Hi all! Welcome back to another week’s post of our origin story. We skipped last week for obvious reasons (Shop launch!) but wanted to pick back up where we left off. We had just finished our final prototype so it was time to get some action shots on the course. Let’s get to it!

Now that we had our final prototype, which aside from a few small tweaks was spot on for what we wanted production-wise, we wanted to take it out on a golf course for some professional photography. Given Haik’s expertise in that realm, the only remaining question was where to do it. Luckily for us there are a lot of fantastic courses in the Kansas City area, both public and private, and nearly every one that I spoke with were super helpful in letting us explore for potential locations. However, a good friend of mine (Drew, pictured above) happened to be a member at The National Golf Club of Kansas City, a course designed by Kansas City’s own golfing legend Tom Watson. Drew and I had spoken about my hopes of starting a golf bag company long before ever needing photography but like all great friends do, he offered to help in any way that he could. So when the time came to snap some pictures, he offered to put me in touch with the club and see if things could be arranged. It was a huge favor and one I’ll never forget!

After the introduction from Drew, I was able to arrange a day for us to come up in mid-October to see what shots we could gather without imposing on any of the that day’s golfers. The idea was to follow a tournament being hosted by the club so that once the tourney wrapped, we’d have much of the course to ourselves. For any non-golfers out there reading, after a tournament is the quietest time on a golf course because they have to block off a good chunk of tee times before and after the event to ensure it has ample cushion for any possible delays in play. When the day arrived however, it appeared as though we were going to be up a creek without a paddle. Rain was not only in the forecast, but storms were now on the radar and headed straight for us. It didn’t appear to be a thunderstorm, so we proceeded cautiously, umbrellas in tow.

Haik & Arthur working their magic while Drew, Clarke, & Ben swing away!

We were able to make it through the driving range and front nine pretty well and relatively unencumbered. Despite the overcast skies and approaching rain storms, we were able to get some fantastic shots along the way. However, the first few holes on the back nine is where we had really hoped to make our hay. As we made the turn though, the cloudiness turned into full downpour, forcing us to pit stop in the clubhouse and hope things cleared up before the sun went down. So we all settled in around a bar top, had a couple beers, and enjoyed what we had accomplished thus far.

As luck would have it, about half an hour later, not only did the rain stop but the sun broke out fully! So we settled up quickly and dashed out to our carts to capture the remaining hour of pure daylight we had before us. As great as the pictures were in the first half of our shoot, it was in that last hour where we really got some great pictures as you can see below. It ended up being quite the spectacular day and is another moment I’ll never forget along this journey. A handful of good friends working together to add another building block to Nelson Hill’s back story.

I’ve been playing golf for as long as I can remember. That fact alone makes me pretty lucky, but honestly, it’s the relationships that the game has given me that truly makes me so. Some of my greatest friends in life come from a connection built through the game in one way or another. It’s that essence we hope to encapsulate in our bags at Nelson Hill. Something unique to you that makes you feel good whenever you see it.

Next week we’ll dig into our first production run but until then, be well and thanks for reading!

Best // Eric

Setting the Stage