My dad had a rule: “Always punch your ticket”. No matter the sport — golf, hockey, basketball, soccer — we never wrapped up until the last one went in. That final putt, that last shot — it all had to be finished the right way. It was his way of teaching me that when you start something, you see it through. You leave a good impression with the way you finish.
Golf was where that lesson stuck the deepest. My dad loved the game as much as I did, and so many of our hours together were spent walking fairways, grinding at the range, or laughing over a bad swing. He would’ve been a Minimal Bogeys, Maximum Vibes guy through and through — celebrating the good, brushing off the bad, and making sure the joy of the game was never lost. Since losing him to early onset Alzheimer’s, I’ve found myself diving into golf even more. It’s become the place where I can shut everything else out, where the noise quiets down and all that’s left is the ball, the club, and the moment. Out there, I can just be.
I’m not religious, but sometimes, standing over a tough shot in a tournament, I’ll whisper: “C’mon, a little help here, Dad.” And in those moments, I feel him. It’s as if he’s still watching over me, still making sure I remember to finish the right way — to punch my the ticket.
My co-founder Jeff knows this feeling too. He lost his mom to the same cruel disease, and her light shaped him just as my dad shaped me. I’d like to believe they both had a hand in us finding each other and starting this brand together. Carrying forward the lessons, the love, and the flame they left with us.
That’s what Fringe is built on. Respect the Tradition. Redefine the Style. More than clothes, more than golf — it’s about honoring where we came from, staying present in the moments that matter, and “Always punching your ticket”.