See How Camden Golf Co. Thinks Outside the Box

G&E Magazine aims to deconstruct the journey that golfers and entrepreneurs alike take on their road to success.  Their achievements – as well as their trials and tribulations – serve to inspire us, and our goal is to pass that inspiration along to our readers.

This week, we have the pleasure of introducing you to Ryan Dick of Camden Golf Co.  Enjoy!

Hey Ryan – why don’t we start by getting some background on you before we dive into Camden Golf Co.  Where are you from?  How’d you get to this point?

Sure.  Well, my name is Ryan Dick.  I’m 22 years old from Collingswood, NJ.  After graduating high school I spent 2 years at Virginia Tech studying business and playing on the club golf team.  When I was in Virginia, I started to realize that club golf was not quite enough for me, so I started to explore ways to enter the NCAA ranks.

I decided to transfer back home and play for the team at Rutgers-Camden in Camden, NJ.  I played there for 2 years, earning first-team all conference both years, and I played twice with my team in the DIII NCAA Tournament.  Currently, I’m in my last year of school and still playing competitive golf any chance I get.

Impressive!  Thanks for the background.  So tell us a little about Camden Golf Co.  What made you want to start it?

I started Camden Golf Co. for a few reasons…  I’ve always been a creative person, and I’m always looking for ways to bring that creativity to life.  My first ideas for Camden Golf were simply to make headwear and apparel that I wanted to wear.  Really that simple.  I wanted to wear a golf hat to the course and be able to say “Hey, I made this.”  I also have to add that the success and popularity of other small companies like Sugarloaf Social Club and Malbon Golf really inspired me to start my own company.

Awesome.  So, what’s your mission for Camden Golf Co.?

I view the mission of Camden Golf as ever-changing.  On a basic level, I want to show people that golf is cool and that it’s a game for everyone, everywhere.  I want to bring back a certain appreciation for the history of the game and the greats that have come before us.  Guys like Seve Ballesteros and Ben Crenshaw.  Nicklaus and Trevino.  These guys are my idols and I want to bring back the flair they brought to the game.

I think we’d all welcome that.  So, what about Camden Golf Co. products really stands out?  What sets you apart?

I think what sets Camden Golf apart is our willingness to try new things and fail.  I love designing new logos and products.  I’ll design a logo in an hour one morning and throw it on a shirt by that afternoon.  If people like it, that’s great.  If not, I’m still happy because I put something out into the world.  Our advantage is that we have no expectations.  We move fast and fail often.

Fear of failure can be debilitating… So, what have you learned since starting Camden Golf Co.?

I’ve learned a lot of things in the 7 months since I started Camden Golf Co.  I think the best lesson so far is the idea of patience.  At the start, I kept getting frustrated when things went poorly.  I saw so many people out there succeeding, and I wondered what I was doing wrong.  Since then, I’ve learned to be patient and understand that good things take time to manifest.  I’ve learned to trust the process, as we say in Philly.

Go Sixers!  One more, then we’ll get into some rapid-fire questions.  What is your vision for yourself and Camden Golf Co.?

Being a college student running a small business, my finances can get a little tight.  My vision for Camden Golf is to expand our headwear collection into tour visors and bucket hats in the near future.  I would also like to design golf shirts and do more on-course apparel.  It may sound strange, but I don’t see Camden Golf as a golf company.  I see it as a design company that specializes in golf products.  What that means is that Camden Golf has the potential to make anything and everything golf related. If I think something would be cool or that people would like it, I’ll try to create it.

Very cool.  Okay, rapid fire.  Who or what is your greatest inspiration?

My greatest inspirations on the golf course have come from Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus.  In the golf business, Sugarloaf Social Club.

Nice.  If you could play 18 with anyone, who would it be?

Oh… that’s a tough one.  There are so many.  I’d have to say Seve.

Matt:  Good choice.  Besides Camden Golf Co. products, what golf-related purchase have you made in the past year that you’re most excited about?

It was a little more than a year ago, but the original Under Armour Tour Tempo shoes.  Best shoes ever made.

Matt:  We’ll have to check them out.  Thanks for your time today, Ryan!  We look forward to following Camden Golf Co. along the way.