Avoda Golf’s innovative approach to personalised golf equipment.
Avoda Golf has quickly risen from a start-up concept to a brand used by elite players on the world stage. With the support of Albright IP, ensuring its unique products and offerings are protected has been vital as the company grows and expands into new regions.
Avoda Golf was founded in 2023 by brothers Tom and Nick Bailey. Tom, a professional golfer and coach, aspired to not only perform at the highest level but to support others to improve their game. This led to a move to America to work with legendary golf coach, Mike Schy, who has been fundamental to the success of Avoda Golf.
Through him, Tom found a playground to work on his game and develop his own equipment. While he explored many different equipment options, Tom couldn’t find what he needed on the market. So, he bought blank forgings online and ground them down by hand to produce exactly what he needed.
Meanwhile, Nick was working in product development and marketing in another sector. When Tom called to say that interest in his products was growing, Nick stepped in to help bring them to market. By October 2023, Avoda Golf had its first prototypes.
The company’s big break came in early 2024, when Avoda Golf got the chance to produce a set of custom clubs for a top 10 professional golfer. That player went on to perform extremely well at the Masters and, ultimately, went on to win the US Open using Avoda equipment.
Nick said: “This really helped to propel us onto the scene. We were getting huge exposure in the press – the web traffic was like nothing I had seen before.”
“With that, of course, came new challenges in managing the brand and we needed to ensure that our intellectual property (IP) was covered as it should be.”
Building protection with Albright IP
Recognising the need for expert support, Avoda turned to Albright IP in early 2024. Nick had worked with the firm in a previous role and knew they could guide their start-up business through any potential IP issues.
“First, I needed to understand what it meant to have trade mark protection in different countries,” said Nick. “We secured a US trade mark, which was vital because of all the attention we were getting from journalists and industry players.”
Over the next year, Avoda Golf and Albright IP took a strategic approach, using the Madrid Protocol to protect the company’s logo and word mark beyond the UK and US to other countries, ensuring the protection needed to expand internationally.
Nick and his team worked closely with Trade Mark Attorney James Beeton and Patent Attorney and Director Dr Will Doherty.
“Towards the back end of last year, we really started developing the business,” explained Nick. “Our whole mission is to spot what others aren’t doing and fill the gaps in the market. So, obviously we needed to look at bringing new products to market. We now have two patents pending. We’d have been completely in the dark if we’d decided to handle it all ourselves. With the Albright IP team, we could draw together a professional strategy.”
“One of the biggest hurdles has been navigating national rules and laws across the different countries. China, for example, is a first-to-file country when it comes to patents and trade marks – meaning a delay could have left Avoda Golf vulnerable to legal challenges.”
“You need to really know your market and plan ahead, be proactive, not reactive. Albright IP’s network and local contacts has given us the confidence to expand into new areas,” said Nick.
“We’ve got major aspirations as a brand; we want to make a global impact. Knowing what regions we want to break into early has helped us plan ahead. Will, James, and the Albright IP team were able to advise and support us through it all.”
On a mission to transform the game
With IP protection in place, Avoda Golf has real ambitions to make a change in the industry. Their slogan, only if you want to get better, reflects the company’s focus on helping golfers improve their game through long-term development and correctly fitted equipment.
Tom and Nick are determined to create a more personalised experience for golf professionals. Instead of forcing a player to adjust to equipment, the equipment is tailored to the player. This unique fitting approach is helping players get the very best out of their game.
“We have had players coming in for a fitting with us and I have actually seen them crying, because they have never seen results like it,” added Nick. “Avoda Golf is a labour of love for me and Tom and everyone involved sees it as a lifestyle – they love producing the products and getting real results for golfers.”
“It feels good to help people be the best they can be.”
Visit www.avodagolf.com to find out more about how Avoda Golf is helping players across the world fine-tune their game.
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