand experience. And it could be built atop of the Shop Pay platform with (I assume would be) relative ease. By injecting their identities into every step of the purchasing process, brands can forge a stronger emotional bond with their customers, enhancing loyalty and engagement.Below is an example from a previous ad with Tandym. Whether through acquisition or imitation, eventually Shopify will offer this as a service.

The introduction of brand-specific debt is not revolutionary, you likely have 2-3 brand credit cards in your possession. But a digital-first system for it has proven to be early in its lifecycle. Trusted brands (Solo Brands is the one used, above) could offer exclusive financing options and loyalty options akin to earned sophisticated store credit, fully integrated within the brand’s Shopify ecosystem. This could include interest-free periods, exclusive rewards, or special access to products and events, incentivizing deeper customer engagement, fostering brand loyalty, and boosting the lifetime value of each customer.

This acquisition or development cycle by Shopify would set a new standard in the eCommerce industry, prompting other retail platforms to adopt similar strategies. For consumers, this could translate to a more tailored and engaging shopping experience. Incorporating the benefits of store credit cards, Shopify’s highly-selective, customized approach to Shop Pay would reward customer loyalty in ways that help retailers address one of the industry’s most important metrics: LTV. And, it would move Shopify closer to the financial technology category that the wider market seems to reward.

While I assume that this idea is not currently in Shopify’s development pipeline, a custom version of Shop Pay for trustworthy brands (with verifiable brand equity) would be a welcomed addition to the DTC marketplace. While BNPL struggles with damaging press, products like Shop Pay could benefit by equipping a select few individual retailers to be the faces of one-click payments and potential payment plans. And as a second-order effect, it may attract more enterprise level companies looking for new opportunities to build loyalty and new lines of revenue.

By Web Smith

Beef is the most interesting topic in retail. By the end of this, you may agree.

Will Harris is the principal at White Oak Pastures. A fourth-generation cattlemen, Harris cultivates land and cattle that was passed down to him from descendants as far back as 1866. Educated at the University of Georgia, Harris was trained on industrial farming techniques that were popularized in the 1940s to feed a booming, middle-class economy. These methods include the typical pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, feed, and herbicides customary to American diets. Today, Will Harris is a regenerative cattle rancher whose detailed approach to farming is measured down to the microbe. I listened to a recent interview of his shared by a friend and cattle rancher. This soundbite has shaped the present and future of beef:

What you’re doing is fine, Will, but you can’t feed the world like that. And my response is, “I don’t know that I am supposed to feed the world, I think I’m supposed to feed my community.

In recent years, the term “regenerative beef” has emerged as a popular marketing buzzword, heralded as a sustainable solution to environmental concerns associated with beef production. This essay examines the science and work that defines this word, one that has the potential to become a disingenuous marketing term, especially in light of the challenges the farming practice faces when scaled up.

This includes Walmart’s new initiative to redefine itself as a regenerative company; the economic realities of beef production and consumption, and the broader context of sustainable development all serve as critical lenses through which to understand this issue.

Started raising cattle at [the] Ko’olau ranch on Kauai, and my goal is to create some of the highest quality beef in the world.

These were the words of the owner of Ko’olau ranch, a 1,400-acre compound on Hawaii’s oldest island, according to a recent report by The Guardian. That property owner and modern rancher is Meta billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who aims to raise the Rolls-Royce of beef.

Rolls-Royce manufactured 6,000 vehicles in 2022 up from 5,586 in 2021. In 2022, Ford manufactured 1.8 million vehicles. One car company manufactures for quality and the other manufactures for industrial scale. If this analogy was used for the production and marketing of beef, by the growing number of modern retailers, it would look something like this:

Over one dozen brands are vying for market share to be the Rolls-Royce of meat producers which requires production to look more like Ford’s, defying the ideals of the practices that established Rolls-Royce over decades.

The bottom line: there is only so much space in the regenerative meat market before it’s not regenerative at all. This means that companies should assume that the market is fixed and that expansion of supply either comes by degrading production or acquiring the supply of a competitor’s.

In short, there are now dozens of meat-based brands (across CPG and fresh foods categories) that are competing for market share in a segment where the supply is level, the demand is level, but the merchants are growing by the year. Look no further than the projection by the USDA, pictured above: chicken production will grow, pork production will inch up, beef production will remain the same.

Recent developments in both the traditional and alternative meat sectors suggest an ongoing struggle for market dominance, with each segment grappling with unique challenges. [Just Meat]

The use of the “regenerative” tag in beef production can be seen as a worthwhile initiative. The use of the tag in marketing is a form of virtue signaling, a term used to suggest that capitalism can be aligned with a corporation’s moral values, often with little regard to the totality of their impact. This use of the term can dilute its meaning and potentially mislead consumers about the environmental impact of their food choices.

Walmart’s Regenerative Foodscape

Here is a case in contradiction. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is now attempting to position itself as a leader in regenerative agriculture, despite the inherent contradictions with its low-cost business model. The Walton family, owners of Walmart, have made vast investments in regenerative agriculture. While these efforts might seem commendable, they potentially reshape the marketplace in a way that undercuts the true essence of regenerative practices. The Walton family’s influence over the food system, reflected in their substantial investments, does not align with the fundamental principles of regenerative agriculture, which prioritize environmental sustainability over profit and scale. Regenerative methods and capitalism rarely align. So for Walmart to attempt to own the narrative is especially concerning for those who are authentic about their duty to the regenerative agriculture movement.

It’s important to note that Walmart faced tension between two dueling concepts, once before: the organic produce market and its low-cost model. Organic produce economics and regenerative agriculture are systems with overlapping values, restrictions, and aspirations. As a foretelling of sorts, Walmart sells organic produce at a cost as much as “25% cheaper than any other grocer,” according to the company. From Walmart’s ‘Regenerative Foodscape’, a November 2023 report by Civil Eats:

Even if the Walmart fortune is truly creating a rising tide toward a more regenerative food system, it may be unlikely to lift the most battered of boats: those small, regenerative, diversified farms selling healthy food to their neighbors. Because at the end of the day, it costs more. And not only have they been losing money for years, they’re still caught in the everyday-low-price hurricane, trying to stay afloat within a system that rewards producers who scale up to sell at Walmart’s prices.

The expansion of Walmart’s grocery business, with its emphasis on low prices, has historically encouraged practices that are antithetical to regenerative agriculture’s ethos of ecological balance and sustainability. So the question becomes, if regenerative agriculture-based companies partner with Walmart – can they too be considered antithetical?

The Economic Realities of Beef Production

The beef industry’s economic landscape adds another layer of complexity to the notion of regenerative beef. Inflation in the beef sector, as noted by Haden Comstock of NCBA, has led to a decrease in beef availability per capita in America.

This reduction in supply, coupled with a rise in prices, highlights the challenges of transitioning to a truly regenerative model. Beef, as a protein source, has maintained its demand despite rising prices, but the economic pressures on consumers, especially those with diminishing savings, indicate a possible future shift in consumption patterns. The tension between maintaining affordability and adopting sustainable practices poses a significant challenge for the beef industry, particularly in the context of ongoing environmental changes like droughts in the Midwest.

Regenerative Agriculture: Promises and Limitations

A July 2023 whitepaper by the American Farmer’s Network stated the following:

By choosing grass-fed beef, individuals can contribute to a more sustainable food system, support local economies, and enjoy the health benefits associated with this responsible and mindful choice. As we move forward, it is crucial to prioritize the adoption of sustainable farming practices and raise awareness about the positive impact of grass-fed beef for a healthier and more sustainable future.

The concept of regenerative agriculture is rooted in practices that enhance soil health, biodiversity, and ecological balance. However, the applicability of these practices to larger-scaled regenerative beef industry remains questionable. Proponents argue that regenerative agriculture can mitigate climate change and improve environmental sustainability.

However, this optimism overlooks the inherent limitations of such practices when applied to cattle farming. Regenerative grazing, while marketed as a solution to environmental degradation, often requires significantly more land and may not effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions or address biodiversity loss as a result of the lack of necessary land. From “The Promises and Pitfalls of Regenerative Agriculture, Explained,” a recent report by Sentient Media:

“Regenerative grazing” of cattle has been marketed to consumers […]. However, research shows that cattle grazing in any form is a major source of climate pollution that contributes to biodiversity loss, and regenerative ranching requires up to 2.5 times more land than conventional beef production.

The industrial-scale application of regenerative techniques faces challenges. The current trends in regenerative agriculture, driven by private funding (including by the Walton family) and government investment, risk perpetuating a model of agriculture that falls short of its environmental promises due to the changing priority from effectiveness to scale.

Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva was recently quoted at COP28 in Dubai of all places:

We want to convince the people who invest in agriculture … that it is completely viable to keep the forest standing and (still) have land to plant whatever we want.”

There he detailed a plan to regrow 99 million acres of deforested land within the decade.  – an area roughly the size of Sweden – within a decade. Context Magazine notes that this exceeds the landmass of Sweden. And it comes at a time when Brazil faces potential EU regulations banning commodities produced by acts of deforestation.

There are critics that suggest that regenerative agriculture, specifically beef production, would require far more land than we currently maintain for cattle raising. This is the simplest limitation but it isn’t the only one. While Mark Zuckerberg plans to use his 1,400 acre ranch to produce some of the world’s best beef, the masses will another 99 million acres over the next decade to keep supply at a place where the growing number of demand-generating DTC brands and other retailers in the space are taking the industry (assuming that the all grow with proper unit economics). This is why the regenerative tagline seems lofty at best, disingenuous at worst.

Regenerative Beef: A Marketing Ploy?

The labeling of beef as “regenerative” often serves more as a marketing strategy than a reflection of genuine sustainability. Hopdoddy, an Austin-based chain of fast-casual restaurants, just grew its vendor-partnership with Force of Nature – another Austin-based venture. Hopdoddy’s vice president of culinary Matt Schweitzer explained that part of the objective for switching meat vendors is to bring attention to regenerative agriculture:

We felt like we could really take a stand and look to move our entire supply chain in a regenerative fashion, so we could really be proud of the work we’ve done and we could hopefully leave the animals, the farmers, the ranchers, the native grasslands, and our planet a better place than before we started.

The term suggests a level of environmental stewardship that may not align with the realities of scaling beef production for mass-market ventures. This misalignment raises concerns about greenwashing, where the ecological benefits of regenerative practices are overstated to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. The regenerative beef narrative may give the impression that consuming beef, regardless of its production method, is compatible with a sustainable food system. This perspective neglects the broader environmental implications of beef production. But more importantly, it fails to mention the limitations of supply.

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The rise of “regenerative beef” as a marketing tagline represents a complex interplay between environmental aspirations and economic realities. While the concept of regenerative agriculture holds promise, its application to beef production at scale is fraught with challenges. Companies like Walmart, despite their investment in regenerative practices, operate within a framework that prioritizes scale and cost-efficiency, potentially undermining the principles of regenerative agriculture. The economic pressures on the beef industry, coupled with the need for environmental sustainability, call for a nuanced understanding of what regenerative practices can realistically achieve.

If the number of companies are growing and the strain on growers intensifies, is the corporate boom of direct-to-consumer meats true to its stated claims? As the global population grows and the demand for sustainable food systems only intensifies, it is important to look at this growing tagline with a critical eye and assess the claims of “regenerative meat” and the companies that rely on it to achieve scale.

By Web Smith | Edited by Hilary Milnes with art by Alex Remy and Christina Williams

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