Despite the unfortunate name, Etsy isn’t all popsicle-stick sculptures and kitten sweaters. Enter: Debunking Etsy, a bimonthly column profiling all the wonderfully talented craftsmen who use the site to peddle well-built, hard-wearing and handsome goods for your home and person.
Sometime in the early aughts, golf got a little outlandish.
No, we’re not referencing Shia Labeouf’s performance in The Greatest Game Ever Played. Or Tiger’s preposterous one-legged win against Rocco Mediate. We’re talking about the accessories. The attire. The very tools of the game.
Neon became a thing. What was once this, became this. Drivers started cycling through models quicker than Apple makes iPhones. And somewhere along the way, for some, the game’s simpler, classic sillouhettes were sadly left behind.
Matthew Reynolds IV was one such junkie of the sport who noticed an arms race towards the modern and garish. Growing up around the game, he favored minimalist designs, like clean muscle-back irons and simple blade putters. He even noticed the cheap, overproduction trend extending to scorecard holders, and was forced to design his own after one fell apart.
Well, you can guess where the story goes from here. He made a few for his friends, put a few more on Etsy, and quicker than anyone could yell Fore! had sold over 7,000 holders.
Today, Arnold’s business Bluegrass Fairway has grown from scorecard holders to include headcovers, duffel bags, and zippered bags for valuables. Full-scale golf bags could even be on the way sometime in 2019. Each product takes at least two days to hand-stitch, and sources leather from one of three American tanneries, the headliner being the iconic, 105-year-old Horween in Chicago.
To be clear, we’re definitely not railing against that disco green-and-pink headcover you’ve got covering your 3-wood right now. If any game should pipe down the reverence and up the fun once in a while, it’s golf. But these goods are perfect for anyone who prefers a more understated look on the links, or always coveted the fine leather covers in his grandpa’s garage.
Below, some of our favorite products from the shop.
American Edition Leather Golf Headcover
Doak Duffel Bag
Leather Golf Scorecard
Waxed Canvas Zippered Golf Valuables
All images courtesy of Bluegrass Fairway
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