It’s a easy phrase that informs each choice Palm Golf Co. makes. You’ll be able to nearly hear it wafting within the breeze alongside the corporate’s more and more recognizable palm tree brand.
Swing and smile.
These three phrases evoke a visceral feeling that’s carried not simply by way of the model’s product line of fashionable yet durable gloves and its wide-ranging, modern golf apparel however within the mission of why Palm exists within the first place.
To Palm and its rising base of ardent supporters, golf is just not a spot of struggling, stress or a slender set of expectations for what the sport ought to appear like. There’s laughter in a double bogey. There’s acceptance in kinds whether or not you’re a tucked-in nation clubber or exhibiting as much as your native muni in high-tops and joggers. There’s a reverence and respect for what golf means to individuals on a private degree—but in addition an understanding that we’re all right here for enjoyable, to get pleasure from being with one another.
When somebody dons the palm tree brand, it’s not solely to put on a high-quality product that may be a labor of affection from three buddies who got here collectively to enhance the world of golf model.
It’s additionally matter of id, group and making an announcement.
The assertion is that you’re right here to swing and smile.
Three buddies and an concept to vary golf model
Dustin Ghaul, Justin Junior and Joe Ciafardoni don’t faux to be golf specialists or nice gamers.
The three New Jerseyans had all moved to Southern California after faculty and have become good buddies enjoying at Costa Mesa Country Club, a salt-of-the-earth municipal course close to Huntington Seaside in Orange County.
Round 2015, these informal rounds began to incorporate pie-in-the-sky ambitions of beginning a golf firm.
They wished to take that feeling of being on the golf course and carry it over into their skilled lives.
“I at all times bear in mind Justin saying, ‘I need to do that for the remainder of my life,’” Ghaul mentioned. “And I’m like, ‘Effectively, we each suck at golf. So what’s one thing that’s uncared for?’”
Their reply on the time was to create a golf glove they couldn’t discover for themselves.
There have been the standard glove choices golfers have identified for years; the uncommon others that had extra model weren’t essentially dynamic sufficient to pair with quite a lot of outfits.
That center floor hadn’t been explored. Palm describes a “staleness and fatigue” within the golf glove world at the moment.
“We wished to make a product that was being uncared for within the market,” Ghaul mentioned. “However we additionally wished one which has some character to it that you would put on with each outfit. One thing that may very well be totally different and distinctive.”
The last word consequence was making a glove that had patterned tabs adorned by the palm tree brand. Whereas nonetheless being conventional white leather-based, the colourful tab popped.
The inspiration for such an concept got here from their environment—and sports activities exterior of golf.
“The tradition in our space is so pushed by motion sports activities and surf,” Junior mentioned. “It’s form of the mecca of that business there. We performed golf rising up however our background was extra as an athlete in any of these different sports activities or simply working in these industries. We drew a number of inspiration from what was at present in that market.”
After an awesome response to its Kickstarter marketing campaign—the cash they had been hoping to boost was met in lower than three days—Palm shipped its first gloves in 2017.
In selecting to go down the route of making trendy golf gloves, the trio didn’t have to fret in regards to the intricacies of membership manufacturing or different extra technically difficult components of the golf enterprise.
That isn’t to say it has been straightforward. There was an limitless strategy of trial and error to provide a glove that competes favorably in high quality whereas having that further aptitude. Minor modifications in Velcro right here, delicate tweaks to the stitching there—and a persistent evaluation of fabric varieties, leather-based thickness, breathability, water resistance and different components.
Palm’s AWG glove is a honeycomb model made from Japanese artificial leather-based meant to be a competitor to FootJoy’s artificial providing. Their super soft AAA cabretta leather gloves are challengers to a Titleist participant’s glove.
Each small enchancment counts within the race to make the very best glove.
“It’s fairly uncommon that any manufacturing cycle was precisely the identical because the one earlier than that,” Junior says.
The continued seek for the best high quality
That perpetual obsession underscores one other actuality on the coronary heart of this endeavor: Palm is just not an enormous firm.
The three buddies, every being of their mid-30s, enlist part-time assist from household and buddies however are full-time in doing the entire soiled work leaders of a bigger firm would possibly by no means see—the order taking, the packaging, the invoice sheets and the whole lot else that it takes to function.
Palm developed organically and it strikes ahead daily with the identical spirit.
Whereas all three have their palms in all elements of the enterprise, Ghaul and Junior are concentrated extra on the artistic aspect like product improvement and advertising. Ciafardoni fills within the gaps with operations, finance, administrative work and the “boring stuff that simply has to get completed.”
When a call must be made, everybody concerned has enter. That may be taxing in some respects nevertheless it’s additionally Palm’s biggest power.
“The outdated adage is to by no means get in enterprise with buddies,” Ciafardoni mentioned. “However, actually, thus far, it’s labored out for us. We’re all studying new issues on the fly and I feel we’re all higher for with the ability to form of contact totally different areas of the enterprise.
“It undoubtedly doesn’t come with out turbulence in anyway however even within the harshest of moments or probably the most troublesome of moments, it’s like, ‘All proper, we’re buddies first however now we must be enterprise homeowners collectively.’ And that’s type of an excellent baseline.”
Over the course of greater than eight years now, the three buddies have steered Palm to success by establishing a premium glove after which increasing into different attire and accent areas.
There’s a distinction between merch and attire—Palm has attire. That ranges from its standard “golf therapy hotline” hoodies (1-800-NOT-PAR) to crewneck sweaters to traditional quarter-zips. Its headwear and tropical-themed towels are additionally extremely wanted objects.
The intention is which you could put on Palm’s gear wherever.
“Should you take a look at one thing like our headwear, it doesn’t scream golf, which is exclusive,” Ghaul mentioned. “I can put on this out to dinner and my spouse will say that it doesn’t appear like I’ve simply walked straight off a golf course.”
That flexibility in life-style attire—and the ever-expanding picture of what a contemporary golfer appears to be like like— has been a North Star for Palm.
The message is easy and with out overcalculation: keep true to your self.
“It wasn’t like we had been like doing market analysis and attempting to handle who the present golfer was,” Ciafardoni mentioned. “We thought of what sort of look would we need to have. Like we’re not tucked-in nation membership guys and we’re additionally not on the market with inappropriate course apparel.
“We knew we had been someplace within the center.”
A boisterous response and a passionate following
A number of golfers are in that center floor which is a large purpose why Palm has been resonating with golfers.
The model aspires for a John Ashworth-esque Southern California cool that interprets past golf and into different components of life.
Laid-back in id—however not relating to the seriousness of high quality.
“I feel the whole lot that we’ve completed, there was an intentionality behind it,” Junior mentioned. “I’d prefer to assume individuals see that and recognize that.”
Evidently manner. Whether or not it’s David Spade wearing a Palm hat in a playing lesson with Tiger Woods, accruing practically 70,000 Instagram followers or beginning to discover the Palm brand in sudden locations, there’s a burgeoning group of golfers wanting be part of Palm.
The emblem brings out a eager for all that golf offers. Tropical locales and heat climate, sure, but in addition the warmness of togetherness on a course the place music is enjoying and duffed chips aren’t any trouble.
“The emblem creates a sense of rest,” Ghaul mentioned. “And with the whole lot we do now, we’re there to create that feeling.”
As Palm says, there aren’t any bogeys in paradise.
There’s solely swinging and smiling.
Wish to study extra? Head over to Palm.
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