How Golf Brands Can Build Stronger Wholesale Channels in 2026

The golf apparel market looks like it’s going to continue to grow in the next five years. 

That’s probably music to your ears if you’re a golf brand or you’re working the pro-shop, resort shop or club retail channel. 

That’s the outlook for the next five years, so what can you start doing right now? 

You can rethink how you partner with wholesale buyers, how you structure your wholesale channel, and how you deliver value beyond just your product. 

Let’s walk through how to build a wholesale channel that isn’t just transactional, but strategic. 

Build Partnerships, Not Just Orders

Wholesale used to be about shipping millions of units, then hoping they moved. In 2026 it’s about partnership. Retailers (whether that’s club shops, resort retail, multi-brand golf stores) expect brands to bring storytelling, sell-through data, and support. 

That means you must position your wholesale relationships as mutually beneficial growth initiatives, not just order takers.

For example, identify your anchor wholesale partners, those who genuinely understand your category and are willing to co-invest in marketing, data sharing and joint planning. This will allow you to curate assortments, minimize channel conflict, and build deeper loyalty.

Use Data to Drive Assortment & Allocation

The most successful golf brands in wholesale are making data the backbone of their design, allocation and channel strategies. 

The golf apparel brand is poised to grow from a $8.5 billion industry to a $12.3 billion industry in the next five years. That means demand is there, now it’s about being smart with which styles, which price tiers, which channels you target.

For wholesale, that means:

• Analyze which SKUs move fastest in pro-shop channels vs resort shops vs online club orders.
• Use those learnings to build a “channel-specific” core and a “wholesale special” bundle or exclusive that gives your wholesale partner something unique.
• Align your production/lead time and minimums so the retailer isn’t chasing stock or you aren’t over-committing stock to low-turn doors.

Brands that excel do not treat wholesale like DTC clone; they build differentiated assortments, flanked by support (POS assets, events, in-store demos) to help the door sell the product.

Improve the Buying Experience for Retailers

Wholesale ordering still too often feels like legacy systems, manual spreadsheets, and long lead times. In 2026, strong brands will stand out by making it seamless for the retailers. That means: digital portals, live inventory views, flexible replenishment, better visuals, and options for personalization or club-logo programs.

When your wholesale partners feel ease and efficiency, they order more and reorder faster. 

For example, Under Armour Golf entered 2026 with strong retailer feedback thanks to an immersive preview and improved merchandising tools built for the trade. 

Protect Channel Equity While Scaling

Scaling wholesale quickly can backfire if you undermine your brand or alienate your DTC customers. The smart move in 2026 is to segment your channels clearly, differentiate your wholesale offers (assortment, pricing, collateral) and maintain control of brand experience.

For example, reserve certain fabrics or colorways for your wholesale partners, or create exclusive bundles that only trade doors carry. This helps maintain DTC premium status while recognizing wholesale as a distinct channel.

Enable Sell-Through Through Content and Events

Brands that lead in 2026 will support their partners with content (how-to guides, demo kits, influencer tie-ins) and events (club demo days, tournament activations, retailer training). 

These activities increase sell-through, which in turn strengthens your appeal to future wholesale partners.

For golf apparel/gear, this might mean:

• Hosting a club-member demo day at a major resort, showcasing the line and collecting data.
• Providing the club shop with sell-through dashboards, reorder triggers and style-turn monitoring.
• Creating content (video/print) that helps pro-shop buyers explain the product story to their members.

Measure, Iterate and Grow Smart

Finally, top golf brands in wholesale in 2026 will measure everything. This includes sell-in, sell-through, reorder rate, margin per door, inventory turns, and partner loyalty growth. 

These brands will use those insights to refine their channel strategy each season.

You might find that Resort X orders more but reorders less than Boutique Y. 

Maybe a certain colorway sells faster in one region. Use that to shape your 2027 plan. 

Let your data lead your 2026 strategy. 

And, if your current wholesale software isn't providing the data you need (or you're not using software yet) then we should chat. We've been helping brands scale their wholesale for nearly 20 years and we're here to help yours as well.