The name LONGball might draw blank stares, but so did Nike, Adidas and Ping at one time. And if brothers Jeff and Jared Wood and their friend Leroy Hollman have their way, the LONGball logo will one day be commonplace on and off golf courses across Canada, and beyond.
The three Central Alberta men are the principals of LONGball Inc., a startup clothing company that’s marketing golf shirts, T-shirts, caps and other products.
“We really want to become a high-powered Canadian brand in the next five years,” said Jeff Wood, 27, who along with his 25-year-old brother and Hollman, 28, designed the apparel and arranged for it to be manufactured in Toronto.
It’s now available online at www.longballinc.ca, and the partners hope to have it in pro shops and stores by 2013.
Their enthusiasm is illustrated by LONGball Inc.’s marketing efforts to date. The company has sponsored Canadian Professional Golf Tour players Mitch Evanecz and Parker Lilly, as well as Asian Tour professionals Guy Woodman and Steve Lewton.
Wood is pretty adept with a club himself, having played collegiate golf at Montana Tech and spending plenty of time on the links with Evanecz while the pair were growing up in Red Deer.
His brother and Hollman, who is from Penhold, are also avid players.
Wood said this familiarity with the game, and feedback from amateur and professional players, helped them develop apparel that’s comfortable to play in.
But they’ve also focused on “lifestyle” clothing that appeals to people off the course. Wood explained that players often shed their golf clothes in favour of street wear after they complete a round — a transition LONGball Inc. wants to bridge.
“Our vision is more to create a lifestyle brand. We want to deliver golf clothing as well as clothing off the golf course.”
Wood and his brother work as engineers in the energy sector, while Hollman is a drilling supervisor. Despite these commitments, the trio took LONGball Inc. from concept to its current status in 16 months.
“It just comes down to time management,” said Wood.
LONGball Inc. is sponsoring a number of golf events, including the Alberta Open in September, where Evanecz will be playing. It will also distribute gear at an Olympic golf fundraiser in Calgary, gaining exposure that Wood hopes could eventually translate into an opportunity to supply clothing for Canada’s 2016 Olympic golf team.
Wood and his partners also see plenty of potential outside Canada, especially given LONGball’s presence on the Asian tour, thanks to Woodman and Lewton.
“What we’re looking at in two to three years is to get into Asia. That’s where a company can really make it from a high-volume, high-output level.”
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com