Why We Partnered

I met Jim Jannard, Owner and Founder of OAKLEY Sunglasses, in 2014.

I was traveling the country with a group of guys - TOURQUEST - trying to Monday qualify for the PGA TOUR. ​

From 2009-2014 I had uploaded over 400 youtube videos aimed at helping golfers play better. ​

Jim had been watching.​

He had also been watching me chase the dream of winning the US OPEN. ​

Sitting in a shitty hotel room in Iowa, prepping for the John Deere Classic Monday qualifier, I got an email:​“

"Hey Sam, I like your coaching style and your determination.​

I think you could help me with my golf game and I think I might be able to help you too.​

Please share your bank information so I can make a contribution.​

Jim Jannard​

PS. I started OAKLEY when I was 19 out of the trunk of my car."​

So I called Janet at my bank and asked if this was ok. She said the only thing he could do with my bank account info was put money in. So I sent it.​

Two days later there was $10k in my bank account,. Eh Hem, $10,350 ish. Yeah, it was running low. The 5 months on the road, entry fees, hotels, and the grand slam menu was taxing me and our TOURQUEST team. ​

Later that year I met Jim and started coaching him. He graciously sent me a box of golf specific OAKLEY’s to try. I couldn’t use them. Something about the curve of the lens or the color of the grass… I ended up giving the players on TOURQUEST a few pairs and the rest I gave to students and friends. ​

That was 12 years ago. And I haven’t golfed in sunglasses since. I never thought I would…

​But about 18 months ago, Wes reached out. 

He loved our bag and ran a sunglasses brand. “Would we be open to a collaboration?”​A few days later I met with Wes, Founder of Article One.​Some things I appreciate about Article One:

1. Founded by a runner, not an optician. Article One was started in 2016 by Wes Stoody, a former collegiate runner, in Flint, Michigan. It came from an athlete's frustration with the category, similar to our origin.

2. They tied their brand to an actual crisis, not just a slogan. Their early "Flint Collection" directly benefited relief efforts during the Flint, Michigan water crisis. 

3. Their stated philosophy is anti-disposability.​"Article One doesn't believe in throwaway culture, relationships, or experiences." Sound familiar?

4. They're part of an independent-brand collective, not a mega-corporation. Article Onejoined The Optical Foundry in 2021, a small portfolio of independently-minded eyewear labels (alongside l.a.Eyeworks and others), specifically because of shared values around independence and craftsmanship.

When I learned these things, I knew we could work together. 

But it wasn’t until we started collaborating on design that I truly “wanted” to produce sunglasses.

And it wasn’t until the final samples landed in Redondo Beach that I knew we “had” to make them. 

This first run of 225 pairs of golf-specific sunglasses is so fine-tuned… 

Then we worked on color-ways, starting with BLK/WHT of course. Later adding Tort and Navy. Classic colors - not chasing trends. 

Finally the lenses. Non-polarized to help golfers specifically. Reflective coating to make up for the non-polarized glare issue. Light brown to kill harsh light but keep the greens vibrant.

All of this is put together by hand in Japan. Article One's frames are cellulose acetate, slow-cured and bio-friendly rather than the petroleum-based injected plastic most sunglasses use. And the V cut holds prescription lenses as easily as the golf specific lens. Then there’s the hinges! German engineered like a 90s BMW!

I could go on and on. And if you are interested, there’s tons online about what makes Article One such a great brand. 

But I’ll let the images do the talking now.