Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Artman.
Hi Taylor, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We began as a ‘Golf and Social Club’ In 2016 in Southern California. 2 PGA Professionals and 3 Playing Professionals on PGA Tour Canada at the time started the brand….
We then started getting high demand for our branded apparel that were ‘gifts’ initially….to the events and members of our club. (Were not jus an apparel brand, we are also an official GHIN/USGA Private Golf Club …but without the golf course.)
After some events and word of mouth some high end clubs and stores wanted to carry our headwear and t shirts in their stores…and we said yes…Next thing we know we had 50+ stores by 2017.
In 2018, I took a chance and sponsored the North Texas PGA Section championship and we wrote another 54 account orders in a matter of a few hours one morning….putting us over 100+ stores we were selling to nationwide, and it was time to move the business to Texas, hire staff, get an office, and go from ‘side hustle’ to ‘real deal’….
Now, we make headwear for 850+ accounts- Which is including retailers/Green grass golf shops, and then anywhere from Events, Collegiate Athletic programs, charities, and large corporations as branded gift items for customers/employees etc of the partner companies.
We have organically grown, with little to no outside capital aside from bootstrapped efforts, and friends and family and bridge loans.
We’ve been featured on Golf channel, FS1/Bally Sports, ESPN radio, PGA Tour Network radio, and many others….
Are sponsors/partners of 4 PGA ‘Sections’…14 College golf programs (men and women) don our headwear in competition…and we look to continue to grow!
We had never had a true ‘sales rep’ until 2025…it was all word of mouth, and use of family, friends and golf connections aka amabassadors….So…We are excited about what is to come!!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. haha..
well…in a word….COVID. (both the boom and the bust and the everywhere in between…)
From variables of costs changing, micro and macroeconomic factors, sourcing difficulties, tariffs, slowdowns, etc.
I got on Shark Tank (the show)…but upon my audition scheduling they determined I’d have to be disqualified due to my vax status….just a wide range of covid related troubles.
Bootsrapping a business from ideation, to Offering a ‘Club/Service’ initially….to then an E-Commerce store…and B2B….and now doing a wide variety of options and expanding in offerings has been a real up and down roller coaster of exciting things, and eventful, and even highly stressful experiences….
I have many different stories of all levels and kinds of 10 years of bootstrapping a company from startup and nothing to 42 states, 4 countries, and 850+ stores with a 10 rep sales team and 7 employees now. Just ask me about an area- I’ve got a story…good, bad or in between….But lessons were learned along the way.
We also now make apparel for OTHER BRANDS (even competitors…) just to take the hard lessons we learned and found solutions for and make sure we can be the partner we wish we had in our early years for other entrpeneurs and cool brands across other industries…and our own. (a very unique part of our business model…)
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We were all professional golfers prior to starting this, as founders….and all of our team has been organically built via past customers, other athletes, or connections via the industry….and then jumping on board with us.
I am the CEO/Founder….I’d say my greatest asset I have is my ‘why’ we make the items/designs/and things we specialize in…
I want to make high quality, and trending items that can be worn by professional athletes ON and OFF their field of play (focusing around golf…) but also using our apparel to create a community that inspires others….which is why we make collegiate programs headwear, we make branded items for country clubs, events, corporations, charity…but we also donate back % of funds to local charities via our ‘Course to Coast for a cause initiative’ and we make private label for other brands and entrepreneurs so we can help them grow their brands, or their headwear offering…and we do this behind the ‘reason’ of ‘why’ stemming from….’let’s be the partner we needed early on…’ and I think we do this well!
What are your plans for the future?
Continue scaling, but maybe with some outside help of larger investors, capital raises make it more fluid in the ramp up of taking things to ‘next levels’….and branching into adjacent industries—other apparels, other markets etc….While keeping our same core values, why, and mission….
I look forward to leaving our mark on this game as a COMMUNITY that we have built with our brand as the catalyst and our values, story, mission and loyal customers and team as the nucleus that people gravitate to….
Pricing:
- Wholesale and Retail pricing…(wholesale is by quote and involves creating an account.)
- Typical Retail Pricing for our items is $35-50
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Surfandturfgolf.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surfandturfclub/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SURFANDTURFGOLF/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/surfandturfgolf
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@surfturfgolf6059/videos
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/okcta23/?hl=en , https://shop.tiktok.com/us/store/surf-and-turf-club/7494554842741966380
