Titleist is one of the most iconic brands in golf and it’s sister brand in the Acushnet Company, FootJoy, is one of the most successful footwear and apparel brands in the sport. When golfers think about Titleist and FootJoy, things like tradition, history and high-quality products for serious golfers like Adam Scott and Justin Thomas come to mind. While it’s true that Titleist now offers a yellow Pro V1 and makes more game-improvement clubs than ever before, and FootJoy is making plenty of modern, sporty shoes to go alongside its classic-looking footwear, there has always been a level of aspiration to the brands.
That’s what makes Acushnet’s launch of Union Green, a new sub-brand, so interesting. Union Green is going in a totally different direction. The brand’s tone was established in the company’s first social media post, quietly published on Tuesday.
The idea of inclusion is everywhere on the company’s new website (uniongreen.com) and Instagram account, with hashtags like #UnitedByGolf and #JoinTheUnion everywhere.
No one in the images appears to be over 30 and if you study the image on the site’s homepage carefully, it’s hard to believe that this company has related to Titleist and FootJoy.
Awaiting on the tee of what looks like a windswept links, bathed in evening sunlight, a long-haired man wearing shorts has a hat on backwards while another is wearing tan shorts, white tube socks and brown shoes with red laces. They embody a statement found just below the image:
We’re not the golfers you see on tour. We’re different. The ones playing local, taking mulligans, over celebrating and always going for it. Club Championships, rule books, 18 holes every time – that’s not our game. We’re here for golf that fits our life. For fellowship. For the love of the fairway. We’re united by the game.
The two golf balls being sold on the site are the Teebird ($19.99/dozen) and Pinpoint ($27.99/dozen). Both are manufactured in Titleist’s Ball Plant 2 in Massachusetts. The Teebird is touted to be long and fast, while the Pinpoint is designed to give accuracy and control. Details are few at this point, but the target market for Union Green balls may not be concerned with details like compression and cover material.
In addition to golf balls, Union Green is selling t-shirts, hats and mugs. More things will come in the future, but right now it is interesting to see how Acushnet is trying to tap into a growing number of people who enjoy golf as a vehicle for fun and friendship rather than competition. It is an attempt to grow the business with a new audience, while not diluting the Titleist and Footjoy brands or alienating loyalists who like that gear.