SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Jason Richardson hit the pro shop at a golf tournament he was attending, all he wanted was a non-run-of-the-mill polo shirt.
But what seemed like an easy task was impossible,
“I wanted to find one that stood out and had a bold pattern and was fun,” Richardson said. “I thought they would have one but they didn’t.”
This piqued Richardson’s curiosity. When he got home and did a Google search for polos that fit the bill, it came up empty.
Richardson’s response came about five months later when he started Bad Birdie, his golf apparel company that specializes in what he initially sought: quality polo shirts flaunting bold and fun patterns and prints.
Richardson launched Bad Birdie from his Los Angeles home in 2017. Having zero apparel background, Richardson wandered the L.A. garment district, frequented fabric stores and figured on his own out how to make polo shirts and how the whole process worked.
He was around golf all his life, but Richardson asked his golfing friends for advice, which he used to determine how to best represent a brand that accurately represented what he wanted his product to be.
“I was surprised no one had done this. But it made sense. Golf has always been very traditional so that’s reflected in the products that were made — solid colors and stripes,” Richardson said.
Around the time Bad Birdie came onto the scene, a new generation of golfers also started to emerge. The timing for his out-of-the-box line of contemporary apparel that balanced functionality with personality and a touch of approachable irreverence was ideal.
“It was moving away from being exclusive to being more inclusive,” Richardson said of the golf playing field. “There was a cultural shift. They were younger, not only rich white dudes.”
Today, about 800 vendors carry Bad Birdie, Richardson said.
Richardson’s business is part of a global golf clothing market that generated $834.1 million in 2020, and is expected to reach $1.55 billion by 2030, according to Allied Market Research.
In addition to eye-catching polos, Bad Birdie gear includes sweats, hoodies, hats and a women’s line of sleeveless polos that have just as much oomph.
In November 2021, Richardson opened his first Bad Birdie brick-and-mortar location at Kierland Commons in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The space reflects the same personality and breakout expressiveness of the clothing it carries. With couches that beg for lounging, flat screen TVs and refreshments, the shop functions as more than a retail transactional spot. This, like Richardson’s shirts, was by design.
“It’s more of a clubhouse feel. I wanted it to be a destination, even if you end up not buying a shirt,” said Richardson, who aims to open a couple more around the country this year.
Golf clubs and golf balls at the entrance of Bad Birdie in Kierland Commons in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo: Alex Gould/The Arizona Republic)“I was looking for something that was fun, unique, that not a lot of people have. But (I also like) the community and what they stand for. Sometimes golf can be really pretentious and stuffy. I like hanging with friends and having fun and this was the first brand that really embodied that,” Cramer said.
‘Shark Tank’ appearance brings sales
Raised in Scottsdale, Richardson’s introduction to golf was at 12, when he was a caddie at the Forest Highlands in Flagstaff. Here, he was exposed to what he called “the old way of golf,” very straight-laced and ultra exclusive.
Richardson never took lessons and aside from that job, never frequented a country club. He learned on his own and saved the money he earned to hit balls at any new driving range near his home.
While earning his marketing degree at Azusa Pacific University near Los Angeles, Richardson played recreationally with friends. As he moved into his 20’s, it became a regular weekly event.
These years showed him a different side to the sport that he deemed as aloof and not quite a fit for him or the majority of people who played it for sheer enjoyment and as a platform for hanging out.
“At certain courses, I was nervous to show up. I felt nervous about the sport. I started playing more and then ran into other groups that were more inclusive. That’s when it shifted (into) more about playing the game and having fun than following specific rules around it,” Richardson said. “I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt. … that I had to fit into this box.”
Richardson was living in Los Angeles, producing television commercials when he launched Bad Birdie as a side gig to his day job. He continued to hold his full-time job for the first two years while running Bad Birdie out of his apartment.
In early 2020, Richardson was invited to appear on Shark Tank, the reality TV show where budding entrepreneurs pitch their products to industry titans with the hopes of finding an investor. In the end, Bad Birdie came away with a $300,000 investment.
Richardson did not know when the episode would air. Then, the pandemic hit and he wasn’t sure it would.
The uncertainty, along with strict regulations around quarantining and distancing, took a toll on business. Months before, Richardson decided to go all in on Bad Birdie and bought exponentially more inventory in preparation to take it to the next level.
Sales dropped 90 percent in March. Things got really scary.
But in April 2020, the Shark Tank episode ran. That night, Richardson experienced a large influx of new customers that continued to support the brand, attracted to the product but also wanting to support a small business.
When conditions started to ease up, the company received a bigger boost. Golf was an outdoor activity that was naturally distanced. Timing was perfect. The whole golf industry, Richardson explained, took off.
Since the pandemic hit, Bad Birdie’s revenue has grown 1,000 percent over the past two years, Richardson said.
“We were very very fortunate and I don’t take it lightly,” Richardson said, acknowledging how difficult COVID-19’s impact has been. “I’m very humbled by it.”
The majority of Bad Birdie’s clients are recreational golfers who play socially. Many fall into the 25-40 age range but there are a number of retiree types who embrace the out-of-the-box, more casual concept.
The common denominators: They are social, love the game and don’t take themselves too seriously.
And no matter how big his small business has become, seeing golfers wearing his shirts — he calls these sightings “a Birdie in the wild” — continues to be one of Richardson’s favorite experiences.
“Just seeing this whole movement of next generation golfers and how some of the culture and tradition is changing with a community of golfers who focus on fun, inclusivity and self expression, it’s changing the stuffiness around golf,” Richardson said. “If you see a group wearing Bad Birdie, you know they are going to crack a joke.”