Eastside Golf signs Joseph Bramlett as its first PGA Tour member — Andscape

Eastside Golf is leveling up.

Earl Cooper and Olajuwon Ajanaku founded the Black-owned golf apparel brand, which aims to make golf more inclusive. Recently, they announced two major moves to foster that mission: Last month, they launched the Eastside Golf Foundation, and today, the brand announced the signing of its first pro golfer to an endorsement deal: PGA Tour member Joseph Bramlett.

Bramlett said he knew as early as 2020 that he was interested in joining Eastside Golf.

“I’ve just watched the brand grow since then,” he said. “They sent me a few shirts and stuff, and I’ve had a lot of friends wear Eastside Golf [apparel]. I’ve watched their mission, what they’ve been about, the growth they’ve had, and I was very excited at the opportunity to finally become a part of it and push the brand forward.”

During all professional competitions, the PGA Tour member will wear the brand’s apparel with the signature logo on his left chest, a Black golfer swinging a golf club with a gold chain around his neck. Bramlett’s normal fashion choices lie in the sport’s stereotypical attire, but he’s excited to break out of that mold with Eastside Golf.

“They just bring a different energy,” he said. “You see the Jordan collab, and growing up, I played golf from a very young age, but basketball has always been my other sport. I’m a huge fan of Michael Jordan.” He called linking with Eastside Golf a “very good fit.”

Bramlett’s father initiated his love for the sport. His father, who he said was “addicted to golf before I was born,” would frequently swing his golf club in the living room. Bramlett was simply copying his actions.

“Anytime it was his turn to babysit me, he’d go practice [his] short game and let me crawl around the grass,” he said. “Very early on, I got introduced to the game, and I don’t know exactly what it was, but it captivated me from the get-go.”

The Stanford alum’s career includes winning a national championship in his first year. His win secured a PGA Tour card immediately after college in 2010. His other accomplishments include winning the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021 and a recent third-place finish at the Puerto Rico Open, where he shot 21-under.

Bramlett is one of only two Black golfers regularly competing on the PGA Tour.

“I’ve been a Black golfer my whole life, so you know, from day one, it’s just been part of my experience in the game,” he said. “It’s one that I take a lot of pride in, I know it’s something that differentiates me a bit [and] I think it’s something that also gives me a wonderful platform.”

The Saratoga, California, native signed with Eastside Golf not just for the present but also for the future. Bramlett has another decade to compete at a high level. Still, when he’s finished, he’d like to give back to a game that he’s given so much to people like him, Cooper, and Anjanaku, despite golf’s history of being inaccessible to Black people.

“All of the positivity and inclusion that they’ve been pushing, the community days that they do, and the ways in which they’re bringing people to the game, making them feel more welcome, pushing the game forward,” he said. “I want to be someone who’s involved.”

Eastside Golf signed Bramlett soon after announcing the Eastside Golf Foundation. The foundation was created to drive impact in three key areas: access, education, and excellence. The foundation will provide resources to make golf more accessible, share knowledge about the sport, and financially support community organizations, golf teams, and individuals through high-quality programs that foster long-term success.

“I’m a PGA professional and I think we have a responsibility as PGA professionals to usher people into the game,” Cooper said. “There’s a larger mission, and until everyone feels welcome and everyone’s comfortable on the golf course, we still have work to do.”

Cooper said having a foundation allows Eastside Golf to receive larger funds to help expand the reach of its mission. One aspect of that mission that will likely benefit is its Eastside Golf Invitational, a charitable event entering its third year and now the foundation’s official fundraising event.

Now the foundation’s official fundraising event, the Invitational has generated more than $100,000 for Morehouse College over the past two years. Since 2019, Eastside Golf has contributed nearly $300,000 to the school’s golf program to support scholarships, team operations, and more. Beyond financial backing, Eastside Golf also provides uniforms, transportation, networking opportunities, and other experiences, like hosting the team at The Masters.

Their financial contributions align with the importance of the school that connects Cooper and Anjanaku. They met at the college through the golf team and won the PGA’s 24th Minority Collegiate Golf Championship together in 2010.

Although Cooper didn’t make the PGA Tour, he wants to leave behind a legacy of motivating the next generation. “Even though I’m not on a tour, I can still have an impact,” he said.

For Bramlett, he simply wants kids to know they can achieve anything they put their minds to.

“I was very fortunate growing up, I had Tiger Woods,” he said. “I hope that I can set an example like that for generations to come.”