How Takomo Golf Used Creators to Build Trust and Sell Clubs Online

Sebastian Haapahovi was putting his children to bed when his phone began vibrating with orders. A YouTube reviewer had published a positive assessment of his new golf clubs. According to the Takomo founder, the first production run of 200 sets sold out in under ten days.

The story, recalled in a Finnish podcast interview, captures the opportunity behind Takomo. Golfers would consider unfamiliar equipment online if someone could help them judge whether it deserved a place in their bag.

Takomo subsequently built relationships with some of golf’s best-known creators, including Grant Horvat, the Bryan brothers, and Bob Does Sports. Investor Mandatum reports revenue exceeding €70 million in 2025.

This Brand Story examines how Takomo developed its business, used creators to build purchase confidence, and extended its Instagram presence, thanks to our HypeAuditor analysis.

From Sticker Shock to Takomo’s First Irons

Haapahovi’s original problem was personal. Returning to golf in 2019, he wanted better clubs and found the equipment he liked considerably more expensive than anticipated.

He had followed businesses such as Casper and Warby Parker, which sold directly to consumers. Could a similar approach work for golf equipment?

He describes buying older club-design books, contacting manufacturers, and testing prototypes in a simulator in his garage. Development involved approximately eighteen months of exchanges with manufacturing partners before the first production order was ready in spring 2021.

The proposition combined clean, Nordic-influenced design with accessible pricing. Selling through Takomo’s own website removed layers of distribution and retail margin, while manufacturing partnerships provided production and development expertise.

As the team explains in a bunkered interview, familiar components and manufacturing methods were part of that quality proposition. 

The purchase still demanded confidence. Golfers accustomed to seeing clubs in a shop, discussing specifications, or testing before buying had to evaluate a relatively unknown brand through a screen. The same model that supported Takomo’s prices made product reassurance essential.

How YouTube Reviews Generated Takomo’s First Orders

Haapahovi initially sent clubs to two or three YouTube reviewers without knowing whether they would publish. When one did, orders arrived before he had prepared for the response. He had not even ordered the next production batch.

The immediate challenge became replenishment. But the response also supplied an early indication that golfers would buy Takomo equipment after watching someone assess it.

A review could answer questions the product page alone struggled to settle. How did the club look behind the ball? What happened on a poor strike? How did the feel compare with equipment the viewer already knew?

Timing helped. In his interview about Takomo’s marketing, CMO Sean McCullum describes recognizing a shift toward watching golf creators online. Those personalities were becoming familiar companions for viewers spending substantial time with their content.

For Takomo, that created opportunities beyond equipment reviews. A creator repeatedly playing the clubs could make an unfamiliar logo a familiar sight. The business grew substantially during this period. Mandatum reported records revenue below €3 million in 2022 and just under €30 million in 2024. 

How Takomo Built Trust Through Creator Partnerships

As Takomo developed its creator relationships, different personalities helped audiences assess the brand in different ways. Skilled players demonstrated performance. Entertainment groups made equipment part of recurring viewing. Reviewers examined specific products, while customers showed what buying and using them involved.

Different Creators Answered Different Buying Questions

A technically accomplished golfer can show what a club does under demanding conditions. An entertainment creator gives viewers repeated opportunities to see equipment used during an enjoyable round, including imperfect shots.

That distinction matters in a category where the audience spans experienced players and beginners.

In Callux’s bag tour, equipment discussion sits alongside jokes about pockets, lost balls, and keeping score. He explains his iron setup and mentions fitting advice while presenting the clubs within his existing on-course personality. Viewers get product information without the video becoming a specification sheet.

Takomo’s selection criteria reflect that approach. In OutKick’s interview with partnerships lead Joonas Laasila, he discusses engagement and audience sentiment alongside whether creators feel like people golfers would enjoy spending time with.

Repeated exposure can nevertheless generate skepticism. One reviewer explicitly questions endorsements from signed influencers before testing the irons and reporting a favorable impression. Commercial visibility makes independent assessment increasingly valuable.

Purchase confidence also develops at different speeds. McCullum describes interviewing one buyer who spent months researching, repeatedly used the online fitting tool, and tested alternatives in a store. Another already knew from watching YouTube that he wanted Takomo and mainly needed to choose the model.

Both wanted to improve their golf. Creator familiarity could establish a preference, while detailed evaluation remained important for someone else buying the same product.

Creative Freedom Kept Content Familiar

McCullum describes giving creators room to speak to audiences they understand. The founder confirms that agreements still contain commitments, but explains why prescribing the entire message can undermine the qualities that made a creator valuable.

Takomo also helps produce content. A behind-the-scenes account of its Lie Detector series documents a team trip to Florida to film with Bob Does Sports.

The brand’s voice fits this informal environment. In a LinkedIn post, McCullum connects accessible equipment with a belief many golfers already hold. Better clubs cannot substitute for practice and lessons.

That message gives creators something recognizable to work with while preserving room for their own humor and experience.

The approach requires investment. Haapahovi says major creator deals can involve millions, without disclosing individual terms. Takomo’s price argument rests principally on its distribution model. The company still spends to reach golfers and support the relationships that make its offer visible.

Ownership Deepened Selected Relationships

In January 2025, Horvat announced an ownership position. The Bryan brothers’ shareholder arrangements followed publicly days later.

Haapahovi describes equity as a way for selected partners to participate in the long-term value they help create. With the Bryan brothers, involvement also extended to wedge development. Haapahovi credits their requests concerning full-face grooves and sole design.

These relationships brought content, product use, and development closer together. They also created commercial interests readers should understand. Ownership establishes a deeper partnership; it does not make an endorsement independent or prove that equity improved sales.

How Takomo Expanded Its Products and Buying Experience

Growing demand brought operational obligations. The €20 million funding round announced back in May 2025 supported logistics and further marketing. In his interview, Haapahovi explains the need to position inventory more effectively and reduce reliance on expensive air freight.

Product expansion demanded additional expertise. Late in 2025, Takomo acquired Otso’s putter technology and related business, with Miikka Farin joining to develop the putter family. In January 2026, Bob Does Sports joined the creator roster, playing Takomo irons and wedges.

Buying options also mattered. One customer describes ordering heads to retain her existing ladies’ graphite shafts and avoid unsuitable club length. It is a practical switching decision shaped by fit and component reuse.

Takomo’s RUFF partnership announcement describes rental and demo clubs at 17 European venues. Physical trials gave some golfers another way to evaluate an online purchase.

In a video with Your Golf NCG, the team also describes an online fitting tool and a conditional return arrangement allowing buyers to test only the 7-iron. These measures address different uncertainties. Recommendations help narrow the specification choice; a limited trial provides experience of the product. Neither should be described as a substitute for every aspect of an individual fitting.

Expansion also exposed limits. Haapahovi acknowledges delivery and customer-service pressure. He describes withdrawing a driver after a configuration failed conformity requirements and supplying replacement products.

What IMH’s HypeAuditor Analysis Reveals About Takomo’s Instagram Presence

How far does Takomo’s visibility extend beyond its most recognizable partners?

We analyzed Takomo's Instagram visibility through HypeAuditor, covering the past six months. The report tracked 829 mentions from 207 accounts worldwide.

The interesting finding is the breadth beneath the headline names. Among 203 accounts classified by size, 96 were nano accounts and 60 were micro accounts. Together, accounts with 1,000–50,000 followers represented approximately 77% of that classified group. These are tracked participants, rather than a verified ambassador roster.

Frequency adds another dimension. Matt Cassidy’s account contributed 79 posts, Eric Cogorno 28, and Wedge Gang Golf 24. Recurring contributors can keep equipment appearing in different golfing contexts between major partnership announcements.

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The highest estimated reach and the most frequent posting came from different accounts. That distinction makes follower size alone an incomplete description of Takomo’s presence. A prominent personality may introduce the brand widely, while a smaller account repeatedly discusses or demonstrates equipment for a narrower audience.

The content was overwhelmingly visual and active. Reels accounted for 749 posts, or 90.3% of the total. That matches the product’s suitability for swings, first impressions, course challenges, and demonstrations. The United States represented 34.4% of the report’s overall audience breakdown, consistent with the company’s emphasis on international demand.

Participation needs context, however. The report’s most-commented example, a giveaway from @japesgolf, required entrants to tag friends and allowed unlimited entries. Its 11,300 comments reflect those mechanics alongside interest in the prize.

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HypeAuditor classified 784 posts as organic, two as sponsored, and 43 as likely sponsored. Those labels cannot establish whether gifting, equipment agreements, or other commercial relationships existed.

The report therefore documents a wider Instagram conversation around Takomo, with repeated contributions from micro creators and prominent partners. It does not establish creator-generated revenue, unique audience exposure, or the sales contribution of the YouTube strategy. Its value is showing the shape of participation around the brand.

Why Takomo’s Creator Strategy Depends on the Product Experience

Takomo’s accessible pricing gave golfers a reason to investigate. Reviews helped them assess unfamiliar equipment. Recurring creator use made the brand recognizable, while ownership and development work deepened selected relationships.

The purchasing experience had to support those recommendations. Suitable specifications, testing opportunities, available stock, and responsive service all mattered once a viewer became a customer. A persuasive video could create demand faster than the business could fulfil it.

This also explains why category expansion requires fresh evidence. A golfer who likes Takomo irons may still prefer another driver or putter. Existing trust earns consideration, while each product must justify the purchase.

The strongest part of Takomo’s approach is the connection between its offer and the content surrounding it. Creators made the equipment visible, understandable, and familiar. The continuing commercial task is delivering clubs and an ownership experience that make those recommendations worth trusting.

About the Author

Kalin Anastasov

Writer

Kalin Anastasov plays a pivotal role as an content manager and editor at Influencer Marketing Hub. He expertly applies his SEO and content writing experience to enhance each piece, ensuring it aligns with our guidelines and delivers unmatched quality to our readers.