This Apparel Company Is Helping Disrupt Golf—and Finding Powerful Allies

Eastside Golf was founded by Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper.

        Eastside Golf
      




    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    


  



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The unlikely philanthropic partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Eastside Golf teed off purely by chance.

“It was an organic introduction,” says Erica J. Bolden, head of diversity, equity, inclusion and people analytics for Mercedes-Benz. “I met Eastside Golf at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles [in 2022]. When I learned about what they were trying to accomplish, we met in Atlanta and had some conversations on how we could work together.”

The German luxury automaker wouldn’t seem like a natural partner to a growing golf fashion brand, but the inspiring principle of Eastside Golf’s business model is “everyone’s game,” and its co-leaders want to promote the involvement of young players and aspiring golfers who might not have access to the links.

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Eastside Golf was founded by Olajuwon Ajanaku, former accountant in the corporate finance world, and Earl Cooper, a PGA professional and top golf instructor. The one-time college teammates won a golf national championship at Morehouse College. The pair built a golf-apparel and -accessory brand with the goal of remaining authentic to urban roots while opening the game to anyone looking to learn and play.

According to Cooper, the most important motivation for Eastside Golf is driving cultural change in the game while simultaneously growing their brand.

“We are focused on changing how people around the world view the sport of golf by showing that everyone can enjoy the game regardless of their background,” Cooper says. “But we are also a thriving, growing business, and want to be viewed as such. We don’t want to be known only as a small, Black, minority business. We want to be known as a big fashion brand with exceptional quality.”

Eastside recently partnered with Mercedes-Benz for a celebrity-studded golf invitational at Liberty National Golf Course overlooking Manhattan. A key element of the company’s identity—its unique “Swingman” logo—adorned the event and the clothing on display. Ajanaku designed that logo while he was a player professional looking for sponsor attention.

“In two years, I only raised about US$10,000,” Ajanaku says. “I knew it would be hard to find sponsors, so I came up with the ‘Swingman’ design as something to put on my polo and my bag. It was just supposed to be for me, showing how I felt on the course—dressing how I dress and being myself with the chain going one way and club going the other.”

Ajanaku came up with the Swingman design.

        Eastside Golf

Cooper urged his co-founder to get Swingman onto a t-shirt, and it drew attention immediately.

“The first time I wore it in downtown Detroit, I got stopped maybe 100 times in just a few hours,” Ajanaku adds. “People were loving it and wanted to know about it. That’s when I knew we had something special. It was about creating something authentic, something that represented me and others like me in the golf world. I wanted to see someone like me out there on the course, and I figured other people would want that, too.”

Back at Mercedes-Benz, Bolden saw Eastside’s interest in expanding golf to more players dovetailing with the corporation’s stated goals around inclusion.

“The values Eastside Golf not only espouses but actively engages were ideas we wanted to support at Mercedes-Benz as they benefit not only the game of golf but the communities where these golfers originate,” she says.

Bolden points to Eastside’s first women’s line. It launched in April as a capsule collection with Mercedes-Benz USA to invite ladies into the brand.

While establishing Eastside in a crowded market for golf apparel, Ajanaku and Cooper guide their company’s philanthropic efforts. Their Community Golf Days program heads to cities several weeks before a PGA Tour event takes place locally. Eastside Golf buys dozens of tee times at that city’s courses and invites the community to enjoy the game in a cost-free environment. This year, the effort made stops in Jacksonville, Fla.; Augusta, Ga.; Detroit; Memphis, Tenn.; and Atlanta.

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Meanwhile, the Eastside founders made cumulative donations of more US$300,000 to their alma mater and the Morehouse College golf team.

According to Cooper, Eastside’s business in 2024 has more than doubled from last year. He credits capturing the eye of younger players more traditional brands might ignore. With hoodies replacing jackets and T-shirts fighting off the traditional polos, golf fashion is evolving, and Eastside Golf wants to drive that evolution.

“When it comes to showing respect for the game, we’re all about being authentic,” Ajanaku explains. “We are saying you can honor golf’s traditions and heritage while still being true to your style, your culture, and yourself.”

For instance, Eastside Golf recently partnered with Nike for a shoe collaboration. The partnership rendered 13 styles of Nike and Air Jordan sneakers for the golf course or the street in styles ranging from traditional spiked turf shoes to high-tops.

“For us, it’s not just about big names,” Cooper adds. “Our collaborators are interested in our initiatives and our long-term vision.”

Ajanaku agrees, insisting he and Cooper go into meetings with prospective partners asking what they are willing to do philanthropically to support Eastside Golf’s goals.

“We’re not looking for one-off collaborations,” he says.