Swag Golf’s standout product line drives Northbrook sports equipment manufacturer’s growth

The name denotes must-have prestige and a cheeky confidence.

Swag Golf ably describes the hot Northbrook company founded by golf equipment trendsetter CEO Nick Venson, of Libertyville, and joined by his former Lake Forest High School golf teammate Scott Weber as chief operations officer.

Swag products — such as head covers, towels, ball markers, apparel, state-of-the-art putters, golf bags embroidered with Swag’s tag line, “Don’t Give a Putt” — are used by touring professionals such as Nick Hardy, golf sensation Paige Spiranac, and collected by fans.

In 2021, a set of Swag head covers was commissioned by the wife of Steve Stricker, captain of the United States’ Ryder Cup team, for use at the tournament.

Swag is the official head cover and putter of the Chicago Cubs, with products in a store adjacent to Wrigley Field, on Gallagher Way.

A tip to where the CEO’s creative, entrepreneurial mind is at, Venson purposefully launched Swag Golf, primarily an online venture, on April Fools’ Day 2018.

But Venson, a 40-year-old father like Weber, of Lake Bluff, has been in this game for decades.

Where some boys collected baseball cards, Venson collected golf putters. As a teenager he used eBay and online community groups to connect with high-end collectors buying and selling putters in the United States and internationally.

So committed, he attended the University of Iowa only to leave school for California to work as a distributor for Scotty Cameron, the industry leader in putter manufacturing.

After time there, as well as at another highly regarded manufacturer, Bettinardi Golf, Venson felt exasperated. His own design ideas catering to a younger demographic were sloughed off.

“The equipment was getting stale,” Venson said. “The old guard, the major OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) had always done things the same way and I felt it was time to do something different.”

He vented to Weber, who after playing golf at Northwestern University was in the midst of a 14-year career in finance. The two had known each other since preschool.

“Myself and a handful of other people said, ‘Nick, you’ve got to go out on your own,’” Weber said.

So he did, returning home and gaining investors to open a 2,500-square-foot Northbrook location.

Promoting the fledgling company on social media and at a small booth at the PGA show, due to word-of-mouth in the company’s opening product “drop” that remains part of its business model, everything sold out.

Neon coloring, designs featuring skulls, playing cards, pop culture icons, sunglasses and, in time, harnessing licensing deals with Major League Baseball, the National Football League and World Wrestling Entertainment — a Swag blade cover, golf bag or even a precision-milled putter definitely stands out.

“Not only do we make these wild and bold and really cool head covers, but we’re always making what I consider the best putters in the world right now,” Venson said.

Success necessitated a move to a 12,000-square-foot space at 3342 Commercial Ave., Northbrook. And in January, Swag Golf will move into a 30,000-square-foot space also in Northbrook.

In the COVID summer of 2020, when golf was one of few things booming, Weber joined Venson initially to help pack boxes.

Using his background, Weber moved into a COO role handling finance and operations while Venson does Swag’s marketing and heads a team of eight designers.

The 37 Northbrook employees are bolstered by more than 100 in a manufacturing plant outside of Atlanta.

Swag sells about 300 putters and between 8,000 to 10,000 head covers a month. A 2022 article in Chicago District Golfer said the company grew by 400% in 2021.

“It’s evolved into a company that’s dropping something every single week that’s new and different,” Venson said.