The still lifeless spring morning sun sees the founder of Vice Golf standing in a thick jacket in Venice Skate Park. Only when the perfect subject is found, the jacket is discarded, a cool pose is struck, and the shots are in the bag.
The choice of Venice Skate Park as the location for this photoshoot was a result of alertness. In between shooting TV adverts and the launch of the NBA partnership, there was some time left to explore the surroundings of our location in Venice—obviously always keeping an eye out for cool locations for possible photo shoots which would fit the philosophy of Vice Golf and our slogan “Embrace Your Vice.”
“Why shouldn’t kids who go to the skate park today spend their free time on the golf course tomorrow? Golf is incredibly fun and can be absolutely affordable!” (Ingo Duellmann, CEO of Vice Golf)
A Place for the Extraordinary
With the goal of making golf more affordable and cooler, without sacrificing quality, the idyllic skate park located in Venice Beach is the perfect place for golfers to fight off the tedious, dusty vibe their favourite hobby carries from a bygone era. So, it’s very fitting that we happened to see a golf bag among the hundreds of onlookers. Totally out of place on the edge of the halfpipe, but at the same time also a relief: skaters also play golf! And why not? Why shouldn’t kids who go to the skate park today not spend their free time on the golf course tomorrow?
The Quiet Before the Storm
At the skate park gold course, where people of all ages were taking on daring jumps and cheering frenetically, onlookers’ jaws dropped, whilst others tried to capture the perfect picture moment. The team around founders Ingo Duellmann and Rainer Stoeckl is just as astonished, they are already planning ahead as they return the next morning, just before sunrise—when the skaters are still asleep and the spectators are getting over last night’s partying. “Why shouldn’t kids who go to the skate park today, spend their free time on the golf course tomorrow?”, Vice Golf founder Ingo Duellmann asks.
“I think that expensive prices and a boring image have put off a whole new generation of potentially talented and enthusiastic young golfers.”
A New Path Forward
With clubs and golf balls on the ramp, one thing in particular should be clear: golf doesn’t have to hide itself… It has absolutely everything it needs to enrich the lives of young people as a cool, modern sport.
When founder and director Ingo Duellmann is asked by a middle-aged passer-by what golf and skateboarding have in common, he says incisively: “I think that expensive prices and a boring image have put off a whole new generation of potentially talented and enthusiastic young golfers. We are trying to counteract that. Why shouldn’t kids who go to the skate park today spend their free time on the golf course tomorrow? Golf is amazingly good fun and can be absolutely affordable!” The passer-by did not seem to have heard this opinion before, but nodded in agreement. Finally, he said: “Vice Golf, right? I’ll keep that in mind and spread the word amongst my buddies who play golf. They’ll definitely enjoy a cheaper, cooler alternative!”