Talks at GoogleOlajuwon Ajanaku | Eastside Golf | Talks at Google
Talks at Google
Introducing Olajuwon Ajanaku 0:06
The host introduces Olajuwon Ajanaku, a professional golfer and founder of Eastside Golf, a lifestyle and apparel brand aiming to make golf more inclusive and culturally connected. He started golf in high school, helped Morehouse College win its first national championship in 2010, then moved into commercial finance before founding Eastside Golf from his one bedroom apartment in 2019. The brand has since partnered with Nike, Jordan Brand, Beats by Dre, Mercedes-Benz, Bridgestone Golf, and the PGA of America, produced fifteen Nike and Jordan golf shoe collaborations, and expanded into major retailers and stores in Detroit and Tokyo.
Falling in love with golf 2:32
Ajanaku explains he grew up near East Atlanta and started playing golf at age six. He says the game taught him patience, perseverance, judgment, and honesty, and that as a teenager he noticed the adults playing golf on weekday afternoons were doctors, entrepreneurs, and judges who worked for themselves. With his father largely absent from ninth grade onward, these golfers became mentors who guided him toward majoring in accounting in college. He calls golf the thing that built his confidence and shaped who he became as a person, and he describes driving the ball as his strongest skill today, including a recent driving contest where he outdrove Bryson DeChambeau by thirty yards at a Miami event.
From childhood sketches to shoe deals 6:01
Ajanaku traces his design instincts back to age seven or eight, when he filled notebooks with hundreds of sneaker designs and colored blank Air Force Ones with pencils from Michaels. Because his mother worked two or three jobs, he often shopped at Goodwill and flea markets like Value Mall and the Glenwood Flea Market, where he learned about fabrics and thread counts from vendors. Frustrated that golfers all dressed alike, he began wearing lifestyle polos on the course instead of typical golf gear. That instinct eventually shaped his shoe collaborations with Nike and Jordan Brand, where he mapped out five years of releases telling a story: a red clay collection referencing his walks to the course, a green 1961 collection marking the year the PGA lifted its Caucasians-only clause, an inclusive Everyone's Game line, a light blue Take Flight collection, and an upcoming black Zero Gravity release.
A bold logo and staying yourself 11:31
Ajanaku says he never worried about backlash to Eastside Golf's bold, multicolored logo, since it simply reflects the Black and diverse golfers he grew up around at courses like Browns Mill and Alfred Tub Holmes. The logo shows a man playing golf in jeans, a sweatshirt, and a chain, dressed as he would be off the course, because Ajanaku wanted to represent himself honestly rather than code-switch. He recalls that during his years as a bank regional sales manager, some clients would not shake his hand because of his skin color, but inviting them to play golf and then shooting a 71 or 72 often changed the dynamic. He describes his message as being about staying yourself rather than adopting a different persona to succeed, and mentions he has Q School coming up in September as he pursues his own return to professional golf.
Staying grounded through golf 15:31
Olajuwon explains that golf humbles everyone, since even when you think you have something figured out, shanking ten balls in a row reminds you otherwise. He credits his mother and his early schooling, including singing Lift Every Voice and Sing instead of the pledge of allegiance, for shaping the values he still holds. He says he never feels like he is working hard enough, because he thinks of everyone who sacrificed before him, and he wants more diverse people to take up golf since it adds something valuable to whatever else you do in life.
Chris Paul and the brand's breakout moment 19:01
He tells the story of checking into a hotel at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin about two years into the business, during a period when a police killing had sparked an NBA bubble boycott led by union president Chris Paul. Looking up at the lobby television, they saw Chris Paul on C-SPAN wearing an Eastside Golf hat and sweatshirt, which then spread to CNN and other news channels. That moment brought a wave of attention and questions about investment and the brand's meaning, and he sees it as proof that doing the right thing on the front end pays off later.
Growth plans and global reach 21:31
Looking ahead, he mentions early talks with the city of Atlanta about building a golf course, and notes that June 1st, his birthday, is now recognized as Eastside Golf Day in Atlanta, with hopes for a future festival. He describes expanding community days, where the brand buys out a golf course for free tee times, already held at Pebble Beach, Memphis, and Charlie Yates. He also shares that Eastside Golf has stores in Detroit's airport and Tokyo, where demand was so strong that fans once paid more in shipping than the sweatshirt's hundred dollar price, plus a new store opening soon at Phipps Plaza.
Building blocks from early jobs 25:00
He traces his path through jobs like working at a retirement home aiming to become a CNA, selling Direct TV at Sam's Club, and rising through Enterprise Rent-A-Car and corporate banking roles up to regional sales manager before turning down a VP promotion to chase professional golf. Each job taught him something he carried forward, from perseverance to the plain math of sales, where enough attempts eventually turn nos into yeses, the same approach he used pitching Eastside Golf hundreds of times.
Chasing Q school and staying focused 28:33
He is currently preparing for Q school, the qualifying path to the Korn Ferry Tour, golf's equivalent of the G League feeding the PGA Tour. Asked about mental focus, he names three anchors: taking deep breaths and trusting that a bad shot will be okay, keeping his right elbow tucked through the swing, and returning to his personal why whenever conditions get brutal, like playing in 110 or 115 degree heat. He also recalls shooting a 63 on the par 72 East Course at Grand Over Resort, describing that flow state as simply having fun and feeling like he is doing what he was called to do.
Shooting Low Rounds 31:31
Olajuwon reflects on shooting scores in the mid to high 60s, sometimes even 63, describing it as a rare feeling, one of about five times he's shot that low. He also holds a course record of 61 at Sugar Creek, where he grew up playing.
Staying Present Shot to Shot 32:00
He explains his approach: breathe, focus only on the shot in front of you, and avoid thinking ahead to the next one. Worrying about a future putt while still hitting the current shot pulls focus and causes mistakes, so finishing each task fully before moving on is essential.
Closing Thanks 32:30
The event closes with thanks to everyone who joined online and in person, appreciation for Talks at Google Atlanta, and gratitude to Olajuwon for sharing his journey and wisdom.
AI-generated summary. It can be wrong or incomplete - check anything that matters against the original.
