19th Hole Swag can’t cut strokes off your game but the website could trim a few dollars off your golf wardrobe budget.
As friends, frequent golfers and co–founders of 19th Hole Swag, Anisul Huq and Ryan Merriman saw a need for a sales site that focuses on the golf lifestyle. The Los Angeles residents are familiar with how expensive the sport can be and wanted to “change the way things are being done.” They were inspired by sites such as Gilt.com and wanted to create a similar concept for avid golfers such as themselves. Their goal was to start a community for golfers to shop in one place for popular and cutting-edge brands through flash sales, where apparel options rotate and are available for a couple of days at a time.
It was at a celebrity golf tournament that Huq met Merriman, an actor who got interested in golf through his scratch-playing uncle.
“I came up with the name 19th Hole Swag just because I’m really a 19th hole kind of guy – having fun, rocking cool gear, maybe some Bob Marley music playing and bringing the six pack to enjoy with some buddies,” Merriman said. “I am an actor and at award shows they always had these swag bags to take home, so that’s really where the swag part came into play.”
Since most golfers have their own style, 19th Hole Swag aims to provide brands that suit a variety of tastes. Huq got an up-close look at some of the eclectic names and fabric varieties through his participation in charity and corporate events.
“I’d travel a lot and go to all these different tournaments,” he said, “and through this I got to see all the different styles people wore and I really had no access to these high-end brands, and especially not on sale.”
Through the flash sale model, 19th Hole Swag can bring a mixture of styles to its members through e-mail notifications a day before each sale so they’re aware of when certain brands will be sold for less than the suggested retail price.
“It is member only, but membership is free,” Merriman said. “The site being members only really makes it a more exclusive and intimate feel. We get in the best of the best brands for our members and, instead of having to pay $90 or so, they can now pay around $50 for these brands.”
Merriman, who has had roles in “42” and “Final Destination 3” on the big screen and in the “Pretty Little Liars” series on ABC Family, has also started working with clothing manufacturer Chase 54 on a shirt named after him to go with its line of shirts named after golf-playing actors. Those can be found on Chase 54’s site and will soon be available at 19th Hole Swag.
Women can also find clothing at 19th Hole Swag during weeks when women’s brands are featured on the site, giving female golfers the same opportunities as their male peers for insider access to popular brands at lower prices.
