Survival strategies are becoming clear among golf apparel brands facing deteriorating profitability in the post-endemic market. Companies are cutting marketing costs through artificial intelligence while expanding athlete sponsorships to focus on core consumers—a strategy of selection and concentration.
Major golf apparel companies have recently been actively adopting AI for lookbook production. As brands slash marketing budgets, AI has emerged as a key tool for creating promotional imagery. While the traditional process involving model casting, studio rentals, and overseas location shoots required substantial investment, AI can reduce production costs to as little as one-tenth of previous levels.
Golden Bear, a golf apparel brand under Kolon Industries FnC, produced its spring-summer season lookbook using AI for the first time this year. The process involves generating initial concepts through AI tools, then photographing real models wearing identical products in matching poses. The images of actual products worn by models are then composited onto AI-generated model shots to accurately reflect texture, fit, and color.
Waac, a golf brand under Kolon FnC subsidiary Supertrain, also unveiled its spring-summer lookbook using a method that photographs products on mannequins before compositing them with AI models. Challenger Golf Wear produced its spring-summer lookbook with AI following last year's fall-winter season. Volvik Apparel created online advertising videos using AI, while ANEW Golf utilizes AI for limited-edition product lookbooks and operates a dedicated in-house AI team.
AI lookbooks show advantages in production speed and efficiency. Various concepts can be realized in short timeframes without constraints from weather or shooting conditions. "Marketing budget cuts had made lookbook production burdensome, but after adopting AI, we were able to reduce costs by up to 90 percent," an industry official said. However, some point to limitations in quality and realism. "We've decided to wait and see before adopting it, as we believe the quality still falls short of actual photo shoots," another company representative said.
In contrast to this focus on cost reduction, more brands are increasing investment in athlete marketing. Rather than mass marketing, they are targeting "core golfers" with high purchasing power and loyalty. Performance-focused consumers tend to place greater trust in products actually worn by professional players. For brands, athlete sponsorships offer benefits beyond mere exposure by validating product functionality.
Amazing Cre is sponsoring 18 male and female professional players across first and second division tours this year, triple the number from last year's six. The roster includes top players such as LPGA Tour members Kim Hyo-joo and Lee So-mi, KLPGA Tour players Bang Shin-sil and Han Jin-sun, and KPGA Tour players Moon Kyung-jun and Jeong Tae-yang.
Madcados increased its sponsored players from seven last year to 13 this year, strengthening its focus on international tour players. The brand features athletes competing on the global stage, including LPGA Tour players Hwang Yu-min and Ryu Hae-ran, PGA Tour player Lee Seung-taek, LIV Golf player Lee Tae-hoon, and DP World Tour player Lee Jung-hwan. FootJoy Apparel expanded from seven to nine sponsored players, while Munsingwear resumed athlete marketing after six years by sponsoring KPGA Tour player Park Eun-shin.
The golf apparel industry interprets this trend as a selection and concentration strategy. "The current golf apparel market is being reorganized around loyal golfers rather than beginners," an industry official explained. "The strategy is to reduce costs on mass marketing like lookbooks with unclear targets through AI, while strengthening performance image and brand credibility through athlete sponsorships aimed at core golfers with purchasing power."
