Students Golf Has a Story To Tell

StockX: Students is one of the few golf brands that routinely gets featured in publications like Hypebeast and Highsnobiety. How did you find that sweet spot between golf and hype-worthy clothing?

Michael Huynh: I saw that there was a gap within the golf world. Originally, a lot of the apparel was very mundane, you take off the logos and it really all looks the same. As I was golfing, I didn’t find a lot of stuff that I would like. I would wear Nike ACG pants, with some sort of clean Uniqlo polo. I wanted to showcase my external sensibilities in golf and naturally when we were trying to push our brand to these editorial sites, it was a really easy exchange. 

We try to stay away from all the technicalities of crazy fabrications. These golf companies have a higher advantage in that space so we wanted to see what would make us stand out the most from them. We know we can compete in storytelling. We take a lot of the experiences we’ve had on the golf course – whether that be the stress, the humiliation, or the happy times we’ve experienced on the course – and we communicate that into our designs.

How long have the two of you been golfing?

Huynh: About 6 years, but Connor has been golfing since, when, junior high?

Connor Laubenstein: Yeah I got into the sport through caddying in high school, actually. Been playing since 16. But otherwise, [I] hated the sport! People like Michael and what he’s doing with the brand make me love golf, truly. It’s a needed breath of fresh air into the sport from a fashion perspective. It’s this weird fashion-industrial complex that has this chokehold by convincing us that we need a costume to play golf. Pieces with Dri-Fit and belt loops and moisture-wicking fabrics and collars. But Michael is approaching the brand with storytelling, which is very needed for the sport.

Golf tends to be a very muted and quiet sport. Why did you find it necessary to create graphics that seem to be opposing those qualities?

Huynh: I see golf as a clean canvas. There aren’t a lot of high-end, experimental designers in that space. Creatives like myself that have been in the streetwear world for so long, I believe that we have something to offer to golf. There aren’t a lot of sports that offer an opportunity to make a difference in apparel. 

Did you play other sports or was golf the one you found the most interesting?

Huynh: I played tennis pretty seriously, and basketball just for fun. But I got into golf by pure accident. Being in the streetwear industry for so long, I was hit with a lot of stress. So much so that I ended up in the ER for 72 hours. My doctor then told me that “If you don’t quit, you might get a stroke next time and die.” That prompted me to ask “What do you think I can do?” and so he recommended physical therapy and playing golf. I was very adamant about it because it looked boring and so I didn’t understand the fun of it. I later went to a golf charity event to give it a try. I sucked ass, but I hit the ball for the first time and got hooked to the feeling. 

Golf is a game that can be played by many, no matter what health conditions you have. While sports like basketball and football have all of these body requirements. 

Has golf and Students helped you better manage your stress and do you hope to promote that to others with your brand?

Huynh: The biggest thing it taught me is how to scale back. As a mid-30-year-old guy, there are still certain materialistic things that you want to achieve in life, whether that be a bigger house or a nicer car. But that thought process put me in a really bad spot with my health. By getting into golf, I learned to appreciate the things that I do have and scale back a lot of those material desires that I want to own. Golf pulled me away from that high-level life to just enjoy this beautiful air that we have, just by walking on the course and seeing the animals that are around the railway. 

Laubenstein: The game is a true mirror to yourself and shows you how you manage stress. How do you operate in stressful situations? How do you deal with failure? For me, it gets my mind off of everything happening in the world. It’s a solo environment. The clothing only compliments that. 

How important is an event like Divots in the Desert to golf culture as a whole?

Huynh: I think it’s great! Divots is inviting the people and brands that can potentially help shift the golf industry. Everyone that is coming to the event is a so-called “tastemaker” in their respective field. We all want the sport to grow, be exposed to a wider demographic, and show how much fun golf can be. With an event like Divots, you’re probably going to be paired with people you don’t know at first but in the end, you’ll most likely become really good friends with that group of people. We have a responsibility to show people that golf can be truly enjoyable.

Why focus on a sport like golf? Did you feel as though there was something missing from this particular sport that other sports had to offer?

Huynh: We have to make this sport a bit more open. We have to support a younger future and diversify it. For so long, it’s felt really stuffy and like a sport for the rich and privileged. You can still wear a t-shirt to go golf, you don’t need a certain uniform. Especially if you’re just playing casually with some friends. We want to bring more individualism and self-expression to the sport.

Laubenstein: I think our brand speaks to the message of what we hope to see in golf. We are all Students of the game and the clothing represents that relationship. We’re just out here on the course to learn, how to get better at the game, and how to be better people for the game. The game just needs better stewards for the game itself, especially when the game has a lot of gatekeepers.

Divots in the Desert starts April 14th, 2022 in Palm Springs, CA. Learn more about our Divots in the Desert invitational on our landing page and check out other interviews with our DropX partners Whim Golf, Bogey Boys, Quiet Golf, and Malbon Golf.