The California-based golf brand favored by the likes of Justin Bieber and Travis Scott announced an upcoming NFT project that will bring together collectors in the metaverse’s first country club.
The foundations of golf are deeply rooted in exclusivity.
A rumor wide circulated that the origin of the sport’s name is an acronym that stands for “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.” And although time has proven that to be untrue, with high equipment costs and astronomical price tags to get your foot in the door at the local country club, it has never caught on as the everyman’s game.
Nonetheless, golf has expanded its reach due in part to the rise of all-access driving ranges like Top Golf and the emergence of a number of companies who are looking to create a new image for the stuffy sport.
And now, golf is headed to the metaverse.
Malbon Golf announced that they are launching a limited set of 1,000 NFTs based on their brand logo character “Buckets.” The Buckets Club will offer 1,000 unique characters that integrate the icon and fuse it with hallmarks of popular culture, such as Barney and Fred from The Flintstones, the Grateful Dead’s dancing bear, and Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski. Those who cop the NFTs will become a member of “an elite members-only group of golf and metaverse enthusiasts.”
Malbon Golf is just one of a number of brands alongside Duvin, Macklemore’s Bogey Boys, and Tyler the Creator’s Golf le Fleur that remixed the aged aesthetic as part of an ongoing quest to make it truly cool. Since launching in 2017, Malbon Golf has aimed to rebrand the sport, making your grandfather’s favorite game more appealing for a new generation.
While they’ve gained major traction — the brand has launched collabs with Beats and Ecco golf shoes while also gaining the attention of major tastemakers like Vogue and GQ — the California boutique brand is taking their game to the metaverse.
As a member of the Buckets Club, collectors will become founding participants in what amounts to a digital country club, or what Malbon Golf describes as “an exclusive club of holders with added value that grows over time.” Collectors will get access to specialized merch and surprise airdrops of key assets. And like many NFT projects, there is also the opportunity for IRL meet-ups, in addition to virtual community building.
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A key part of the vision is that the Buckets Club will evolve in real-time, guided, in large part, by the community. Individuals who are interested can learn more on the brand’s Discord channel.
With recent news of huge money real estate deals in The Sandbox, the Buckets Club seems like a logical next step of lifestyle building in the virtual world.
Now, you can be Snoop Dogg’s digital neighbor and a founding member of the Buckets Club. And you never have to leave the confines of your favorite corner of the couch.
