Quiet Golf Is Growing Up and So Are We
What Quiet Golf’s vote of confidence from a VC firm means for indie golf fashion.
“I want our clothes to be where the best golf is played,” Quiet Golf CEO and co-founder Christion Lennon tells us over the phone. It’s a big statement for a brand known for restraint rather than forwardness. The rising label from Costa Mesa, California which once sat firmly in the lifestyle category has identified a new opportunity for growth at the same country clubs that are often criticized for archaic and out-of-touch attitudes. And Old Tom Capital, an investment firm well established in the golf industry, is going to help the three co-founders capitalize on it. The firm, whose other investments include golf/social app Fairgame and TMRW Sports, just closed its seeding round with Quiet Golf as the clothing brand gets set to launch its first line of performance apparel for hardcore golfers.
At first glance this may seem like a sudden change of direction, but it hasn’t happened overnight. The shift began in earnest in 2023 when the brand launched a fall line of base layers, mid-layers and outerwear with simple QG crests – a far cry from the baggy carpenter pants and coach jackets that it produced in the past. Subsequent big drops included collaborations with PUMA and most recently Holderness & Bourne, an up-and-coming brand known for its refined blend of sport and menswear.
Quiet Golf X Holderness & Bourne
Quiet Golf X Holderness & Bourne
Quiet Golf X Holderness & Bourne
But the new FW24 lineup gives a more accurate taste of what’s to come, proving QG has done the legwork when it comes to developing more technical product. Because compared to its core polos from past seasons the new ones drape naturally over the body and don’t impede the swing in any way. The quarter-zips and sweaters, on the other hand, are more tailored and have the soft hand feel that you would expect from your fall knitwear.
It’s hard not to look at Quiet Golf’s rise in the context of other brands and wonder what it means for ones of a similar scale going forward. UK-based MANORS went from making knitwear to tech wear, swapping out its nostalgic branding for a modern and abstract “M.” While QG’s evolution is less an overhaul in branding than it is an expansion of a new line, it nonetheless reflects a wider shift taking place in the modern golf fashion space. In a world where new brands continue to pop up every day and luxury fashion houses are chastised for photoshoot faux pas, Quiet Golf wants to be associated with the game’s heritage. So it’s no surprise that these days Lennon’s brand looks a lot more like Polo Ralph Lauren than Stüssy. Even Malbon Golf, a brand which began with a store on Fairfax Avenue in LA, is pushing more of an “I spend summers on the Cape” aesthetic recently.
“I grew up in streetwear…but when you get invited to a Monterey Peninsula…some of the product out there is not really suitable for that type of environment.”
“I grew up in streetwear, I love graphics,” says Lennon, who’s also known in fashion circles as co-founder of Museum of Peace & Quiet. “But when you get invited to a Monterey Peninsula or a Shinnecock or Fishers Island, some of the product out there is not really suitable for that type of environment.”
Quiet Golf lookbooks are evolving too. The products are being shot outside, on real golf courses, on people who look like they understand the difference between a red and white stake. And although Lennon pushes back against the idea that it’s part of a calculated strategy, there’s no arguing that it reflects an alignment in vision. Among QG’s stable of ambassadors are D1 golfers Jaden Cantafio and Teegan Andrews. As members respectively of University of San Diego and Cal State Fullerton, not only do they exude the laid back Southern California attitude of Quiet Golf, but they also have impeccable form.
“It really stemmed from looking for models who could wear the clothes and also have a good swing,” Lennon explains. “And obviously, as we’ve been working on the golf-centric product, seeing how they like certain samples and getting it in players’ hands to give us feedback has been great.”
Quiet Golf
Quiet Golf
Quiet Golf
This isn’t to say that Quiet Golf is leaving behind its customers who came to love the brand for its graphic hoodies, t-shirts and camo pants. It will continue to offer the lifestyle staples to its core customers, and those products will be distributed through its fashion-focused retailers like Nordstrom, Revolve and HBX.
Instead, QG will look to establish itself in the greengrass space (golf shops that are attached to actual courses). That will entail having a presence at endemic trade shows where the team can put its products in front of buyers who may have never ever heard of the brand, but are seeking something new for members and frequent players.
“It’s not like we’re gonna stop doing graphics. It’s essentially just two different lines within the brand, so similar to Purple Label or Double RL. The branding of the whole overall company won’t be different, but they’ll live in different distribution channels. So Nordstrom will see one thing and golf courses will see another. But overall photography, marketing, branding will all be consistent.”
“I want our clothes to be where the best golf is played.”
It won’t be until next summer when Quiet Golf reveals the fruits of its labor at the 2025 PGA Buying Summit in Frisco, Texas. There, the brand will reveal its “Evergreen Collection” as part of a new identity. As always though, there’s no hurry and certainly no need to announce it over a megaphone. It wouldn’t be the Quiet Golf way.
“We don’t really feel the pressure of rushing through anything. We’ve been working on it and we just want it to be right,” says Lennon. “I feel like we put our head down, work for 4 or 5 months and then start making announcements.”
The golf world is listening now.
