Malbon X Beats
The Malbons Talk Beats Pill+ Collab and Reimagining Golf
In a sport stifled by “tradition,” the Malbons pave new ground.
Stephen and Erica Malbon, founders of Malbon Golf, aren’t your everyday golfers. In a sport where tradition is king, and the old boys club is alive and well, they might pull up to the country club playing East Coast rap, donning polos fly enough to hit the front page of streetwear blogs, with a crew that includes the ranks of ScHoolboy Q and other familiar faces. Needless to say, this inspires some curious looks from other golfers.
“They’re looking at me like, ‘What the hell is going on with him?’” Stephen says.
As part of their continued effort to disrupt and reimagine the world of golf, the Malbons have partnered with Beats to create a limited-run Beats Pill+. The speaker, available for purchase on November 12th, inspires golfers to place it right on the dashboard of their golf cart. It’s a small speaker that’s part of a larger vision.
“Beats represents being disruptive, and I think that this collaboration is really about breaking the mold as to what golf is supposed to look like,” Erica says. “Our initiatives have a common goal.”
Creating a brand that defies golf tradition wasn’t a lifelong ambition for the Malbons — it was an amalgamation of influences and passions that slowly evolved over time.
“Stephen and I have always followed a passion that we have and figured out how to monetize and make it a business,” Erica says.
In a sport stifled by “tradition,” the Malbons pave new ground.
Stephen and Erica Malbon, founders of Malbon Golf, aren’t your everyday golfers. In a sport where tradition is king, and the old boys club is alive and well, they might pull up to the country club playing East Coast rap, donning polos fly enough to hit the front page of streetwear blogs, with a crew that includes the ranks of ScHoolboy Q and other familiar faces. Needless to say, this inspires some curious looks from other golfers.
“They’re looking at me like, ‘What the hell is going on with him?’” Stephen says.
As part of their continued effort to disrupt and reimagine the world of golf, the Malbons have partnered with Beats to create a limited-run Beats Pill+. The speaker, available for purchase on November 12th, inspires golfers to place it right on the dashboard of their golf cart. It’s a small speaker that’s part of a larger vision.
“Beats represents being disruptive, and I think that this collaboration is really about breaking the mold as to what golf is supposed to look like,” Erica says. “Our initiatives have a common goal.”
Creating a brand that defies golf tradition wasn’t a lifelong ambition for the Malbons — it was an amalgamation of influences and passions that slowly evolved over time.
“Stephen and I have always followed a passion that we have and figured out how to monetize and make it a business,” Erica says.
In a sport stifled by “tradition,” the Malbons pave new ground.
Stephen and Erica Malbon, founders of Malbon Golf, aren’t your everyday golfers. In a sport where tradition is king, and the old boys club is alive and well, they might pull up to the country club playing East Coast rap, donning polos fly enough to hit the front page of streetwear blogs, with a crew that includes the ranks of ScHoolboy Q and other familiar faces. Needless to say, this inspires some curious looks from other golfers.
“They’re looking at me like, ‘What the hell is going on with him?’” Stephen says.
As part of their continued effort to disrupt and reimagine the world of golf, the Malbons have partnered with Beats to create a limited-run Beats Pill+. The speaker, available for purchase on November 12th, inspires golfers to place it right on the dashboard of their golf cart. It’s a small speaker that’s part of a larger vision.
“Beats represents being disruptive, and I think that this collaboration is really about breaking the mold as to what golf is supposed to look like,” Erica says. “Our initiatives have a common goal.”
Creating a brand that defies golf tradition wasn’t a lifelong ambition for the Malbons — it was an amalgamation of influences and passions that slowly evolved over time.
“Stephen and I have always followed a passion that we have and figured out how to monetize and make it a business,” Erica says.
Beats represents being disruptive, and I think that this collaboration is really about breaking the mold as to what golf is supposed to look like.
Erica Malbon
Beats represents being disruptive, and I think that this collaboration is really about breaking the mold as to what golf is supposed to look like.
Erica Malbon
Beats represents being disruptive, and I think that this collaboration is really about breaking the mold as to what golf is supposed to look like.
Erica Malbon
Making Malbon
Making Malbon
In their own ways, Stephen and Erica both grew up around the game. Moving back and forth between the States and the Philippines, Erica and her family would always be on the course wherever they went, and Stephen found himself enthralled with the game at the age of 12, working at a municipal golf course in Virginia Beach, being invited to play by some of his coworkers.
They loved the challenge, the camaraderie you share with your partners in a grueling, four-hour battle against each other and the elements. It’s not only a sport of endurance and composure, but integrity. There are so many ways to cheat: a picked up ball here, a few shaved points there, etc. Stephen and Erica say they can know everything they need to know about a person by playing a round of golf with them.
“I’ll meet someone that wants to talk about doing a project and meet on the driving range,” Stephen says. “By the second hole, I already know if I would want to be in business with them or not.”
But as much as they loved the game, they knew it had serious pitfalls. The culture is stale. The style can be goofy. And the culture is overly exclusive, often inaccessible to youth, people of color and women. It’s an old boys club almost exclusively catered to the tastes of older white men.
In their own ways, Stephen and Erica both grew up around the game. Moving back and forth between the States and the Philippines, Erica and her family would always be on the course wherever they went, and Stephen found himself enthralled with the game at the age of 12, working at a municipal golf course in Virginia Beach, being invited to play by some of his coworkers.
They loved the challenge, the camaraderie you share with your partners in a grueling, four-hour battle against each other and the elements. It’s not only a sport of endurance and composure, but integrity. There are so many ways to cheat: a picked up ball here, a few shaved points there, etc. Stephen and Erica say they can know everything they need to know about a person by playing a round of golf with them.
“I’ll meet someone that wants to talk about doing a project and meet on the driving range,” Stephen says. “By the second hole, I already know if I would want to be in business with them or not.”
But as much as they loved the game, they knew it had serious pitfalls. The culture is stale. The style can be goofy. And the culture is overly exclusive, often inaccessible to youth, people of color and women. It’s an old boys club almost exclusively catered to the tastes of older white men.
In their own ways, Stephen and Erica both grew up around the game. Moving back and forth between the States and the Philippines, Erica and her family would always be on the course wherever they went, and Stephen found himself enthralled with the game at the age of 12, working at a municipal golf course in Virginia Beach, being invited to play by some of his coworkers.
They loved the challenge, the camaraderie you share with your partners in a grueling, four-hour battle against each other and the elements. It’s not only a sport of endurance and composure, but integrity. There are so many ways to cheat: a picked up ball here, a few shaved points there, etc. Stephen and Erica say they can know everything they need to know about a person by playing a round of golf with them.
“I’ll meet someone that wants to talk about doing a project and meet on the driving range,” Stephen says. “By the second hole, I already know if I would want to be in business with them or not.”
But as much as they loved the game, they knew it had serious pitfalls. The culture is stale. The style can be goofy. And the culture is overly exclusive, often inaccessible to youth, people of color and women. It’s an old boys club almost exclusively catered to the tastes of older white men.
I’ll meet someone that wants to talk about doing a project and meet on the driving range. By the second hole, I already know if I would want to be in business with them or not.
Stephen Malbon
I’ll meet someone that wants to talk about doing a project and meet on the driving range. By the second hole, I already know if I would want to be in business with them or not.
Stephen Malbon
I’ll meet someone that wants to talk about doing a project and meet on the driving range. By the second hole, I already know if I would want to be in business with them or not.
Stephen Malbon
“There’s still places in America today that women are not allowed to even enter the club,” says Erica, who’s also a cofounder of The Now, a boutique, bohemian spa catered to the tastes of a younger audience.
They knew golf needed a facelift. They started a social account with a brand name and logo that served as a moodboard showing a different side of golf. Cool, fashionable, diverse, youthful — everything they seldom saw on the green.
“We wanted to showcase and show other people that play golf that aren’t, you know, typically what you think are stereotyped of what you think a golfer looks like,” Erica says. The likes and adoration poured in, giving the Malbons the realization that they struck a chord.
“There's still places in America today that women are not allowed to even enter the club,” says Erica, who’s also a cofounder of The Now, a boutique, bohemian spa catered to the tastes of a younger audience.
They knew golf needed a facelift. They started a social account with a brand name and logo that served as a moodboard showing a different side of golf. Cool, fashionable, diverse, youthful — everything they seldom saw on the green.
“We wanted to showcase and show other people that play golf that aren't, you know, typically what you think are stereotyped of what you think a golfer looks like,” Erica says. The likes and adoration poured in, giving the Malbons the realization that they struck a chord.
“There’s still places in America today that women are not allowed to even enter the club,” says Erica, who’s also a cofounder of The Now, a boutique, bohemian spa catered to the tastes of a younger audience.
They knew golf needed a facelift. They started a social account with a brand name and logo that served as a moodboard showing a different side of golf. Cool, fashionable, diverse, youthful — everything they seldom saw on the green.
“We wanted to showcase and show other people that play golf that aren’t, you know, typically what you think are stereotyped of what you think a golfer looks like,” Erica says. The likes and adoration poured in, giving the Malbons the realization that they struck a chord.
There’s still places in America today that women are not allowed to even enter the club.
Erica Malbon
There’s still places in America today that women are not allowed to even enter the club.
Erica Malbon
There’s still places in America today that women are not allowed to even enter the club.
Erica Malbon
“I started to really get a sense of there’s a lot of people like me — people that want to see a different thing,” Stephen said. So they turned that social profile into a full-on clothing brand. In a storefront on the iconic streetwear corridor of Fairfax Village in Los Angeles, they sell their own attire as well as other products and collaborations that reinvigorate golf with new life. Oh, and the store has a full-on golf simulator for good measure.
“Our goal was to introduce this sport to a demographic of people that had no access to it and also hadn’t experienced playing in the past,” Erica says.
It’s part streetwear, part skateboarding, part hip hop, all golf. They aren’t measuring success in placements in golf magazines — they’re thinking fashion magazines and culture blogs. If they can get people tapped into golf culture aesthetically, maybe it’s a new gateway into the world of golf.
“All of a sudden people are like, ‘Wow, that’s a golf brand that I could actually wear,’” says Stephen.
Fashion is just one expression of their mission. They also host events, meet and greets, and brand collaborations that broaden the horizons of the sport.
“That’s gonna help grow the sport and knock down some of these barriers that are very obvious and hard to kind of get through,” Stephen says.
What we’re talking about in golf can also relate somewhat to what’s happening in our country right now,” Erica adds. “With an election coming up and certain groups of people wanting things to stay the same, because that’s where they’re comfortable and that’s how they’ve always felt comfortable. People are scared of change.”
“I started to really get a sense of there’s a lot of people like me — people that want to see a different thing,” Stephen said. So they turned that social profile into a full-on clothing brand. In a storefront on the iconic streetwear corridor of Fairfax Village in Los Angeles, they sell their own attire as well as other products and collaborations that reinvigorate golf with new life. Oh, and the store has a full-on golf simulator for good measure.
“Our goal was to introduce this sport to a demographic of people that had no access to it and also hadn’t experienced playing in the past,” Erica says.
It’s part streetwear, part skateboarding, part hip hop, all golf. They aren’t measuring success in placements in golf magazines — they’re thinking fashion magazines and culture blogs. If they can get people tapped into golf culture aesthetically, maybe it’s a new gateway into the world of golf.
“All of a sudden people are like, ‘Wow, that’s a golf brand that I could actually wear,’” says Stephen.
Fashion is just one expression of their mission. They also host events, meet and greets, and brand collaborations that broaden the horizons of the sport.
“That’s gonna help grow the sport and knock down some of these barriers that are very obvious and hard to kind of get through,” Stephen says.
What we’re talking about in golf can also relate somewhat to what's happening in our country right now,” Erica adds. “With an election coming up and certain groups of people wanting things to stay the same, because that’s where they’re comfortable and that’s how they’ve always felt comfortable. People are scared of change.”
“I started to really get a sense of there’s a lot of people like me — people that want to see a different thing,” Stephen said. So they turned that social profile into a full-on clothing brand. In a storefront on the iconic streetwear corridor of Fairfax Village in Los Angeles, they sell their own attire as well as other products and collaborations that reinvigorate golf with new life. Oh, and the store has a full-on golf simulator for good measure.
“Our goal was to introduce this sport to a demographic of people that had no access to it and also hadn’t experienced playing in the past,” Erica says.
It’s part streetwear, part skateboarding, part hip hop, all golf. They aren’t measuring success in placements in golf magazines — they’re thinking fashion magazines and culture blogs. If they can get people tapped into golf culture aesthetically, maybe it’s a new gateway into the world of golf.
“All of a sudden people are like, ‘Wow, that’s a golf brand that I could actually wear,’” says Stephen.
Fashion is just one expression of their mission. They also host events, meet and greets, and brand collaborations that broaden the horizons of the sport.
“That’s gonna help grow the sport and knock down some of these barriers that are very obvious and hard to kind of get through,” Stephen says.
What we’re talking about in golf can also relate somewhat to what’s happening in our country right now,” Erica adds. “With an election coming up and certain groups of people wanting things to stay the same, because that’s where they’re comfortable and that’s how they’ve always felt comfortable. People are scared of change.”
Golf Tomorrow
Golf Tomorrow
Of course, there’s lots of work to be done to broaden the horizons in golf. The Malbons know it won’t happen overnight, and it won’t be as simple as a few fresh polos and magazine articles. It will be a multigenerational evolution that they hope Malbon helps ignite. And they’re not afraid to dismantle a few traditions in the process.
“We have to move into the future,” Stephen says. “These traditions aren’t serving all the people. There are certain traditions that we bring with us and there are traditions that we reform and change to make things more inclusive.”
Of course, there’s lots of work to be done to broaden the horizons in golf. The Malbons know it won’t happen overnight, and it won’t be as simple as a few fresh polos and magazine articles. It will be a multigenerational evolution that they hope Malbon helps ignite. And they’re not afraid to dismantle a few traditions in the process.
“We have to move into the future,” Stephen says. “These traditions aren’t serving all the people. There are certain traditions that we bring with us and there are traditions that we reform and change to make things more inclusive.”
Of course, there’s lots of work to be done to broaden the horizons in golf. The Malbons know it won’t happen overnight, and it won’t be as simple as a few fresh polos and magazine articles. It will be a multigenerational evolution that they hope Malbon helps ignite. And they’re not afraid to dismantle a few traditions in the process.
“We have to move into the future,” Stephen says. “These traditions aren’t serving all the people. There are certain traditions that we bring with us and there are traditions that we reform and change to make things more inclusive.”
All of a sudden people are like, ‘Wow, that’s a golf brand that I could actually wear.’
Stephen Malbon
All of a sudden people are like, ‘Wow, that’s a golf brand that I could actually wear.’
Stephen Malbon
All of a sudden people are like, ‘Wow, that’s a golf brand that I could actually wear.’
Stephen Malbon
They daydream the thought of one day seeing a professional golfer who’s unapologetic and youthful, like a golfer with basketball attitude. Someone who’s at the top of the game and also a frequenter of fashion shows, award ceremonies, zine covers and VIP lounges.
“He’d have to be really, really, really good at golf. And have, like, tattoos on his Adam’s apple and come out in a robe and slides,” Stephen says. “He has to win and talk trash.”
An even bigger daydream of theirs is one day opening a full-on Malbon Country Club. A beautiful, reimagining of a driving range, catered to the tastes of a younger, more diverse membership. A place where music is allowed, hats are worn however they want, pants are baggy, and women and people of color are mainstays.
“It’d be really great to have a country club that’s reimagined for today,” says Erica. I think it would be a place where people felt excited, with a perspective of kind of how we run our brand.”
It’s … ambitious, to say the least. But maybe one day we’ll all be enjoying a day on the green, with baggy shorts and music blasting at Malbon Country Club.
“I hope this article gets us, like, five emails about it,” Stephen says.
They daydream the thought of one day seeing a professional golfer who’s unapologetic and youthful, like a golfer with basketball attitude. Someone who’s at the top of the game and also a frequenter of fashion shows, award ceremonies, zine covers and VIP lounges.
“He’d have to be really, really, really good at golf. And have, like, tattoos on his Adam’s apple and come out in a robe and slides,” Stephen says. “He has to win and talk trash.”
An even bigger daydream of theirs is one day opening a full-on Malbon Country Club. A beautiful, reimagining of a driving range, catered to the tastes of a younger, more diverse membership. A place where music is allowed, hats are worn however they want, pants are baggy, and women and people of color are mainstays.
“It’d be really great to have a country club that’s reimagined for today,” says Erica. I think it would be a place where people felt excited, with a perspective of kind of how we run our brand.”
It’s … ambitious, to say the least. But maybe one day we’ll all be enjoying a day on the green, with baggy shorts and music blasting at Malbon Country Club.
“I hope this article gets us, like, five emails about it,” Stephen says.
They daydream the thought of one day seeing a professional golfer who’s unapologetic and youthful, like a golfer with basketball attitude. Someone who’s at the top of the game and also a frequenter of fashion shows, award ceremonies, zine covers and VIP lounges.
“He’d have to be really, really, really good at golf. And have, like, tattoos on his Adam’s apple and come out in a robe and slides,” Stephen says. “He has to win and talk trash.”
An even bigger daydream of theirs is one day opening a full-on Malbon Country Club. A beautiful, reimagining of a driving range, catered to the tastes of a younger, more diverse membership. A place where music is allowed, hats are worn however they want, pants are baggy, and women and people of color are mainstays.
“It’d be really great to have a country club that’s reimagined for today,” says Erica. I think it would be a place where people felt excited, with a perspective of kind of how we run our brand.”
It’s … ambitious, to say the least. But maybe one day we’ll all be enjoying a day on the green, with baggy shorts and music blasting at Malbon Country Club.
“I hope this article gets us, like, five emails about it,” Stephen says.