Penfold Golf Strives To Get Back Into Fold Ahead Of 100th Anniversary

On the eve of the 2025 Ryder Cup, a consortium of emerging golf brands will host an event in New York City to not only add to the excitement surrounding golf’s premier biennial event beginning Friday at nearby Bethpage Black, but, more importantly, the game’s exponential growth since the Covid-19 pandemic.

While brands including Del Campo Golf, Pluto Golf, Devereux Golf, Penfold Golf and Hazy Golf will combine their forces for an evening of celebration in the Concrete Jungle, one of the brands is not like the others.

“People don’t realize that we weren’t revived—we just weren’t really doing anything,” said Gavin Perrett, CEO of Penfold Golf Limited, a licensee of Penfold parent firm in England. “And then, yes, it was like a revival of trying to then sort of re-do stuff.”

Founded in 1927 by A.E. Penfold, who previously worked in R&D at Dunlop, Penfold began manufacturing golf balls out of his factory in Birmingham, England. Known for its innovative golf ball technology, Penfold Golf partnered with LPGA co-founder Shirley Spork and rising Spanish star Seve Ballesteros.

Despite Penfold being killed when his cargo ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1941, Penfold Golf continued under the guidance of his son, Dick. The brand rose to prominence as the Penfold Ace was played by the likes of Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Ballesteros.

Penfold peaked when it was included in the iconic golf scene in 1964’s Goldfinger. Featuring Sean Connery as James Bond, 007 mentions Penfold by name—“Here’s my Penfold Hearts”—while hoodwinking the villainous Goldfinger.

While “the little piece of product placement sent Penfold’s sales through the roof,” according to MyGolfSpy, Penfold Golf was unable to capitalize on its popularity as a series of ownership changes including to Colgate-Palmolive in 1973 sent the brand into obscurity.

That is until Perrett, a UK expat living in Pennsylvania, wrote a “very cheeky” email to Penfold owner Paul Silk in 2013 and the “rebirth of the brand” started from Perrett’s attic in January 2020.

Fast forward to 2025. With the excitement building in anticipation of the 45th edition of the Ryder Cup, Penfold Golf triumphantly staked its claim by introducing its Ryder Cup 1927 Collection in February. Featuring Sunday stand bags, backpacks, shoe bags, head covers and ball markers in both U.S. and Europe team colorways, the collection is made in partnership with British Millerain, the original pioneer of waxed canvas.

Not only does the collection celebrate this year’s Ryder Cup being played from Sept. 26-28, but, more importantly, it’s the beginning of Penfold Golf’s celebration of its 100th anniversary in 2027, which, coincidentally is the 100th anniversary of the Ryder Cup.

“It’s a two-year story and this is just the beginning,” Perrett said. “This was the beginning of Penfold once again. Yes, it’s the Ryder Cup in 2025, but we’re part of it then you’re going to start to see offshoots of what’s going to happen.

“What we’re doing is actually all the things that people think are dead and we’re re-delivering on a big scale and it’s going to be really, really interesting to watch unfold leading into the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.”

Relying on its history and heritage to return to the fold in today’s game, Penfold Golf is receiving another boost—albeit not as big as Bond—by getting products in select PGA Tour Superstore locations across the country starting next spring.

With three or four “really big stories” coming in 2026 according to Perrett, don’t expect to hear the last from Penfold Golf anytime soon as he seeks to push Penfold Golf back into the mainstream.

“It’s not even about making a statement, honestly,” he said. “It’s just going in the direction we believe in as a brand. We believe this brand belongs here and we’re going to go that way, and we’re not looking back. (Other brands) keep going that way. That’s absolutely fine and I love what you guys are doing. It’s brilliant for the game, but we’re staying here. We know our lane. We know what we need to do. It’s going to be beneficial to everybody at the end of the day.”