England rugby legend Owen Farrell has opened up on his love of golf – and why he decided to co-create a golf apparel brand…
Owen Farrell admits he is “obsessed”.
And for the first time in the England great’s adult life, that obsession has been found away from the rugby field. One of his era’s most tenacious and uncompromising players, Farrell is England’s all-time top points scorer and has a combined 120 Test caps that includes three British and Irish Lions tours.
He has poured his heart into the sport and is now entering the final years of a playing career that has offered so him much in return.
But at 34, Farrell has finally taken the blinkers off and while his playing days are far from over just yet, he has decided to get even more involved in golf, a game he first began playing as a child but fell in love with after the Covid boom.
Teaming up with Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount, Farrell has launched Maejer Golf, a fashion brand looking to combine gear built for both during and after your round. Farrell and Mount have worked alongside James Gullick, a creative mind behind the rise of British streetwear brand Represent, and the unique first collection include polos, hats, windbreakers, gilets and more.
“We’re not putting a ceiling on this,” Farrell explains. “We’ve been working on it for a good while but this is just the start for us. We want to see where we can take it and what impression we can make on the industry.”
Farrell plays off around a 10 handicap but just wishes he was more consistent off the tee. He ranks Adare Manor, Royal Portrush and Royal County Down as the three favourite courses he has played, but is equally as captivated by the pro game, desperately hoping Tommy Fleetwood can get over the line in a major.
TG caught up with Farrell to discuss his move into golf fashion, his love of the game, and life after rugby…
What made you and Mason get into golf fashion?
We got together through a mutual friend and met with James Gullick who’s done so well in the fashion industry for a long time now. He got a few lads come together who are obsessed with golf. We’ve been into the fashion side of things and the way that the fashion side of golf has been going, we had an opportunity to create something pretty good. With the people involved and the knowledge that James has, it seemed really exciting so we followed it. It’s been great.
Maejer Golf co-founder Owen Farrell says he’s “obsessed” with the game.
What has it been like to have an outlet outside rugby?
How do I describe this? I’m trying to say this in the right way. I’ve never really been into anything much other than rugby because I guess I saw it as getting in the way when I was younger. I guess now I’m at the stage of maturing a bit as a person, understanding that something like else away from the game allows me to be really fresh when I’m going into it. It’s something that I’ve been looking for for a while to be honest, to have all this stuff outside the game bring a bit of balance to me as well.
I love rugby. It’s my passion. I’m unbelievably grateful that that’s what I get to do, but there’s times where it tips over and there’s times where you think about it too much. There’s times where it becomes unhelpful how much you sometimes carry it home and so on. I think that something like this, especially something that I’m passionate about, was a brilliant opportunity so I’m glad I’m involved in it.
Would you like to get involved more in golf when you do retire from rugby?
I have thought about it now at the stage that I’m at in my career. I’ve always known that I wanted to stay in the game. I couldn’t imagine not doing it. I couldn’t imagine calling it a day at the end of a season and then walking away from rugby. I’ve lived and breathed it for my whole life now. I couldn’t imagine there being cut off there. I’d love to get into the coaching side of things. I’m working to make sure I get experience in all that stuff now. But I’d say Maejer Golf would be a great balance towards anything that I can do within the game. Learning something new, learning about a different industry, learning about business outside of rugby, albeit still sport, has been great to be part of.
Owen Farrell says there is “no ceiling” for Maejer Golf.What similarities have you found, if any, between golf and rugby?
Goal kicking! The swing links to goal kicking. The only difference is you’re in more motion when you kick. Otherwise, it’d be the same. You pivot around yourself when you’re golfing but it’s a similar motion into the ball when you’re goal kicking. There’s definitely some big similarities in terms of it being you on your own and goal kicking and that first tee feeling. But also the swing would be a big crossover there too.
Rugby’s probably more unpredictable. You don’t have time to dwell on stuff. You’re into the next thing straight away. Whereas golf, if you hit a bad shot, you’re normally walking after it and you’re thinking about why you’ve done something rather than just straight into the next one. Patience is a big one. But also being able to let stuff go and not overanalyse stuff and not overthink things. It’s a great sport for that. I played in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth last year and that first drive, I’ve never been as nervous in my life. I know what I’m doing in the rugby side of things. You get nervous if a couple people watch you tee off anywhere but when there’s a fair few it’s very different!