Titleist approached SixSpeed to launch a new golf ball and lifestyle apparel brand intended for a more casual audience. The brand, Union Green, would speak directly to an audience that’s often overlooked by traditional brands. They asked SixSpeed to develop a social-centric campaign to launch Union Green and show that golf doesn’t always have to be so… golf.
We decided the perfect decongestant for this traditionally stuffy sport was a campaign that championed taking life as it comes featuring casual golfers that reflected our audience’s shared mentality. If we were going to divorce golf from the country club mindset, we couldn’t use country club people. And we needed a disruptive idea.
“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots — but you have to play the ball where it lies.”
Play the Day as it Lies.
Union Green was born from the idea that if you swing a club, you’re a golfer. So we set out to reflect that reality by capturing the camaraderie that starts on the course and lasts long after the round is done. So we launched the brand with a campaign idea called ‘Play The Day As It Lies’. It’s an idea that celebrates the shared belief within the Union Green audience that life is what they make it, and it’s best experienced together—on and off the course. Golf has always been a potent antidote for the ego; to Play the Day means embracing that fact. It transformed golf from a stodgy sport to a social pursuit. One that starts with 9 holes and leads to brewery hangs, days at the beach, and much more.
Engaging with an underserved golf community in ways that help them feel seen and heard enabled casual players to continue to pave their own path in golf. By showing they are not alone in feeling like they don’t fit in to the traditional golfer mold, we charged the voice of golf counter culture and continue to push the sport into a more approachable space.
The game of golf is nuanced. The craft of capturing it, similarly so. To reflect the reality of casual golfers. That means occasionally playing from the rough, swinging from the beach, the occasional 3-putt. It also means otherworldly drives, chips and putts; the once-in-a-round shot that makes the world’s most frustrating sport also the most enjoyable. Off the course, we seamlessly integrated golf into a myriad of lifestyle activities that were representative of our audience. Throughout, it was clear that the catalyst for a good time is Union Green.
To attract eyeballs and create authentic connections with our audience, we didn’t just speak at them with traditional advertising messaging. We used our audience as talent to speak with them. First, we identified the communities that fit the right blend of lifestyle fit and affinity for golf. Then, we found people of consequence within those communities that fit the new brand.
X-Games Gold Medalist, professional freeskier, and off-season golf enthusiast.
Golf influencer known for her casual, fun approach to the game.
Professional surfer who applies a west coast mindset to the game he loves on his off-days.
An ambidextrous golfer and professional caddy who actively showcases her approach to learning the game she loves.
Overall, we kickstarted a modern-day DTC brand in a fresh way to electrify a stagnant sport. Golfers everywhere have taken notice. The Union Green following continues to grow exponentially with an engagement rate that holds steady. And more and more people are joining the movement to Play The Day As It Lies.
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