Good Lion Golf: Debunking Norms to Promote Inclusivity & Comfort

One of the major trends that’s pervaded the game of golf over the past few years has been a conscious effort toward growing the game. Inclusivity and a sense of belonging – that it’s our game – have made great strides and are helping open doors to new entrants including both players and suppliers.

Folks want to feel like they belong, but if you didn’t grow up playing then when would you have learned its modus operandi for how to act on a course, about proper etiquette or how to recover from sand? How would you know the rules, and why would you choose to spend valuable time and hard-earned dollars to improve at it?

Good Lion Golf gets that, and this Madison, Wisconsin-based golf apparel and lifestyle brand is bringing a refreshingly new vibe to the game that’s centered around comfort, debunking the traditional stodgy “golf uniform” (as my wife calls it) and promoting a style and philosophy that screams “come as you are.”

The mantra

“We are for the ones who were never given a shot and shut out from the gates.

We are for the ones who stepped onto the box, saw the homogenous flock and felt other.

We are for the overlooked, left out and uninspired, yet have the courage to keep hoping.

We are for the makers and creators, knowing it’s good to not play it safe; still taking risks even when they’ve missed.

We are blazing trails, breaking rules and building a new Pride.

Forever on the move.
Forever forward.”

Good Lion Golf

Owners Jonny and Taylor developed Good Lion Golf as an avenue to express their passion for and promote inclusivity within the game, and their product offering is unique against any other brand I’ve seen.

Joggers, hoodies, headcovers, t-shirts and crew sweatshirts highlight the company’s product line, providing all the comfort golf enthusiasts can dream of. More eccentric offerings like golf button-ups, drawstring shorts, jumpsuits and even a 20- and 30-inch “2-Putt Chain” ball marker allow players to express themselves on the course in ways I haven’t seen elsewhere.

I first tested the magic of the 2-Putt Chain while at Stevens Point Country Club on the morning the WiscoGolfAddict team attended the third round of the 2023 US Senior Open at SentryWorld. True to its word, I two-putted a lot, including an epic rim-out during this birdie attempt:

To be fair, I made a lot of putts wearing the chain, made some improbable two-putts and don’t recall any three-putts. If you ask me, this jewelry’s got juju.

My one call-out on the two-putt chain, which is rarely available as it tends to sell out quickly following restocks, is that the magnet could be stronger. I thought I lost the ball marker on several occasions, each time finding it at the bottom of my tucked-in shirt. Had I not kept at least a little stodgy it would have gone missing very quickly.

With a $30 price point, not to mention the power of three-putt avoidance, I’d like to keep it around a while.

A professional photographer by trade (he and his wife have owned their own photo company for 15+ years), Jonny grew up in Madison and started playing golf at a young age, even working on courses during his earlier years. His love for the game and appreciation for its inherent beauty permeates the Good Lion brand and website – just read his blog article on The Sandbox (linked below) or Glen Golf Park and you’ll feel it:

Link to Good Lion’s Journal entry of “The Sand Box”

While I tend to lean a bit more traditional with my golf round garb, I have a ton of appreciation for companies like Good Lion and for entrepreneurs and artists like Jonny and Taylor. Their and others’ efforts to make the non-traditional more acceptable will lead to a less restrictive future, softening the game’s barriers to entry and allowing more players to feel like they belong and are part of this great game of ours’. Disagree if you’d like, but I’m for it and see the game as being in a place where the “edges” of what’s acceptable are being moved and massaged constantly.

Just years ago, you would have never seen somebody wearing a hoodie or blade-collared polo, listening to a Bluetooth speaker or riding an e-bike or scooter on the golf course. The culture of the game is changing, and along with that change comes new opportunities for brands and players to experience it differently.

“Good > safe,” they say, and their clothing and accessories are certainly good. If you feel about golf the way Jonny and Taylor do, or just want to support an up-and-coming Wisconsin brand, give Good Lion a look and be part of the movement to make golf more inclusive, less intimidating and more welcoming and comfortable to all.