INTERVIEW: How Two Sunny Coast Entrepreneurs Are Reshaping Australian Golf Apparel

By Mike Orloff

I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for entrepreneurs. There is something deeply inspiring about watching people see a void in the market, take a leap of faith, and start their own brand.

So, when I got the chance to sit down with Bradley Cooper (not the actor) and Lockie Gilding -the co-founders of the newly launched Australian golf apparel brand Gilding Cooper – I was eager to understand their journey.

Neither Brad nor Lockie comes from a traditional golf background. Brad was a young tennis player and real estate developer who took a ten-year hiatus from the game, while Lachlan spent his career deep in wildlife conservation and high-stakes nature documentary production. Yet, after meeting at Maleny Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast, Qld, their shared obsession for the game turned a casual mid-week round into a mission to bring high-quality, Australian-designed golf apparel to life.

The Unexpected Meeting at Maleny

Mike: You guys are practically living the dream, but your paths to the game weren’t exactly traditional. Brad, take us back to how you got here – and how on earth you two met.

Brad: Yeah, thanks Mike. I actually left school pretty young – around 13 and a half – to work and help look after my sick mother financially. I worked in plastering with my dad and played a lot of competitive tennis on the Challenger and Satellite circuits. But tennis gets incredibly expensive, so I couldn’t push it further. Plastering got me into real estate, and by my late teens and early 20s, I was developing property.

I actually picked up golf around 17, but then I had kids young – around 23 – and took a 10-year break from the game. In my late 20s, real estate success gave me more financial freedom and time. I picked up golf again about four years ago in my mid-30s.

That’s actually how I met Locky. We were at Maleny Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast. I was in a golf cart, and I saw Locky trekking up those brutal first few hills. I pulled up and said, “Mate, what are you doing walking? Jump in!”

Lockie: [Laughs] Yeah, those first few holes at Maleny are brutal! I had only just taken up golf and didn’t know any better. I thought, “It’s a bit hilly, I’ll get some exercise in.” I wasn’t wrong.

My background is completely opposite to the golf industry. I started at Australia Zoo when I was 15 as a school-based trainee and worked my way up in the wildlife industry. Later, I co-founded a wildlife tourism company. We help documentary film crews – like Animal Planet – track down extremely rare, hard-to-find wildlife species all over the world.

When I’m not traveling for shoots, I have time off at home. About four and a half years ago, my father-in-law asked me to play a round. I’m a pretty obsessive type – I don’t do things by halves. I played one round, fell completely in love with it, and have played four or five times a week ever since.

Mike: It’s great hearing how you both came through the “side door” rather than the traditional junior pipeline. Maleny is such a fantastic community club, too. Once golf gets its hooks into you, that’s it! But how does playing mid-week rounds together turn into starting a golf clothing line?

“Why Not Us?” – Spotting the Gap in the Market

Brad: It came out of frustration with what was available in Australia, especially regarding fit, quality, and style. We love the tradition of golf wear. A lot of newer brands are going heavy into streetwear, which is fine, but it’s not really what we wanted to wear.

About 18 months ago, we asked ourselves, “What does the country need in the golf space?” Playing golf every day is great, but we wanted to build a business around our passion. We looked around and said, “Why not us? Why can’t we use local resources to build a golf brand we actually want to wear?”

Lockie: Australia has some of the best golf culture and courses in the world, yet our retail market feels so under-represented compared to the US. Over there, you have high-end, quality-focused brands. In Australia, you usually go into a pro shop and see the exact same traditional offerings everywhere.

We noticed a massive gap. You have plenty of budget options for weekend golfers, but for those of us who play constantly and want to go straight from the 18th hole to dinner or the bar without looking like we’re wearing loud, plasticky polos – there wasn’t as much available. We had the obsession, the time, and the means, so we just decided to do it.

Mike: You’re spot on. Having managed facilities back in the day, importing lines to Australia was always restrictive and expensive, so shops just stuck to safe, fast-moving stock. Having options designed locally makes a world of difference.

Brad: Exactly. You can go to Royal Melbourne and buy high-end imported gear, but at regional or local clubs, your choices are limited. We wanted to build something born right here in Australia.

Supporting the Next Generation & Real World Grassroots

Mike: Launching a brand is one thing, but logistics and getting into pro shops is a whole different beast. How are you tackling distribution?

Lockie: We only launched our baseline collection very recently, so it’s early days. We’re taking a hands-on, relationship-driven approach – old-fashioned door-knocking, playing rounds, and meeting local club pros across the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. Year one for us is entirely about brand awareness, not quick profit.

Brad: A massive part of our strategy is supporting young Australian athletes. Coming from tennis, I know how hard it is when you have talent but lack financial backing. Through Gilding Cooper, we want to sponsor young touring pros and emerging talent.

Lockie: In the US, college players have D1 pathways and NIL deals that make them stars before they even turn pro. In Australia, young players face massive financial hurdles to get on tour. We want to grow alongside our athletes.

Mike: That purpose-driven mindset is fantastic. Who was your first official brand ambassador?

Lockie: Jordie! Jordie Garner a PGA Professional who focuses on coaching and building a fun online presence.

The story of how he joined is actually hilarious. We had a trip planned to Turkey to shoot content for our Baseline Collection launch. At the last minute, one of our team members couldn’t make it. We needed someone fast, so I looked at our shortlist and saw Jordie. I thought he was based locally on the Sunshine Coast, so I called him up. Turns out he had just moved to the Central Coast! But I pitched him the idea anyway, and a week later, he was on a plane to Turkey with us. He has an incredible personality, makes golf fun, and is an unbelievable player.

Quality, Craftsmanship, and Keeping Tradition Alive

Mike: Making golf fun while respecting tradition seems to be a core theme for you guys.

Lockie: Absolutely. Some brands try to push as far away from traditional golf as possible. Options are great, but we think golf tradition is special. Protecting that classic look while upgrading the performance and feel is what we’re about.

Mike: What was the design and development process like? Neither of you came from a textile or fashion background!

Brad: [Laughs] I’ve always had a passion for design and architecture, but learning apparel design over the last 18 months was a massive learning curve!

Our first drop is called the Baseline Collection. We kept the colours classic and elegant -emerald greens, royal blues, off-whites, and black. The fit is tailored and athletic, made with high-stretch, lightweight fabrics.

Lockie: We actually went through five different manufacturers before finding the right fit. The very first manufacturer we tried was one of the biggest suppliers for major golf brands, but the quality just wasn’t up to our standards.

Because selling online can be tricky when people can’t physically feel the product, we obsessed over every detail. The buttons on our pants are custom brushed-silver, pressed with our logo. We also offer three different inseam options on our pants and shorts because golfers come in all shapes and sizes. Recently, a couple of local guys came by our office to check out the gear, tried on the pants, and walked out buying three or four pairs on the spot because of how comfortable they felt crouching down on the greens.

What’s Next for Gilding Cooper?

Mike: Where did the name “Gilding Cooper” come from? Was there a big debate over whose name came first?!

Brad: [Laughs] No debate at all! We played around with a few names, but combining our two surnames – Gilding and Cooper – just sounded refined and had that classic golf feel. Plus, sharing a name with Bradley Cooper always acts as a good icebreaker!

Mike: It definitely has a premium ring to it! So, what does the future hold for the brand?

Brad: We’re starting with our men’s line, but we’re expanding quickly. We have a summer collection coming out around December, and we’re aiming to launch a dedicated female line around March next year. We’ve had young female junior players approach us, and we really want to give them that same support.

Long term, our vision for Gilding Cooper is to grow nationally first and then take the brand global. Within two to five years, we’d love to open our own standalone retail stores across the country rather than just relying on big-box retailers.

Lockie: We’ve got that obsessive drive. We egg each other on – sometimes a bit too much! A three-day trip to Cape Wickham turned into a seven-day trip to Turkey overnight! But that drive is what pushes us to make sure everything we put out is top tier.

Mike: You’ve both got the business experience, the resources, and the passion at the perfect time in your lives to make this a serious success. Where can people check out the range right now?

Lockie: Our warehouse and offices are in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, fully stocked with the Baseline Collection. Everything is available online now, with accessories, headcovers, and equipment rolling out in the coming months.

Mike: Fantastic work, gents. I’m looking forward to watching Gilding Cooper grow across Australian venues and beyond!

For more information on Gilding Cooper or to check out their Baseline Collection, visit their website online or follow their journey on social media.

Gilding Cooper launched on August 31st with the debut collection available at www.gildingcooper.com or instagram.com/gildingcooper/