Jon Buscemi’s love of golf began during what he describes as a period of boredom. In the wake of his two previous sneaker endeavors—Gourmet and Buscemi—he became what he calls a “kind of consultant retired guy,” providing design support and investment to companies like the buzzy LA sandwich shop Uncle Paulie’s Deli and the truffle-infused hot sauce brand TRUFF. But one day in 2017, his friend Steve Malbon, the founder of Malbon Golf, noticed the surplus of free time on Buscemi’s calendar and decided to take him out for a round of 18. All it took was rolling in one birdie to infect Buscemi with the proverbial golf bug. In the years since, he’s become a country club fixture and traveled the world to play some of the most elite courses the game has to offer. But what was once just a recreational obsession has now become the latest business venture keeping him busy: a members-only luxury golf brand called Redan.
“It really started because I didn’t wear golf clothes when I golf,” Buscemi tells me over a Zoom call that he’s conducting, naturally, from a hotel room at North Carolina’s storied Pinehurst Resort. Rather than sport the standard polyester polo and four-way stretch pants that has become the de facto uniform of golfers around the world, he found himself teeing it up in the kinds of garments most guys keep in their everyday wardrobes: cashmere sweaters, cotton chinos, and pique polos. It baffled him that other golfers—even ones who dressed well in their day-to-day lives—continually opted to change into what he calls a “costume of plastic clothing” before they hit the links.
With that pain point in mind, Buscemi set out to create a collection of luxury golf apparel that stylish people would unapologetically want to wear both on and off the course. “There’s nothing changing,” he says of the ideal Redan member experience. “You’re going right to dinner after [your round].”
Courtesy of Redan
Courtesy of Redan
When it came time to design this seamless “rough to restaurant” wardrobe, Buscemi decided not to enlist the talents of a designer with a golf apparel background—or even one who plays golf. Instead, he tapped Safa Taghizadeh, the man behind the slick, cult-beloved LA-based menswear label Cobra SC. From there, Redan evolved from a mood board—pinned with everything from late-’90s Tiger Woods to Harrison Ford in the south of France—into a full collection of knits, trousers, shorts, hats, and jackets. Together, they add up to an offering that Buscemi hopes evokes a feeling of what he calls “modern nostalgia.” “You want to have that feeling of Arnie [Palmer] in ’79,” he says, “but you don’t want to look exactly like that with the cut.”
Over the last few years, there’s been an explosion of brands looking to similarly bridge the gap between casualwear and linkswear. But where a label like Malbon takes aim at golf’s traditional stuffiness via bold prints, baggy fits, and tongue-in-cheek graphics, Redan instead wants to wow even the most discerning shoppers with things like Milano-stitch knit polos made from fine fabrics like Zegna Baruffa Cashwool. “The clothing is in the same realm of Tom Ford, Brunello Cucinelli, Zegna, and Celine,” says Buscemi, noting that, unlike typical luxury labels, Redan’s direct-to-consumer model allows them to offer premium apparel without the middle man mark-up. Still, given the ultra-premium materials and construction techniques that go into each piece, it likely comes as no surprise that the garments you’ll find within Redan’s offering are expensive. (The aforementioned knit polo retails for $650.)
Courtesy of Redan
Courtesy of Redan
But even if you’ve got the dough to shell out for a reversible cashmere windbreaker or sturdy Italian chinos, getting them isn’t a simple matter of hitting “add to cart.” Because ultimately, what truly separates Redan from any other golf brand on the market is that it isn’t just a high-end clothing brand—it’s also a members-only club. And same as your local Soho House (or, you know, country club), with that membership comes annual dues. It’s only after being accepted and paying the $4,000 fee that one is granted access to purchase the apparel, though that’s just one of the laundry list of member perks. Among them include private lessons with acclaimed pros, priority tee times at some of the world’s most illustrious courses, bespoke travel plans, private events, and more. “I’m not trying to be exclusionary or keep people out,” Buscemi says of the business model. “But if you have the means, you’ve worked hard, and you want to have something special, Redan is for you.”
If, at this point, you’re thinking that all of this adds up to something only a handful of people might be willing and able to join, Buscemi knows it. Like all exclusive clubs, that is to some degree the point. “I think the last time I checked, there’s 14 million Americans with golf clubs,” Buscemi says. “I think 90 percent of them would rather look bad and be comfortable. But I have to believe there’s 25,000 humans on the planet that will be interested in the alternative.” Ahead of the official launch, a couple hundred people have already signed up for the Redan experience, including notable names like hall-of-fame wideout Larry Fitzgerald, artist Jonas Wood, and Ken Griffey Jr. So even if $650 polos aren’t your thing, if you’ve ever wanted to tee it up with The Kid, becoming a Redan member might be your best chance to do so.
Courtesy of Redan
Courtesy of Redan
Buscemi admits that on some level, his desire for exclusivity—both in the stuff he owns and the experiences he has—traces back to his days collecting and selling highly coveted sneakers. He also says that much like in streetwear and graffiti, golf has a tendency to spark the masculine urge for one-upmanship. “It’s like, Oh, you have a head cover from Tara Iti, or, You have a putter cover from Ohoopee. Everyone’s trying to outdo each other.”
Before you write off Redan as being completely out of reach, however, Buscemi is considering making a forthcoming drop available to the public: fittingly enough given his roots, it’s a golf shoe the brand is working on with Footjoy. “I think the demand will be so high,” he says, “that I’d be hard-pressed not to release it in some way with a retailer to the public, like a great department store that I love.” No need to stress about taking an L on the collab, of course, if you’re a card-carrying Redan member—you’ll be guaranteed a pair before anyone else.
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