Sun Mountain Sports: Still Climbing

For more than four decades, Sun Mountain has built its reputation on making equipment that golfers trust. The Montana-born brand understands that moving forward doesn’t mean walking away from that history, but finding new ways to bring it to life.

“It’s really about people who love the game. That’s who we are and who we’re building for. We’re not trying to reinvent Sun Mountain, just bring more energy to what we’ve always done well,” says Grant Knudson, CEO of Sun Mountain Sports.

And where is one of the biggest opportunities to bring that energy? 

That’s right, within one of golf’s fastest-evolving audiences: women.

A New Era of the Female Golfer

Women aren’t new to Sun Mountain. What’s changing is women’s golf itself.

Knudson explains this change: “Social media and women creators have made the culture and community around women’s golf so much more visible. You can actually see it happening. And we have more ways than ever to connect with those golfers.”

There is no longer one way to define the female golfer. She might be competing at the highest level, planning her next golf trip, choosing to walk 18 holes or picking up a club for the first time. Each experiences the game differently, and each brings a different perspective to the sport.

“It’s genuinely exciting to think about the female golfer and all the time, effort and creativity we’re putting into products and experiences they’ll appreciate,” Knudson says. “We want more of that. Women are playing, traveling, competing, creating communities and enjoying the game in so many different ways. We want to show up wherever that is.”

Designing for How Women Actually Play 

For Sun Mountain, understanding the female golfer also means recognizing that equal performance doesn’t always mean identical needs.

The company has been making products for women for decades, but the different ways women are playing the game now create a need for variety. A golfer who walks may prioritize different features in a bag than someone who primarily rides. And a woman packing her clubs for a golf trip may have an entirely different set of needs.

Travel is an area Sun Mountain knows well. For example, the company’s ClubGlider travel bags have become one of the brand’s most recognizable products. However, as more women travel for golf, Sun Mountain continues to look more closely at how women use those products and where their needs may differ. 

“Women are traveling for golf, building communities around it and making golf a bigger part of their lives,” Knudson says. “We’re well positioned to be part of that. Women pack differently. We know we need to understand that.”

In order to better understand the female golfer, Sun Mountain has turned to Jess McAlister and Catalyst9 to bring another perspective to the conversation around women’s golf. McAlister’s inherent knowledge of the female golfer and golf consumer is helping their brand better understand what women are looking for across product categories, and more so how to reach them.

“We want to build products that solve real problems for golfers,” says Grant Lordan, Senior Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy at Sun Mountain Sports. “Whether that golfer is male or female, that philosophy doesn’t change. But the specific needs can be different, and we need to be intentional about understanding those differences rather than making assumptions.”

Showing Up, Not Just Speaking Up

Sun Mountain doesn’t approach women’s golf as a campaign or a moment on the calendar. For Sun Mountain, showing up in the places where women are already playing, competing and building community is just as important as the products it creates. 

“Product is certainly part of it,” Lordan says. “We have opportunities to expand the assortment, rethink fit and functionality, and create products specifically around how women play and travel. But I think the bigger opportunity is building a deeper relationship with female golfers.”

That philosophy is shaping how the company approaches partnerships with intentionality. Lordan explains that Sun Mountain doesn’t simply ask, “How many people will see our logo?” but rather, “Does this give us a reason to tell an interesting story or introduce Sun Mountain to a community we want to be part of?” 

Answering that question can take different forms. Sun Mountain’s partnership with Joel Dahmen has given the company a natural way to tell the story of its Montana roots, while its growing relationships with female content creators like Cailyn Henderson, Mariah Swigart, and more, and players alike. 

Perhaps the clearest example is Sun Mountain’s relationship with the Epson Tour. At the Tour Championship, the company created custom Sun Mountain bags for the graduates earning the opportunity to compete on the LPGA Tour. But for Sun Mountain, the value of being there extended beyond celebrating the achievement.

“These are some of the best golfers in the world, and their feedback and experiences can make us better,” Lordan says.

The partnership puts Sun Mountain alongside players at a pivotal point in their careers while also giving the company a chance to listen and learn from the golfers using its products at the highest levels of the game.

“If we want Sun Mountain to have a larger role in women’s golf, we need to do more than advertise to female golfers,” Lordan says. “We need to participate in women’s golf.”

That participation is part of a larger evolution happening at Sun Mountain. After more than 40 years in golf, the company has the history of an established brand that has long supported and been a part of women’s golf.

As women’s golf evolves, so does Sun Mountain. At a time when more women are playing, traveling, competing and finding community through the game, the company continually asks what it can do differently and where it can show up.

The goal isn’t to change what Sun Mountain has been for the past four decades. It’s to build on it while making room for all the different ways the next generation of golfers will experience the game.