Local golf apparel co. buys club maker from Coors

Edel

Edel Golf has a new owner. (Courtesy Edel Golf)

Pins & Aces has got new sticks.

The Arvada-based apparel business acquired Edel Golf at the beginning of the year, adding high-end clubs to its arsenal of polos and pants made for the green.

“There’s overlap with customers for sure,” P&A founder Nick Mertz said. “But Pins is positioned in more of a rowdy, ‘Let’s have fun, don’t really care what I shoot’ atmosphere. And Edel is purist, really high-end. Like ‘I’m a really good golfer and I take it serious.’”

Because of that distinction, Mertz said the businesses will remain separate and not much will change. Former owner Doug Coors, of the Coors family, also stayed on as chairman of the board to keep some continuity.

Mertz didn’t disclose terms, but he called it a “good deal” for both sides. Coors, who bought the business several years ago, did not respond to a request for comment

Mertz said the plan isn’t to grow much this year, but rather to increase margins and build a foundation for future expansion. With about half of Edel’s business in Korea, he thinks that’s an area for both brands to attack.

about 542cc2eb 1421 4b2a 9ca6 687e440057a1.jpg

Nick Mertz and his family wearing Pins & Aces garb (Courtesy Pins & Aces)

“In Korea and in Asian markets in general, there’s a huge affinity for American brands. (They’re) seen as high end, exclusive, hard to get,” Mertz said. “Edels is very boutique and they love boutique American brands. And they love golf.”

Pins & Aces posted $20 million in revenue last year while Edel, pronounced “Adele,” did between $5 and $6 million, Mertz said. He also said both brands are profitable on their own, and Pins & Aces has been every year since its 2018 founding.

“There’s also a big opportunity for (us) now with tariffs and having products that are made here in the U.S.,” Mertz said, noting that the vast majority of clubs are made in China. 

Both Edel and Pins manufacture between Austin and Arvada, and everything is distributed out of its Arvada warehouse.

The Colorado native started Pins with his brother-in-law in 2018 and said it took off in 2020 amid an online shopping and recreation boom. 

It went from $1.5 million in sales that year up to $12 million in 2023, he said. Pins now has 28 full-time employees.

Pins sells its attire and head covers at 1,200 retailers — mostly on-course shops, but also Golf Galaxy — across the country, as well as on its website. Edel, which has 11 on staff between Colorado and Texas, is in all of Colorado-based Golftec’s 250 locations and also does online sales.

Mertz said the acquisition came naturally. Coors was a golf buddy, and Mertz played and enjoyed Edel’s clubs for years. 

This was the first buy for Pins, and Mertz said more could be on the horizon.

“We’re always keeping an eye out, and we were looking at a handful of deals before we bought Edel, from grips to shoes to hats to accessories,” he said. “It’d probably be something to differentiate us, since we’re pretty good at making products in the golf space.”

Edel

Edel Golf has a new owner. (Courtesy Edel Golf)

Pins & Aces has got new sticks.

The Arvada-based apparel business acquired Edel Golf at the beginning of the year, adding high-end clubs to its arsenal of polos and pants made for the green.

“There’s overlap with customers for sure,” P&A founder Nick Mertz said. “But Pins is positioned in more of a rowdy, ‘Let’s have fun, don’t really care what I shoot’ atmosphere. And Edel is purist, really high-end. Like ‘I’m a really good golfer and I take it serious.’”

Because of that distinction, Mertz said the businesses will remain separate and not much will change. Former owner Doug Coors, of the Coors family, also stayed on as chairman of the board to keep some continuity.

Mertz didn’t disclose terms, but he called it a “good deal” for both sides. Coors, who bought the business several years ago, did not respond to a request for comment

Mertz said the plan isn’t to grow much this year, but rather to increase margins and build a foundation for future expansion. With about half of Edel’s business in Korea, he thinks that’s an area for both brands to attack.

about 542cc2eb 1421 4b2a 9ca6 687e440057a1.jpg

Nick Mertz and his family wearing Pins & Aces garb (Courtesy Pins & Aces)

“In Korea and in Asian markets in general, there’s a huge affinity for American brands. (They’re) seen as high end, exclusive, hard to get,” Mertz said. “Edels is very boutique and they love boutique American brands. And they love golf.”

Pins & Aces posted $20 million in revenue last year while Edel, pronounced “Adele,” did between $5 and $6 million, Mertz said. He also said both brands are profitable on their own, and Pins & Aces has been every year since its 2018 founding.

“There’s also a big opportunity for (us) now with tariffs and having products that are made here in the U.S.,” Mertz said, noting that the vast majority of clubs are made in China. 

Both Edel and Pins manufacture between Austin and Arvada, and everything is distributed out of its Arvada warehouse.

The Colorado native started Pins with his brother-in-law in 2018 and said it took off in 2020 amid an online shopping and recreation boom. 

It went from $1.5 million in sales that year up to $12 million in 2023, he said. Pins now has 28 full-time employees.

Pins sells its attire and head covers at 1,200 retailers — mostly on-course shops, but also Golf Galaxy — across the country, as well as on its website. Edel, which has 11 on staff between Colorado and Texas, is in all of Colorado-based Golftec’s 250 locations and also does online sales.

Mertz said the acquisition came naturally. Coors was a golf buddy, and Mertz played and enjoyed Edel’s clubs for years. 

This was the first buy for Pins, and Mertz said more could be on the horizon.

“We’re always keeping an eye out, and we were looking at a handful of deals before we bought Edel, from grips to shoes to hats to accessories,” he said. “It’d probably be something to differentiate us, since we’re pretty good at making products in the golf space.”

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