> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.parandsole.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Golf Has a Culture. We Cover It. - URL: https://www.parandsole.com/golf-has-a-culture-we-cover-it/ - Published: 2026-11-01T00:15:23.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-01T00:15:23.000Z - Author: Anthony Cooper For a long time, golf came with a fixed picture attached: private gates, quiet dress codes and a narrow idea of who belonged. That picture was never the whole story, and it no longer describes the game. Look at what golfers wear on their feet, what they carry on their shoulders and where they first pick up a club. The game is being shaped by people who bring the rest of their lives with them: their music, their sneakers, their teams and their cities. Par & Sole exists to cover that game. ## The Shoe Tells the Story On August 3, 2016, Nike [announced it was leaving the golf equipment business](https://www.tsn.ca/nike-exits-the-golf-equipment-business-1.537712?ref=parandsole.com). It stopped making clubs, balls and bags and kept making golf footwear and apparel. A decade later, its sneaker archive is one of its most visible contributions to the course, with Air Max silhouettes rebuilt for golf. The clearest example is a collaboration. Eastside Golf has built [a series of collaborations with Jordan Brand and Nike](https://justfreshkicks.com/?p=240175&ref=parandsole.com), bringing sneaker culture and contemporary design into golf. Since 2024, it has released a two-pack each year that pairs a lifestyle Air Max with a performance golf shoe, so one design language covers the whole round. The latest, [released October 30](https://www.soleretriever.com/news/articles/eastside-golf-nike-zero-gravity-collection-release-date-october-2026?ref=parandsole.com), pairs an Air Max 90 Golf with an Infinity NEXT% Tour 3. Fashion has followed the footwear. At the Open at Royal Birkdale, Cameron Young and Justin Thomas wore the croc-embossed Premiere Series from FootJoy's collaboration with New York label Aimé Leon Dore. [Golf Digest](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2026-royal-birkdale-trends-shape-year-golf-style?ref=parandsole.com) read it as a sign that fashion labels see golf as culturally relevant. Gap, meanwhile, has released [two collections with Malbon](https://hypebeast.com/2026/8/gap-malbon-second-apparel-collaboration-collection-release-info?ref=parandsole.com). ## Where the Courts Meet the Course Basketball and golf have shared fans for a long time. What has changed is that the overlap is now designed on purpose. In 2022, Jordan Brand and Eastside Golf [released their second capsule together](https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/jordan-brand-x-eastside-golf-collection?ref=parandsole.com), built to bring the cultures of basketball and golf together, with pieces for on and off the course. Music has made the same move. Drake's OVO built [a golf capsule with Callaway and Vessel](https://hypebeast.com/2025/7/octobers-very-own-drake-callaway-vessel-golf-collection?ref=parandsole.com), including co-branded balls, putters, wedges and stand bags. When a label rooted in hip-hop designs golf equipment, it shows that people who grew up far from the clubhouse now see golf as part of their world. ## New Ways In Some of the biggest changes are about where people start. In 2021, Puttshack, the tech-driven mini-golf venue, [raised a $60 million growth round](https://frontofficesports.com/puttshack-where-mini-golf-meets-the-future?ref=parandsole.com). At the time, Front Office Sports put the mini-golf industry's annual revenue above $1 billion. TGL, the arena league [founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy](https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/tgl-schedule-2026-tiger-woods-rory-mcilroy-golf-league?ref=parandsole.com), brought team golf to weeknight television. Its women's counterpart, WTGL, [opens its first season on November 8](https://www.firstcallgolf.com/industry-news/release/2026-09-16/wtgl-espn-ion-announce-inaugural-season-schedule-featuring-5-teams-of-lpga-stars?ref=parandsole.com), with matches on ESPN, ABC and ION. ION is free over the air and [also carries the WNBA and the NWSL](https://www.sportcal.com/?p=153318&ref=parandsole.com). There is still work to do. In May, [Golf.com reported](https://golf.com/news/usga-program-women-level-playing-field/?ref=parandsole.com) that for many women, golf still seems like "someone else's pursuit," governed by unfamiliar rules and codes of conduct. That gap is part of the story, and we intend to cover it honestly. ## A Personal Perspective I came to golf with a basketball background. I understood competition, preparation, and the relationships built through sports long before I understood the traditions of the golf course. What drew me to the game wasn't just the challenge. And I'm obsessed with that. It was the people, the conversations, and the opportunity to bring another part of my identity into a new environment. That's what interests me about where golf is going. People shouldn't have to leave their culture behind when they pick up a club. ## Why Par & Sole Exists Golf media covers scores, swing tips and equipment. Fashion and sneaker media cover release dates. The space between them, including the people building this culture and what their work says about where the game is going, is usually covered in fragments. That space is our beat. Here is what to expect: - **Reported stories** on releases, collaborations and the business behind them, with sources linked. - **Profiles and interviews** with designers, founders, players and community builders. - **Leagues and events**, from TGL and WTGL to the places where new golfers take their first swing. - **Style** that works on the course and after the round. - **Criticism**, including when the hype runs ahead of the product. Par & Sole is committed to editorial independence. We distinguish journalism from advertising, verify factual claims, and clearly disclose sponsored content and relevant commercial relationships. We never invent quotes, interviews or experiences, and when we can't confirm something, we say so. ## Join the Culture If you have ever planned your outfit before your tee time, played hip-hop in your golf cart, or argued about which sneaker deserves a golf sole next, you are already part of this culture. Now it has a publication. Follow Par & Sole on Instagram, subscribe for new stories every week, and tell us who we should be covering. We'll see you on the first tee. ## Sources and Further Reading - [TSN: Nike exits the golf equipment business (Aug. 3, 2016)](https://www.tsn.ca/nike-exits-the-golf-equipment-business-1.537712?ref=parandsole.com) - [Sole Retriever: Eastside Golf x Nike Zero Gravity Collection](https://www.soleretriever.com/news/articles/eastside-golf-nike-zero-gravity-collection-release-date-october-2026?ref=parandsole.com) - [Nike Newsroom: Jordan Brand x Eastside Golf collection (2022)](https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/jordan-brand-x-eastside-golf-collection?ref=parandsole.com) - [Golf Digest: The Royal Birkdale trends that will shape golf style](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2026-royal-birkdale-trends-shape-year-golf-style?ref=parandsole.com) - [First Call Golf: WTGL inaugural season schedule](https://www.firstcallgolf.com/industry-news/release/2026-09-16/wtgl-espn-ion-announce-inaugural-season-schedule-featuring-5-teams-of-lpga-stars?ref=parandsole.com) - [Golf.com: The USGA's program for women (May 2026)](https://golf.com/news/usga-program-women-level-playing-field/?ref=parandsole.com)