Here's What Went Down at the Hypegolf Invitational

The Hypegolf community, composed of fashion enthusiasts, former skaters, professional chefs, actors, photographers, and even elite-level golfers, can feel at times as if it exists only online where an-ever shifting algorithm dictates whose content gets pushed. But in truth, the strength of our community is forged in real life and on real golf courses where good and bad shots are cheered and laughed at all the same. The Hypegolf Invitational reminds us this year-after-year.The event has now undergone four iterations, with the two most recent held in the Los Angeles metro area. It’s fitting given that so many of the brands within the Hypegolf circle and carried through Hypebeast’s ecomm arm HBX – Quiet Golf, Students and Metalwood included – are based locally. Not to mention the number of creatives who call LA home. And while past years have seen the likes of Macklemore, Ty Dolla $ign and Michael Peña show up, somehow 2024 felt like our biggest and most polished event yet. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)With Johnnie Walker as the title sponsor, this time around there were more hole activations, more gifting and more energy from attendees. The last point could be attributed to a better connection between the people playing in the event and those who came to hangout and network. Whereas last year the event featured 18 holes and an outdoor plaza open during the gameplay for spectators, this time we welcomed our players for a 9 hole shotgun beginning at noon, then later around 3PM the outdoor plaza opened and more people arrived to enjoy the festivities. The highlights of that area included a driving range with COBRA clubs and Foresight launch monitors and a practice green with Bettinardi putters in addition to the outdoor plaza which had a nostalgia-inducing Topgolf ice cream truck, local food vendors, pop-up apparel shops and a Hyperice recovery lounge.Earlier in the day, familiar names Timothy Granaderos from 13 Reasons Why and TikToker Blake Gray (both of whom came with team J.Lindeberg), Ethan Cutkosky of Shameless, Australian pro golfer Ryan Ruffels and pro football player Melvin Gordon took on the Huntington Club in windy conditions. The crowd favorite on-course activations were hosted by Johnnie Walker, who stationed caddies throughout their hole to guide players through strategy, and Cincoro, who placed a full bar at the tee box and gave a bottle of tequila to any team that made an eagle. On SEGA’s hole, a mascot Sonic the Hedgehog awaited golfers and challenged them to play the hole as quickly as possible, while G-SHOCK hosted a closest to the pin contest and gave out watches to anyone who tagged the brand and Hypegolf in an IG story. Last but not least, El Pollo Loco had lunch boxes for every player to get them through to dinner and ZenWTR ensured everyone stayed hydrated. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)Around 5:30 in the afternoon guests were rounded up to congregate by the Hypegolf branded stage for a Cincoro toast, after which awards were handed out for winners of the scramble, longest drive and closest to the pin plus less traditional recognitions like best fit and best kicks. Everyone went home with plenty of Hypegolf-branded swag thanks to Technics, Bridgestone, YETI and grid-worthy pics courtesy of Converse. The event rounded out a memorable few days in LA which began with a Warmup at Topgolf El Segundo and ended by the ocean in Huntington Beach, as everyone hopefully left with a few new contacts saved.Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast