These days, consumers are inundated with seemingly endless choices, especially in the realm of golf equipment. To stand out, companies must offer some type of additional value that goes beyond a customer’s satisfaction with the product.

“The future is associating with a brand that gives back to you in a multitude of ways,” said Jordan Lunetta, a co-founder of ODIN Golf. “You get the product experience, which is great. Then, when you associate with the brand, you’re going to get value on top of it. It could be money, an experience or an event.”

In the case of ODIN Golf, it’s all of the above. The Germany-based brand was created with “the everyday golfer” in mind in July of 2021. Lunetta was on the course with James Brooke, Cristoph Kind and Phillip Alt when they caught themselves donating copious amounts of golf balls to the lake and trees of their local track.

“We asked ourselves, ‘Why aren’t we losing our own golf balls? Why are we losing balls of brands that don’t speak to us?'” said Lunetta.

The company’s goal is to deliver high performance at a lower price, and after an intense nine-month testing period, the four launched ODIN Golf with two models: the ODIN X and ODIN X1. Both balls feature a three-piece design. The X model, which boasts extra distance and control, is the less expensive of the two at $19.99/dozen. The X1, coming in at $34.99/dozen, is the “tour-level ball” that rivals the likes of Titleist’s Pro V1 and TaylorMade’s TP5.

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” Lunetta said. “We want to give people as good of a ball experience as they would get from a traditional brand, but in our case, we want them to be able to reload without the guilt You shouldn’t be spending $50 for a dozen.”

But ODIN Golf’s vision goes beyond delivering a premium golf ball with an affordable price tag. Through their Get Paid to Play sponsorship program, they’re likely the only brand that pays its customers to play golf. For every dozen purchased, customers are eligible to receive 20 percent cash back via Venmo or PayPal, meaning that buyers of the ODIN X get paid four dollars back per dozen, while X1 purchasers collect seven dollars.

We don’t sponsor the pro golfers, we sponsor you [the everyday golfer],” Lunetta said. “We’re going to give you seven bucks back for a lessons fund or a reduced green fee or to give to a charity. We want to give you the flexibility to take this money and do things that you want to do. For us, that’s the exciting part. We think that’s where the value is.”

By doing for amateurs what the traditional brands do for professionals, ODIN Golf is hoping to disrupt the status quo and cater more to the average golfer.

The program extends to local golf clubs and leagues. Several SCGA member clubs, including the Tropicana Players Club, Babes Golf and FOREGALS Golf, are sponsored by ODIN Golf. In addition to discounts on custom-logoed balls, sponsored clubs or leagues can receive custom apparel and marketing collateral to support their expansion. “We’re living what we’re preaching regarding giving back to the community,” Lunetta said. “We want to get value to the people so they can grow as we grow.”

ODIN also embraces the introduction of Web3, which is touted as the future of the internet, to its community. It’s a new, blockchain-based web that includes cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFT) and more.

ODIN released a Founding Member NFT collection last April, an opportunity for customers to claim a stake in the company and own a piece of brand equity. This collection included 150 digital art collectibles that increase in value naturally as the company grows, but also as Web3 hopefully becomes more mainstream in the coming years.

“This is where we as a company are pioneering. We’re on the forefront of this,” said Lunetta, who’s worked in software development his whole career. “We believe this is the future. This is our way to introduce you to this world to get to know it.”

Lunetta sees ODIN Golf as the first step in creating a digital ecosystem, where golfers can eventually earn money while they play and leagues can increase their reach through this new technology. Building out its digital experience will be a priority for ODIN in the coming years, as will simultaneously finding more amateur golfers and local golf leagues to sponsor along the way.

“This is a brand that gives back to you personally,” Lunetta said. “This was never just another ball company. We’re building ODIN for you. You should get value out of it.”