A golf apparel brand loved by Chris Paul and Stephen Curry is breaking barriers in the sport. Here's how.
Eastside Golf
- 2024 has been a landmark year for Eastside Golf.
- The golf apparel brand was founded in 2019 by Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper.
- Together, they're helping break barriers to access, diversity, and inclusion in the sport.
Ten years ago, it would've been difficult to imagine the words golf and fashion in the same sentence.
Barring Tiger Woods' signature red polos and John Daly's eccentric pant choices, the sport has more often evoked memories of long-winded dress codes critiquing everything from shirt colors and buttons to the presence of belt loops.
But the golf landscape is beginning to change.
The National Golf Foundation (NGF) reported that in 2023, the sport had an estimated reach of 123 million in the US — more than one-third of the population — with "reach" defined by those over age 5 who'd played on or off-course, followed the sport on TV or online, read about it, or listened to a podcast.
In February, the NGF also reported the sport has seen increases in on-course participation from players from marginalized groups. The number of women and girls playing on-course has risen 23% since 2018, and the number of Asian, Black, and Hispanic golfers has increased 43%.
And while these advancements haven't quite reached the pros (Tiger Woods was the only Black golfer to compete at the 2024 Masters), the trend toward younger, more diverse players has brought new ideas of how today's golfers see, and want to represent, themselves.
Enter: Eastside Golf.
Founded by former Morehouse golf teammates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper in 2019, the brand has become a beacon for the growth of inclusion and access to the historically exclusive sport thanks to the work of its founders, community events, and collaborations with companies like Jordan Brand, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Rolling Loud, and more.
Oh, and their pieces have been worn by everyone from NBA stars Chris Paul and Stephen Curry to former President Barack Obama.
This year has been particularly impactful for Eastside, as it collaborated with Shopify for a pop-up store in New York City, hosted its second annual namesake invitational, released the "Everyone's Game" collection with Nike, continued to give back to HBCUs, and presented the Rolling Loud Invitational on December 12.
As Ajanaku and Cooper look ahead to 2025, here's everything you need to know about the brand that's changing the game.
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After graduating from Morehouse College in 2011 and 2012, respectively, Cooper and Ajanaku went their separate ways, with Cooper becoming a PGA professional and Ajanaku pursuing a professional career.
He did so for two years, and even won some mini tour events, "but it got to a point I just couldn't afford it anymore," Ajanaku told BI.
"I was taking up jobs and literally working at a golf course," he said, adding that he was "literally making pitch decks" to brands about potential sponsorship packages.
In an October interview with Barrons, he estimated that he only raised about $10,000 in those two years.
So, he went corporate, pivoting to a career in commercial vehicle finance, but never losing interest in golf.
When Ajanaku decided he wanted to turn pro again, he knew it would be hard to find sponsors and decided to make his own logo to represent himself: a Black man wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and a hat, head down as he's swinging the club back while a Cuban link chain flies in the opposite direction. He called it The Swingman.
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Ajanaku told BI he initially planned to put the logo on his bag and polo, and described the design as "the way that I feel when I'm out on the golf course."
Per Cooper's suggestion, Ajanaku printed the design on a T-shirt, too.
"I was in downtown Detroit. I maybe got stopped like 100 times in two hours, just like, 'Who are you, what is that logo, where can I get it, and do you play golf?' I was just like, 'Damn, I got something, but still don't know what it is,'" Ajanaku said.
Cooper's advice: Run with it.
Ajanaku made about nine SKUs to start, putting the Swingman on T-shirts, socks, lapel pins, sweatshirts, and even umbrellas.
He mailed the first 3,000 orders from his Detroit apartment.
"And from there, I knew that I had something," he said.
Eastside Golf
"I think growing up, there were certainly challenges as far as being able to afford golf," Cooper told BI. "Golf tournaments were very expensive, so I had to ask for money from family and all different types of things."
The NGF reported that in 2023, "the average playing fee for an 18-hole round of golf at a US public golf course was $43," an 18% increase from prices in 2019. And that's not including other necessities like attire, equipment, travel, and tournament fees.
In response to the issue, Eastside came up with Community Days. On these days, the brand buys out a golf course in the US and brings in food, music, products, instructional opportunities, and more for community members of all ages to enjoy.
"We knew we couldn't make golf cheap, but we wanted to eliminate the financial burden completely," Cooper said.
Community Days have become one of the company's premier events, and everyone in the organization is required to attend at least one or two annually.
"It just lifts everyone's spirits so much … it's like putting the battery in your back because you really get a chance to see the impact firsthand," Cooper added.
Jensen Larson Photography, Inc./Jensen Larson
Both Cooper and Ajanaku were awarded scholarships to play at Morehouse College, an HBCU. There, they won the national title in 2010 and have continued to give back to the college ever since, donating nearly $300,000.
Morehouse golf head coach Edgar Evans Jr. told BI that the collaboration between the program and Eastside "has been a blessing."
"The program has always had a ton of potential, but just like any other college program, if you don't have any support, including monetary support, it's not going to get where you need it to go," he said. "So their contributions have been so important to us growing."
In addition to monetary donations, Eastside has also donated equipment and worked with Mercedes-Benz, their namesake invitational's presenting sponsor, to gift the Morehouse golf team sprinter vans.
The brand also has a roster of professional and NIL athletes, including Michael Herrera, Wyatt Worthington II, Kihei Akina, Morgan Riley, Bailey Davis, Matthew Vitale, and Kota Kaneko, Eastside Golf Japan ambassador.
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One of Eastside Golf's most recent brand collaborations was announced in September: a collection with Nike called "Everyone's Game," which featured two shoes, each customizable with six first-of-their-kind removable Nike swooshes.
From maroon and white for Morehouse and blue and white for Spelman College, to gold for the Swingman's gold chain and a mirror to — according to the product description — "reflect how you see yourself in the game," each design had a specific callback to Eastside's roots.
Ajanaku said it was "super dope" to work with Nike and have the opportunity to use their technologies, ask questions, and go back in their vintage collections.
"I had a great time, all in all, from the Eastside Golf creative team to the Nike design team, I mean, I feel like we meshed well together," he said.
The brand has had to be protective of itself and its community, too, especially when it came to partnering with the PGA of America in January 2024.
Cooper said he was proud of Eastside's commitment to holding out until the partnership was right between the two brands, and that they wanted it to be about more than just checking a box, but getting real support.
"That hasn't been an easy road because I think we have a very strong point of view of golf, and I think when you talk about a conglomerate like that, that's been around forever, over 100 years, they have a point of view, too. And I think they don't always align," Cooper said, adding that he thinks the reason PGA of America invested was because "they recognized Eastside Golf as the future of the game."
He continued, "So, that's just a huge vote of confidence, and it's something that we don't take for granted. But it definitely took saying, 'No,' sticking to our guns, and making sure that it was done right and that we felt comfortable and we didn't feel like we were selling ourselves short or selling the community short."
Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
The brand has grown significantly since Ajanaku's first nine SKUs to sell a wide range of men's and women's apparel and golf gear.
Eastside Golf merchandise is available on their website, in stores throughout the US and UK, and, starting in June 2025, the brand will open its flagship store at Detroit Metro Airport.
Courtesy of Eastside Golf
"They mean everything for the sport, to the culture," Chris Paul told Boardroom. "All of us equate everything to Tiger Woods, but now you can show up and see the Eastside Golf logoman? It's iconic."
Ajanaku told BI he thinks golf is already becoming a sport for all kinds of athletes, albeit with Eastside Golf's help, and that as the brand continues to integrate with purist golfers at PGA events and tournaments, the brand's "non-traditional view on golf" will become more popular, "and more companies will try to start doing that if they haven't already."
"And then lastly, I just feel like this logo at the end of the day will be, I'd say the next big logo," he said, adding that Eastside is trying to be just as big as a Ralph Lauren.
"If you truly look at the logo, [it's about] truly standing in what you feel your purpose is and just looking how you want to look and playing the sports that you want to play," Ajanaku said.
And as for the future? Ajanaku is returning to his professional aspirations — "that's a full-circle moment for the brand, something that we're excited about," Cooper said — and Eastside is looking forward to positioning themselves as a leader in the industry.
"I think we'll just continue to show how to grow the game in a unique way," Cooper said, highlighting the brand's Community Days, women's line, and new products. "I think we're very excited about just the impact that we're making … so as we continue to double and triple and scale, but also maintain that ethos of what this brand is all about."
