• 2024 has been a landmark year for Eastside Golf.
• The golf apparel brand was founded in 2019 by Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper.
• Together, they’re helping break barriers to access, diversity, and inclusion in the sport.

Ten years ago, it would’ve been difficult to imagine the words golf and fashion in the same sentence.

Barring Tiger Woods’ signature red polos and John Daly’s eccentric pant choices, the sport has more often evoked memories of long-winded dress codes critiquing everything from shirt colors and buttons to the presence of belt loops.

But the golf landscape is beginning to change.

The National Golf Foundation (NGF) reported that in 2023, the sport had an estimated reach of 123 million in the US — more than one-third of the population — with “reach” defined by those over age 5 who’d played on or off-course, followed the sport on TV or online, read about it, or listened to a podcast.

In February, the NGF also reported the sport has seen increases in on-course participation from players from marginalized groups. The number of women and girls playing on-course has risen 23% since 2018, and the number of Asian, Black, and Hispanic golfers has increased 43%.

And while these advancements haven’t quite reached the pros (Tiger Woods was the only Black golfer to compete at the 2024 Masters), the trend toward younger, more diverse players has brought new ideas of how today’s golfers see, and want to represent, themselves.

Enter: Eastside Golf.

Founded by former Morehouse golf teammates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper in 2019, the brand has become a beacon for the growth of inclusion and access to the historically exclusive sport thanks to the work of its founders, community events, and collaborations with companies like Jordan Brand, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Rolling Loud, and more.

Oh, and their pieces have been worn by everyone from NBA stars Chris Paul and Stephen Curry to former President Barack Obama.

This year has been particularly impactful for Eastside, as it collaborated with Shopify for a pop-up store in New York City, hosted its second annual namesake invitational, released the “Everyone’s Game” collection with Nike, continued to give back to HBCUs, and presented the Rolling Loud Invitational on December 12.

As Ajanaku and Cooper look ahead to 2025, here’s everything you need to know about the brand that’s changing the game.