How Macklemore Surrendered to the Whimsical Beauty of Golf
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Ben Haggerty has always been interested in music and fashion. But golf? Not so much.
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Growing up in rainy Seattle, the rapper, better known by his stage name Macklemore, played at a local par-3 course, hitting off “really crusty” mats. He, like millions of others, felt inspired to take up the game when Eldrick “Tiger” Woods burst onto the scene in the late 1990s and made golf cool to the masses. But for Haggerty, the feeling was momentary.
Haggerty continued to devote the majority of his time and efforts to his music, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2013 for “Thrift Shop.” It wasn’t until he was persuaded to play golf again on vacation in Hawaii in 2018 when everything changed.
Begrudgingly, he not only hit the links that fateful day, but his first tee shot hit a nearby house. Still, he carried on. Faced with a shot out of a fairway bunker on the par-4 14th hole, Haggerty closed his eyes and let rip his 5-iron. While he doesn’t remember where the ball ended up, he never forgot the feeling of the flush shot, the rush of dopamine that overcame him.
From then, officially hooked on golf, Haggerty went to a local sporting goods store to buy clubs and a ’fit but was underwhelmed with the plain, carbon-copy polos and khaki pants available. Wanting to inject style and a retro flair into a seemingly stagnant industry, he launched Bogey Boys in 2021.
Bogey Boys pays homage to the fabrics, patterns, and styles that defined the ’70s and ’80s. It is a welcome option for many wanting to showcase their personality on and off the golf course—especially now that that that sport has become cooler, more diverse, and more mainstream in recent years.
Ahead of the 123rd U.S. Open Golf Championship at Los Angeles Country Club, Bogey Boys and Adidas released a collection that not only celebrates the legacy brand’s rich heritage but also golf’s present and future. Featuring the iconic Trefoil logo, the collection is comprised of two four-button placket polos, a terry cloth tracksuit, a V-neck sweater vest, straight-leg trousers, MC80 spikeless footwear, and more.
Fresh off the first leg of his European tour promoting his new album, Ben, the Grammy-winning artist took to Zoom to chat with Robb Report about all things golf and fashion.
Your golf origin story is known to many, but what was your perception of the sport before you had your life-changing shot in 2018?
I grew up in the Tiger era, the glory days, and there was a brief period of time I spent at my local par-3 course. I think the longest hole was 110 yards, maybe. That was really my only experience, hitting off really crusty mats and being really bad. Not much has changed since the being-really-bad part. It was a game I didn’t feel exactly connected to, because of the energy, expense, and lack of skill set I possessed at the time. All it took was that shot to kind of shift everything and get that dopamine hit of, “Oh my god, what was that? I want it again for the rest of my life.” That’s kind of what led me to dive deep into golf.
It’s crazy how all it takes is one shot to get you hooked. What does that say about the sport? It’s not like draining your first 3-pointer makes you want to play basketball all the time. It’s about having one flush shot that you can’t get enough of.
Anyone can throw a basketball up and hit a 3-pointer, you’re right. Anyone can eventually hit a baseball if they keep swinging at it. But there’s something about the physical connection to the golf ball and the club face and the flight of the ball and the destination that is different. I think that it’s alchemy in its purest state. It’s this magical force that, when done right, sends an entire frequency through your body. It’s just different than any other sport that I’ve played.
How did Bogey Boys spawn from that? I ask while wearing a pretty plain quarter zip.
Yeah, I got a lot of pretty plain quarter zips myself. What happened was, I hit that shot, got home and was like, “OK, I need golf clubs.” I went to a sporting goods store—one of the major chains —bought clubs and looked around for a ’fit, or a couple of ’fits. What I saw was the same khakis, the same polos, the same quarter zips—everything looked the same. The colors were the same. The sport and sweat-wicking materials were very similar. Even with all the resources, I didn’t feel like I could put together an outfit that spoke to my personality.
So you decided to design golf apparel that spoke to you?
I’ve always loved design, whether it’s designing merch, fliers, a photoshoot, music videos, or whatever. I’ve loved the visual component of what my job has entailed the last really 25 years. And I got kind of tired of designing Macklemore clothes. I knew I wanted to get into fashion for a long time, but designing merch just wasn’t as fulfilling as it once was, and I’m not going to wear a shirt that says “Macklemore” on it. I wanted to do something that also inspired me. That’s kind of the origin story. I wanted something that spoke to the golfer who’s a little bit different and thinks outside of the box. I wanted something that’s a little out of left field. Something we can put together and feel good on the golf course. So we started Bogey Boys.
Adidas x Bogey Boys Polo Shirt
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I’m sure you weren’t the only one looking for something to wear that reflects your personality, because golf is all about personalization, from your clubs to the bag to the clothes. How important is wearing the right fit to boost one’s confidence, especially in golf?
If you look back throughout time—and I think it’s one of the reasons I’m inspired by the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s in terms of golf fashion—it’s that people look like golfers, but they also look like themselves. You couldn’t find the same two polos on a golf course at the same time or on the PGA Tour. Chi-Chi Rodriguez looked completely different than Lee Trevino, who also looked completely different than Arnold Palmer, who looked completely different than Jack Nicklaus. Everyone had their own personality, charisma, and creativity when putting together these ’fits. Now, if you look at what’s happening on the PGA level, it’s very similar: The things that separate them are really just their sponsors that are plastered all over their polos, like they’re a billboard. There’s something lost in that. We, however, gravitate to fabrics and colors that people choose to wake up and put on in the morning. I think it’s a great representation of our spirit and how we want to project ourselves in the world.
Can fashion be an entry point into the game of golf?
Fashion is a great entry point into the game of golf for someone who’s just starting. It’s so fun to be like, “I just got into this. I went to the driving range, Five Iron, Topgolf, and I hit a couple of balls. I hit one good one, and I want to do that again. And now I want to put together an outfit.” It can be kind of the catalyst into the game, as well and into someone’s unique personality. I love going to the golf course and seeing people dress differently. I hate going to the driving range and seeing everyone in shades of white and navy and a pair of khakis. There’s so much more originality to be explored and places we can take the game, and I think that fashion is a beautiful entry point for a lot of people.
Knowing golf is hotter than ever, it seems there’s more and more brands wanting to get into the game. How does Bogey Boys stand out among an increasingly crowded landscape?
It’s exciting to see different up-and-coming boutique brands with their own lens on the golf landscape. I’ve never tried to stick out. When you try to stick out, it’s sort of obvious, and the consumer is actually smarter than we give them credit for. This isn’t about trying. This is about creating a brand that has a story, that has a voice and has clothing that reflects that. At the end of the day, when I get a sample back, opening that box feels like Christmas, because I can’t wait to wear what’s inside. That’s the joy of it. The joy is in the design process. The joy is going back into the archives and seeing what people have done before, and how we can make it better in 2023.
Adidas x Bogey Boys Golf Pants
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Speaking of that joy, I’m sure you were thrilled about the new collection Bogey Boys has with Adidas for the U.S. Open. Talk about the process of working with a legacy brand and how the collab wasn’t just about slapping both brands’ logos on existing products.
That’s it right there. I think so many collaborations turn into, “Let’s put our logo here, their logo there,” on a pre-existing polo and make it a slightly different color. There’s no real energy or storytelling involved. For Bogey Boys to be as young as it is, I wanted to go back and look at what Adidas was offering 40 years ago, 30 years ago, what stories it was telling then. I wanted to weave that legacy into the styles of today and collaborate on a collection that truly reflects the game and the individual playing it.
It’s crazy to think Bogey Boys has been around just two years. What’s that journey with Adidas been like for you so far?
It’s been amazing. I grew up with my dad wearing Adidas, seeing those three stripes in his closet. That was the foundation of my love of sneakers. He would have a pair that was beat up, that he’d mow the grass and do lawn work in, along with a pair on ice; he’d always have two pairs. One of the really cool parts of this collaboration is we got to use the Trefoil logo. That’s something that I really wanted, because that’s how I fell in love with sneakers and the brand—particularly the iconic tracksuit that Run DMC used to wear. That’s hip-hop to me. To be able to blend these worlds and combine that logo with our logo, we had to get clearance from Germany. It was something that was brought up, and it was met with, “I don’t know if we can do that one, we’ll ask,” and the answer was “yes.” So, to be able to see it on this collaboration is really special to me.
The Trefoil logo is iconic. I know I feel a certain way anytime I see it on a product and immediately have a desire to buy it, this collection included.
That’s what we’re searching for— timeless, iconic, something that isn’t this season or of this month or the flavor right now in terms of streetwear culture, but actually something that is going to stand the test of time. It’s the same way I approach music. I think there’s an audience for it, which is one of the beautiful things about Bogey Boys. I had no idea who was going to be our consumer or who would resonate with the stories we were telling. I was pleasantly surprised that there are more people out there than I could have ever imagined. I think this collection with Adidas speaks to that. It’s about the golfer who wants something classic and traditional but that’s also fashion-forward and that sticks out from what you can buy anywhere else.
Adidas x Bogey Boys MC80 Golf Shoes
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While Bogey Boys is certainly a passion project that’s taken off, you’re still a musician first and foremost. You just finished up the first leg of your European tour and are back in the States for the summer. I gotta ask, how much golf did you play on tour? Did you check off any bucket-list courses?
I played a lot of golf. We were out there for almost six weeks and I probably played five times a week. Now that I’m back, I really don’t really have the opportunity. I’m dealing with three kids and finishing my album. Once I got into album mode, it had to really stop seeking that spiritual reprieve that golf gives me. The process of searching for that connection—that same 5-iron shot I had four-and-a-half years ago. Even talking to you about all of this, I’m reminded of all these life parallels. Golf is a game of surrender. It’s a game of loving the beauty and the ugly. It’s about being in pursuit of beauty, but also being accepting of where the ball lands. In Europe, it wasn’t about the courses I was playing at. It wasn’t about how expensive the round was or even really who I was with. It’s a game you play against yourself, against your mind, one that really leads back to the present moment of the next shot and acceptance of wherever the ball goes.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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