What makes an emerging golf brand good right now? A lot of the time, something stands out because it pushes a graphic, silhouette, or reference to an extreme, and standing out gets mistaken for being good. There’s nothing wrong with making a statement, but the brands that tend to last usually operate with a greater sense of restraint. LATE NINE, born in Sweden, understands that restraint better than most.

There’s a nostalgia to the brand that many golfers will instinctively recognize. Certain references are immediate, but subtle enough to avoid feeling self-conscious or overly styled. The collection feels connected to a very specific era of the game while still making sense in the present. It never drifts into costume territory because every decision is considered in a way that goes beyond the references themselves.

Maxim Lundh grew up in Sweden, obsessing over Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik, paying just as much attention to what they wore as how they played. Many took notice of the brand this year when a free agent, Tommy Fleetwood, wore pieces at the Masters. That propelled the brand from simple menswear adjacent golf to something much bigger. We wanted to know more about how Maxim thought about the game — and get his take on the recent evolution of golf style. Speaking with him, it becomes clear that the same attention now shapes everything LATE NINE does. The brand draws heavily from golf’s past, but with a clear understanding of why certain things worked in the first place, and the patience to approach them thoughtfully.

The Old Ghosts: What’s the ethos of LATE NINE and how does it fit into golf in 2026?

Maxim Lundh: From a product perspective, LATE NINE is about digging into the rich archives of golf throughout our favourite decades, and remagining those aesthetics for what feels relevant today. Being able to wear clothes on the course, that correspond with the level of quality that we stand behind. And create a wardrobe that feels relevant in all walks of life. Even the most dedicated golfer, will spend most of their time off of the course. LATE NINE is also a reminder to value the little things that come along with game. The scorecard does of course matter, but nothing beats the feeling of catching the sunset on a late summers evening on the back nine. Or the scent of fresh cut grass just before teeing off in the early morning.

OG: When did golf start to mean something different to you, not just something you played but something you thought about differently?

ML: I connected with golf very early. Picking up a club when I was six, then started to play more and more as a teenager, eventually competing as an “ok” amateur and dreaming of trying to go pro. Which I’m very lucky I didn’t, not being anywhere near good enough. 
But I’ve always been a bit obsessive about things that I’m passionate about, and golf invited you into this world of things to dig deeper into. Everyone has their own relationship with the game, but for me it was pretty much the only thing I knew before turning 20. I would live and consume golf 24/7 and loved every part of it. I also think it’s what spiked my interest in clothing. Instead of preparing course strategy, I’d be preparing my clothes and outfits ahead of a competition, meticulously planning what to wear. Trying to replicate what my idols, Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik were wearing.  Not sure if it helped me play better golf, but I loved that freedom of expression and I think it really sped up my learning process of what works and what doesn’t. So I had the benefit of making most of my fashion faux pas very early, before people started carrying smartphones with cameras…

OG: What was the moment you realized there might be a brand here?

ML: Fast forward to right around the pandemic, life had moved on and my relationship to golf had changed. Gone from playing a lot of golf to just trying to find a glimmer of time throughout the week to play. That led to a lot more rounds, either very early in the morning before work or meeting up with a friend for a late nine before sunset. I also found myself wearing less and less golf specific clothes while playing, trying to curate from brands who have nothing to do with golf. Which to a point worked, but something was missing. I had friends and my co-founders as well spoke about it in similar terms. There was a specific aesthetic we wanted to wear that we felt wasn’t really available. Coming from fashion and clothing backgrounds ourselves, we all shared an appreciation for craft, quality, and thoughtful design. We couldn’t understand why the same level of attentiveness we expected from the clothes we wore every day wasn’t being translated into golf. So we just took the decision to make it ourselves.

OG: What were you trying to make with those first pieces? What did you want them to feel like, and what were you pulling from?

ML: I think they were supposed to feel very intentional. There was a specific point in time, during those last few years of the 90’s and the early 00’s that we looked at and felt a lot of excitement from. A sort of goldilocks period for golf apparel. We also grew up during those years, so it of course holds a certain sentimental value. We wanted the first collection to really evoke a strong sense of familiarity.

The references are pretty broad, but I’ve always been obsessed with the Ryder Cup. Not only the players but the coaches, the subtle differences between how the US and European team dressed. Both equally iconic. Spending evenings on Getty Images and watching full broadcasts of old Ryder Cups and other majors on YouTube is a bit of a guilty pleasure. That’s how I wind down best.

Then we also have the pop cultural inspirations, all your usual suspects 90’s celebs who now in hindsight all had incredible flair. I don’t think we’re alone in drawing inspiration from that period, everyone has access to the internet. But really channeling that energy and translating it to identifiable pieces is something else. That was a real challenge from a production perspective, because recreating fabrics that feel connected to that period took a lot of time and research.

OG: Was there a specific garment or moment that taught you what actually works on the course?

ML: Unless you’re playing in 30mph winds and rain in Scotland, or the dead of summer in Florida, golf clothing doesn’t need to be overly performance or athletics-driven. I don’t think there’s one definitive answer, everyone has their own style, and golf should be a blank canvas for expressing it. At the end of the day, what works best is whatever makes you feel most comfortable. But if I could give a recommendation, one of the simplest ways to improve comfort and performance is by giving yourself more room to breathe. Which consequently reduces the reliance on excessive elastane. A win-win. Tiger Woods won the US Open in 2000 by 15 shots, remember the size of his pants?

OG: Point to one detail in the collection most people would miss, but that matters to you.

ML: Not necessarily miss, but perhaps the enthusiasm and thought that goes into the garments. We’ve had countless opportunities to cut corners or take the easy route, but we’ve never produced anything we weren’t genuinely excited to wear or offer ourselves. Pretty much every component, from the fabric to the buttons, has been carefully cherry-picked and sourced by us.

That process comes with a lot of trial and error and sometimes a frustrating number of sample rounds. Fabric has been the hardest part, but also the most rewarding when you finally find something that just feels right. Fabric is foundational, handfeel and softness are very important to me. At the same time, golf garments need to be durable as well, so we’re constantly trying to strike that balance.

OG: When Tommy Fleetwood shows up at the Masters in your clothes, what does that actually mean to you?

ML: Tommy Fleetwood is one of our favourite athletes and golfers. The way he carries himself on and off the course. For it to happen at the Masters is of course extra special. The aesthetics within the professional game seen a massive shift the past 20 years, fits are pretty skin hugging to say the least... But when a player of Tommy’s stature shows up in relaxed silhouettes and chooses to express his own style, I’m sure it inspires every independent brand out there trying to make a difference within the game.

OG: You’re building this from Stockholm. What do you see about the game from there that people closer to it miss?

ML: I'd say the access to great golf, almost all clubs are non-private. Throughout the whole country, we have absolutely beautiful courses, but very few months when we can actually play them. It makes the moment sweeter, but the wait in between can be absolutely dreadful. 

OG: A year from now, what would feel like a miss?

ML: So much has happened in a short space of time that we didn’t foresee. I’m very impatient, luckily my partners are better in that sense, naturally there are a lot of things we want to do and feel like we could do, but things take time. We haven’t done a collab yet though, so that could be a fun one within a years time. 

OG: What does a good late nine look like for you, start to finish?

ML: A Swedish summer is usually blessed with the sun setting really late. So you get that beautiful sunset stretched out for most of the evening, the last shots are played closer to 9-10pm. There’s just something special about golf courses in that lighting, it never tires. Playing a few just before dusk can also be relaxing in a way that counting score during 18 midday usually isn’t. I love working on my game on the course, playing a few balls and actually trying to improve where it counts. Fortunately, my home track has great routing. You can play 3, 7, 9 or 12 holes, the front nine or the back nine etc… and almost always end up back at the clubhouse or parking lot. That’s rare, and something I really appreciate.