NHS has never met a collab they didn’t like, and this time it’s with the golf brand Malbon. (Insert obligatory Schwing Magazine reference.) See modified versions of Jim Phillips legendary artwork on golf gloves, golf bags, t-shirts and hoodies. Three putting is not crime? Maybe they are overpriced because it’s golf gear and it appeals to a wealthier audience, maybe it’s because it a collab. Why am I such an Unhappy Madison? Maybe I’m just jealous because nobody ever approaches Skate and Annoy for a collab. Maybe I’m just upset because I have a different sports crossover fetish.

Slek Skateboards (pronounced “sleek”) is an American company owned by the golf company Ping. Based on the front page of their web site you’d probably assume they made standard park/street skateboards but the majority of their lineup is actually longboard and cruiser oriented. The reason they’re here on S&A is because of the Float-Tec funky truck assembly that is designed to let users roll over cracks and bumps without eating it. It’s a strange niche because beginners who aren’t skilled enough to negotiate those, obstacles are likely not going to justify the expense, and you can’t buy the trucks separately. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this kind of setup before, but I may in fact be thinking of the Stair Board from back in 2012. One thing I find annoying, for the life of me I can’t replicate the “e” character with the line over the top that they use in their website and logo. Our character sets are both utf-8 and I cant find it in any character table. [Source: MyGolfSpy]

It’s not the first time someone tried to bring skateboarding and/or Punk Rock to golf. It even predates those old excellent Nike SB commercials from their first toe around. I’m talking about High Speed Productions short-lived Schwing! magazine that was around from 1999-2001. Adidas calls the line Rolling Links, and near as I can tell… actually I can’t tell that there’s any skateboarding influence here at all. I guess you have to invent ways to hype product lines, and here it is, working, because you’re reading about it on skateboarding web site. Marketing seems kind of forced, right down the promo video with a tiny bit of skateboarding tacked on to the beginning and end. – Thanks to Troy for the tip.

We’ve seen basketball once, and tennis not once, but twice. Here’s a California Rampworks build for Nike that combines basketball and golf terrains with skateboarding. The Nike SB Popup Skateboard Park was built for Go Skateboarding Day in 2014.

Where was the Golfboard when Schwing! magazine was in it’s heyday? Did Schwing! ever have a heyday? The GolfBoard’s primary innovation over any other electric skateboard seems to be the optional addition of a handle for holding a golf bag, which would make it more of a scooter, and the uncanny way in which the marketing manages to avoid the word “skateboard” while repeatedly mentioning surfing and snowboarding. They did appear to accidentally use the word in the title of their first youtube video. That must have been before the focus groups and marketing research raised a flag. Another possible innovation, they’ve gotten some insurance companies on board to help facilitate leases and rentals through golf courses. The’ve even got professional surfer Laird Hamilton on board. Demographically, the golfing public at large used to be diametrically opposed to skateboarders. Suddenly, the old Nike SB commercial with the golfers getting kicked off the course is moot. There are two main selling points the GolfBoard: Less wear and tear on the golf course as opposed to traditional golf carts, and a new “fun” way to experience the course that also has some health benefits through increased activity, again compared to riding in…

We’re now officially in the midst of an annoying trend in which toy commercials are promoting other activities besides skating at skateparks. There have been at least two or three, as well as a cheese commercial with RC cars. This one is for the Yo Be, something that looks like a cross between a frisbee and a yo-yo. Best part is, they shot all the action scenes in front of a green screen so there are lot’s of vertigo inducing physics scenarios where camera angles don’t match up.

Whatever your stance on Nike’s presence in the skateboarding industry, you’ve got to hand it to them for the commercials they made and actually aired on broadcast TV the first time around. They are great from a skating and an advertising perspective. I’ve been trying to get ahold of these and post them, but someone else has already done all the work, so why reinvent the wheel? My personal favorite is the running one because it brings back the times when people literally thought you were a freak if you were over 12 and still skateboarding on a public sidewalk. Of course now you’re a freak if you are over 30 and the hassle often comes the skaters instead of the non-skating public. So you can still be a rebel and participate in one of the world’s most popular sports. [Source: Transworld beat me to it.]