The Riley Bio
After chasing a dream to be on the PGA Tour, Riley spent 13 years in the print and graphics industry sharpening his skills in marketing, management, purchasing, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, mergers and acquisitions.
He launched Live Forever Golf in 2020 from the garage of fellow co-founder Scott Toole’s house, and over the past 5 years they have been dedicated to contributing to the world of golf. Riley says the apparel company takes inspiration from music, comedy, sports, classic films, 80s nostalgia, the great outdoors, and the greatest game ever invented.
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What was the genesis for Live Forever Golf?
It all began on a text thread between four friends — Scott Toole, Matt Every, Lewis Price and myself. But our story is rooted on the coast of northeast Florida and inspired by friendship and a dream to change the look of those who play the game of golf.
It was in May of 2019 when co-founder and PGA Tour member, Matt Every, was playing in the AT&T Byron Nelson Tournament. Every hit his tee-shot into a fairway bunker and felt he’d been dealt an unacceptable lie, which forced him to pitch out sideways. What happened next would re-shape the golfing world as we know it, and thankfully the cameras were rolling as Every proceeded to hurl his 54 degree wedge like he was Aaron Rogers throwing up a Hail Mary.
Once the photo of the club toss started making the rounds on social media, I told the thread I had an idea to turn Matt into a silhouette and use it as a logo, but the energy to start a new company wasn’t there yet. However, that would all change in March of 2020.
We had just gone into quarantine with the rest of the world, but we couldn’t sit still because we had a lot of creative energy to bring the logo to life. We wanted to build a disruptive golf brand that resonated with the millions of golfers, athletes and fans who experience raw emotions during competition. We also wanted to inject our sense of style into golf, so with the world on pause, we decided to build a brand, and that’s when we went full throttle with Live Forever Golf.
How was the name of the company determined?
One of the hardest parts of building the brand was coming up with a company name. We had the logo, we just didn’t know what to call it.
Well, it just so happens that Every has ‘Live Forever’ tattooed on his right arm, which was inspired by the Oasis song ‘Live Forever,’ so after looking around the room, Riley said we should just call it Live Forever Golf as a nod to Matt’s tattoo.
Who is your customer?
Have you ever seen an aerial shot of hole 16 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open? Every single spectator in that gallery is our people.
We’re here for the golf, we’re here for the party, and we’re here for the moments that happen in-between. Live Forever Golf is for those who live life passionately and play accordingly.
In approximate percentages what are your sales via green grass shops, brick and mortar retail outlets and online efforts?
I’d say that over the past year our split has grown significantly online to be 90 percent of our business. While our focus on the green grass space has been elevated with new doors being opened every day throughout the Southeast, our hope is to grow that split to 75-25 in 2025.
The biggest mistake men make when picking out apparel is what?
It has to be choosing the right fit, and getting stuck in a routine of wearing what worked a decade ago. Some dudes just won’t ditch the polos with sleeves down past the elbows, and show off the guns.
If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally – what would it be and why?
I love this question.
I would create a more relaxed dress code for the practice range, and allow golfers to wear whatever they want to get their work done. I view the range as a separate destination for golf. It’s a place where the grind begins, and I’d prefer to sweat in my sun hoodie and athletic shorts than a tucked in polo and golf shorts.
My dream is to have two approved outfits for the golf clubs, and essentially create two streams of revenue for the pro shop. Like I’ve always said, if you showed up to baseball practice with a freshly pressed, tucked in uniform, your buddies are gonna look at you like you’re crazy. Let’s borrow from other sports and normalize the practice vibe in golf.
Companies routinely tout the importance of customer service. Define the term and the approach followed by Live Forever Golf.
Customer Service is the heart and soul of Live Forever Golf. We do our best to pack and ship orders on the day it’s placed, respond in a timely and intentional manner to all customer issues, and put out fires as quickly as possible.
We include hand written notes on old baseball cards in every order, and utilize that moment to connect with our audience. We also love to kick-in some freebies! I mean, who doesn’t love a free sticker or koozie.
What roles does customer feedback play in your future creative efforts and how do you go about encouraging such comments?
We’re constantly listening to our customers, and welcome their feedback as a way to improve our process and organization. We enjoy reading their reviews online, and bake their responses into the DNA of Live Forever Golf.
What role do consumer trends play and how important is it for Live Forever Golf to understand them and react accordingly in the business environment?
While we’re always paying attention to the trends of consumers, we try not to let those trends dictate what we feel is off-brand for Live Forever Golf. We do our best to stay in our lane, and create products that we feel resonate with our customers.
Biggest challenges facing the company – short and long term are what and what strategic responses are you putting in place to deal with each?
We started off in a garage by creating problems and looking for unique ways to solve them. The biggest challenge we face these days is growing too fast!
We’re operating with a very lean staff at our headquarters and with our reps killing it on the road, we have to be able to keep up with the volume and demand. It’s a great problem to have, and we’re grateful to have these opportunities to grow and learn.
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