On May 12, a hoard of eager streetwear enthusiasts crowded outside of 27 Mercer Street, a matte-black pillared storefront in the nucleus of New York’s high-end shopping district. An unknowing passerby would have suspected they were waiting for a fashion show, an exclusive sneaker release, a trendy influencer event—anything but the opening of a golf concept store in the heart of SoHo. But that is precisely what Hypegolf’s new “Clubhouse” pop-up shop is going for: showcasing the game to an entirely new audience through a curated experience that merges streetwear and golf.
RELATED: 9 golf shoes you can easily wear off the course
Hypegolf is a break-off platform and community from Hypebeast, a digital media company that highlights trends in fashion, culture, art, design, and music. Kevin Ma founded the company in 2005 after his sneaker blog passion project saw widespread success. Today, Hypebeast reaches 820 million social media users and over 15 million visitors on their site monthly and is expanding its horizons in streetwear to include golf. Ma says he picked up golf four years ago and thoroughly enjoys the game. Since then, he has made an effort to make golf part of Hypebeast’s ecosystem, especially as the game becomes more inclusive. Hypegolf took off at the beginning of 2020, with the help of Hypebeast senior editor Ray Mate’.
“Hypegolf is all about bridging with our community to discover the game of golf through uniquely curated experiences,” said Ma. “As golf continues to be more inclusive, what’s most important is that we believe in building meaningful conversations with experiential activations at different touchpoints of a golfer’s journey.”
The Hypegolf “Clubhouse” pop-up shop is the company’s latest venture to celebrate a modern approach to the game. It will be open in SoHo from May 14 to July 24, and will feature a selection of golf clothing and accessories, from 20 brands that are pushing the limits of traditional golf wear.
Brands such as Malbon Golf, Bogey Boys, Puttwell, and Metalwood Studio will have a physical presence in New York City for the first time ever at the Clubhouse. Plus, Hypegolf hosts their own capsule collection at the pop-up, which consists of nine unique unisex pieces each branded with the Hypegolf text logo.
Hypegolf’s Clubhouse is more than just a store. The space is filled with displays and golf-themed art installations. At the back of the Clubhouse is a TrackMan simulator from Five Iron Golf and a synthetic putting green set-up from LA Golf. The Clubhouse has teased that it will host various programming and panel discussions to further activate the streetwear and golf communities.
“In the short term, we simply want our audience to explore the joy of golf through the lens of Hypebeast,” said Ma. “My team and I are genuinely passionate about golf, and we see so much potential in pushing diversity and this culture forward. Over the years, Hypegolf has become an integral part of our ecosystem for cultural discovery and connecting with our community.”
Hypegolf is at the epicenter of the movement to make golf trendier, and in turn, grow the game. It’s employing a compelling strategy: use fashion, accessories, events, social media, and more to attract newcomers. Celebrities and professional athletes are on board with this game plan, too. When people realize they can look cool on the golf course, maybe they’ll start to think that the sport is a pretty awesome use of time too.
