With a 2010 NCAA Division II national golf title under their belts, Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper set off on divergent paths after graduating from Morehouse College. As fate would have it, though, their respective journeys ultimately led back to one another.
Little did they know that when their lives arrived figuratively at the same intersection years later, it would culminate in Eastside Golf, a successful golf apparel and shoe company fueled by various factors contributing to its meteoric rise.
A recent six-part docuseries on Hulu streaming service, “Grails: When Sneakers Change the Game,” tells their story and how a profound logo catapulted a brand toward success. Eastside Golf, dedicated to raising awareness about golf among youth and non-golfers while driving a cultural shift in the game, came to life in 2019 but not without indirect bumps along the way.
After graduating in 2012, Ajanaku first tried his hand playing professionally in mini-tour events. He had some success but figured out in time that financial constraints made the overall experience feel like running a race with anchors strapped to both legs. His efforts were twofold: trying to remain ultra-competitive between the ropes while pitching himself to potential sponsors outside of them. For two years it was taxing. Finally, in no uncertain terms, his mom succinctly suggested he look for a job outside golf.
"It was literally the last time mom and I got into a fight," says Ajanaku, Eastside Golf co-founder and creative director, laughing via a Zoom call.
Ajanaku, his first name taken from NBA Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and who picked up golf at age 6 in East Atlanta, Georgia, went to work in commercial finance for nine years. In the meantime, Cooper became a PGA Professional after graduating in 2011, worked at several prominent country clubs and was named one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America in 2016.
Circa 2018, Ajanaku couldn't escape an internal gnawing.
He knew his heart was still in golf, holding onto hope he might one day return to the game as a player or something.
"I was about to become VP of a finance firm out of San Diego and I got home one day fully suited, I was just like, 'This ain't it,'" Ajanaku says. "I wanted to turn back pro in golf, but I knew it'd be hard to find sponsors, so I was just like, 'You know what, let me make a logo.'" He did and placed it on his golf bag and polo shirts.
The logo, depicted after Ajanaku, featured an African-American golfer in full swing while donning jeans, sweatshirt, baseball hat and a gold chain around his neck. The logo told a story that conveyed the authenticity of self in golf — complemented by confidence.
If Ajanaku were a musician, this would be his opus.
At the time, Cooper was teaching golf on the weekends because he had secured a position working in the mayor's office in Wilmington, Delaware.
Ajanaku called Cooper, excitedly showing the logo to him but also knowing he'd receive honest feedback from his straight-shooting friend.
Cooper loved it. He encouraged Ajanaku. Cooper believed they could be onto something.
"It went from supporting a friend to this is actually a business opportunity that I believe in more than anything," says Cooper, Eastside Golf co-founder and CEO, also on the same Zoom call. "I don't think it was like a money thing, but it was just more like I believe in it and we just began to figure it out."
Still in commercial finance, Ajanaku took a trip to Detroit that sealed his belief that he could turn the logo into an entrepreneurship opportunity. So many passers-by noticed the logo on his shirt and inquired about it.
From that experience, he created T-shirts, socks, lapel pins, umbrellas and about nine SKUs, shipping the first 3,000 orders from his apartment. He asked Cooper to head to the annual PGA Show with him to pitch the burgeoning brand.
"Before I passed it off to Earl, I came up with the brand because I was tired of being told no," Ajanaku says. "Why not take the entrepreneur route and sponsor myself, and that's why I created the company to sponsor my pro golf career."
As the business model took shape, the two discussed a mission statement. They knew, without a doubt, the messaging and mission needed to drive cultural change in golf and promote diversity. More than that, they wanted to position golf as a game for everyone, fostering a more welcoming environment.
Both cerebral in their approach, Cooper serves as the messaging linchpin of the company, promulgating change with a dose of realism. Cooper believes they're still ways away from an apotheosis but says the danger lies in oversimplifying the core issue that, to him, runs as deep in waters as the sky is wide.
To expand, Cooper says creating inclusivity extends beyond "an idea that you can just give a kid a golf club and his whole life is going to change. If he doesn't have any adult around him to kind of foster that, I think it is a fallacy."
Cooper cites his parents' influence, particularly his father's, and Olajuwon's mother making inroads in golf to support them. Being in environments where they played around non-golfers helped shape them as they advanced higher, which helped them understand top-tier golfers, too.
"There are a lot of fundamental things that golf needs to address to have long-term success, and I think we intentionally are showing how to do it," Cooper says. "As we like to say, we like to go as far away from golf as possible in order to grow the game, and we've seen a huge amount of success. So I think that there is a race element to the conversation.
"We know the history, and we've addressed that in a lot of our collections, but I just think strategically the strategies aren't being created from folks who have actually experienced it. The strategies are being created from folks that intentionally mean well, but it hasn't gotten down to the root."
Their big break occurred when C.J. Paul, the brother of the NBA's Chris Paul, took notice. It led to a meeting with Gentry Humphrey, then-Nike vice president of the Jordan brand.. Ajanaku, Cooper and Humphrey played golf together. By the end of their round, Humphrey was so impressed that he asked if they'd like their own Jordan shoe.
"From there, he was like, 'Well, you have one more pitch to definitely design a shoe.' But the pitch was to be with Michael Jordan. And we pitched to MJ. And MJ almost didn't even let us finish. He was just like, 'Yo, you two have two amazing stories. And at the Jordan brand, we tell the best stories.'"
Between 2021-23, Eastside Golf unveiled a plethora of Nike-branded shoes. Many of them connected to past social justice and mores of a specific period, such as its 1961 Collection — which serves as a reflection line for when the PGA of America removed its "caucasian-only" clause, allowing African-American golfers to compete in PGA tournaments.
"At the beginning of it, when you look at all the shoes that we've come out with, it's always about the storytelling," Ajanaku says.
This weekend Eastside Golf showcased its first performance footwear release with Nike as part of an "Everyone's Game" fall collection. The Nike Air Max Air Max 1 ‘86 OG’ and Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 shoes as part of a collection previewed at the company's new pop-up shop in Soho, New York. The Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 is Eastside Golf's first performance shoe.
The pop-up, hosted in partnership with Shopify, featured exclusive giveaways, events and items, including Eastside Golf-branded Bridgestone golf balls, a collaboration with iconic streetwear brand Paper Planes on the classic New Era 9Fifty snapback, and the opportunity to take home one of 100 pairs of the new Eastside Golf x Nike shoes before they became available to the public.
It's all about keeping momentum going.
Athletes, celebrities and fashion influencers have embraced the apparel. NBA stars Jayson Tatum and Chris Paul, the NFL's Victor Cruz and megastar Patrick Mahomes, as well as record producer DJ Khaled have touted the merchandise.
Familiar names help with status, but Cooper says it goes deeper than viral influence.
"We have decided to not just slap a logo on a guy out on [the PGA] Tour," he says. "We really want to support folks that resonate with the brand."
The company has been busy building its profile through NIL agreements with top college golfers. Tennessee's Baily Davis, 2023 USA Today National High School Golfer of the Year Kihei Akina and Temple's Matthew Vitale have signed on.
On September 16, Eastside Golf will host its second annual Eastside Golf Invitational at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. The event promotes confidence and authenticity in golf, leveraging messaging that golf is a game for everyone. As part of the celebration, Eastside Golf and its presenting sponsor, Mercedes-Benz USA, will be making a significant financial contribution to support the Morehouse College golf team.
Last year, Eastside Golf and Mercedes-Benz each donated $50,000 to the team. All total, Eastside Golf has donated a cumulative $300,000 to the Morehouse golf program since its founding.
"It's probably one of the most impactful and important things that we do from the perspective of golf, so it has to be done with excellence," says Cooper, who graduated in 2011.
As the business continues to its rocket ship trajectory, both were asked what success looks like in the future, whether it's three or more years.
Ajanaku cited the company’s scaling and a continually strengthened relationship with Nike, with one caveat thrown in.
"Turning back pro in golf would definitely be a success, and winning a PGA event," Ajanaku says. "Because usually you'll see players turn into owners, but you never see an owner become a player, so I would probably be the first to do that."
Cooper was more stoic and philosophical.
"I think success, simply put," he says, "is for the game to be just one percent better than what it was when we initially started the business."
