In
1996, one of my best friends Harry Conforti and I were members at
Indian Ridge CC in Andover, MA. Being discerning consumers, Harry and I
were trying to figure out how to make a better golf hat. The golf
headwear at that time was generally un-flattering, ill fitting and
altogether boring. We were lucky enough to be friends with the D’Angelo
family at Twins Enterprise (now Banner ’47). Initially working with
Twins assured us that the quality and fit of our new hats were not going
to be a problem. It then became a challenge to figure out which designs
to put on the front of these great-fitting hats. There was a bunch of
really bad design ideas followed by even worse logo interpretations.
Some of the designs were downright laughable. Out of the rubble though,
it became clear that we had one winner…and it was a big winner. We took
the generic golf term "Back Nine” and made a logo out of it simply by
taking the 9 and turning it backwards. Harry and I founded Match Play
Inc. and subsequently trademarked our name and the backwards 9 logo.
That was the beginning of the brand we know today. We had the great logo
and learned to make great headwear from the group we worked with at
Twins. For fourteen years now, we have had nothing but love for the logo
and the brand we created. We have grown to expand into other categories
that are consistent with our culture. Furthermore, we are not a solely a
headwear company, an apparel company or an accessory company; we are a
"culture brand”. Undoubtedly, the goal continues to be to make great
products that resonate with the people who identify with our Back 9
culture. In 2010, a new corporation called Incredible Golf LLC formed
and acquired the rights to the Back 9 brand. In 2011, the new
corporation partnered with Bryan Buchanan of Edmond, OK. and the new era
of Back 9 had begun. We are as excited as ever and look forward to
releasing more Back 9 gear to our loyal customers with each coming
season. We have some very talented people involved and we are all
working passionately to make Back 9 your brand on and off the golf
course.
Andy Hydorn, Co-Founder
