Swannies

Swannies is a modern lifestyle brand for an emerging group of young golfers.

Swannies aims to create modern golf essentials to replace the stuffy, elitist perceptions of the game’s past. Its goal is to change the image of golf by building not just an apparel company, but a lifestyle brand -- a brand that understands and resonates with young golfers both on and off the course.

This is a big market. Spending on golf apparel in the U.S. is estimated to reach ~$2 billion by 2019.

THE PROBLEM
As many golf courses struggle with an aging group of regulars, golf is adapting to attract a younger clientele with the advent of Top Golf, the Golf Skate Caddy, and the Golf Board (which offers a way to "surf" the golf course while playing).

The golf apparel industry, however, has been slow to catch on. While millennials are playing more rounds of golf than any time in the last 20 years, many are put off by the high price tag and stale designs of existing golf brands.

There are 15.5 million casual golfers in the US, many of whom shy away from buying golf shoes and apparel because of their limited use and high price tag.

THE SOLUTION
Swannies is a lifestyle apparel brand for the young, casual golfer, providing a fresh alternative to traditional brands.

It utilizes its lifestyle branding, modern designs, and affordable prices to appeal to this group in a way that aims to set it apart from other companies.

It strives to make the game more inviting and to be the go-to brand for the 12 million millennials who are interested in golf but don’t have a brand, in its opinion, that understands them.

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Swannies creates lifestyle products, including the first of its kind soft-spike golf sandal (which it has patented), for young and casual golfers at an affordable price.

The Swannies brand and team appeals to this group from three key angles:

Price - affordably-priced apparel throughout retail and wholesale channels. Its products are on average 40% less expensive than most of its major competitors'.

Style & Selection - modern lifestyle designs and clothing catered to be worn both on and off the course.

Branding - targeting younger, casual golfers that it believes are currently being unrepresented by any one specific brand.

The company believes that traditional brands such as Nike, Under Armour, and FootJoy cater towards middle-aged golfers at a high price point with "stodgy" designs. It believes that they can't effectively attract younger millennials without redefining their brand image and jeopardizing their existing customer base.

MARKETING CHANNELS & MARGINS
The company's channels now include B2B as well as D2C, and it's just getting set up with Amazon.

The company sold into 15 golf courses as a pilot in 2015. It had around 69 orders to these course for 2016, and expects 200 in 2017.

The company's retail gross margins average around 65%, and Wholesale gross margins average around 45%.

Team Background

Matt Stang - Co-Founder, CEO

Matt's background is as a management consultant at PwC.

Matt holds a B.S. in Entrepreneurship and Finance from the University of Minnesota, where he attended on a full-ride scholarship as an Evans Scholar (recognizing the most dedicated caddies across the country).

Adam Iversen - Co-Founder, Operations and Strategy

An engineer by training, Adam brings a grounded analytical approach to decision making.

Adam drives efficiency at Swannies by implementing systems and processes in all areas of business. He brings over two years of past start-up experience and is tenacious in using best practices -- be it tools, methodology, or crazy theories -- to drive growth.

Adam grew up at his local $5 par 30 course across the street from Hazeltine National, host of the 2016 Ryder Cup, where he caddied for seven seasons.

He earned his B.S. Geological Engineering, and his Masters in Water Resources Engineering, from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Sam Swanson - Co-founder, Design

Sam "Swanny" Swanson, whose nickname inspired the company's brand, assures that the company stays ahead of the game. He manages the sourcing and selection of current and future products, while heading design from idea to product on the shelf.

Swanny intimately follows the game and will be one of the first to know if there’s a new product on the market or an up and coming player worth tracking.

Co-Investors