Meet Muni Kids
Muni Kids describes themselves as “a golf clothing + accessory company inspired by Municipal Golf Culture.” Your first question to me might be, “what is municipal golf culture?” It’s the culture of your parents dropping you off at the local public course with enough cash for 9- holes, a hot dog and a Mr. Pibb, and a bucket of balls or two. It’s having three hour putting contests with your buddies where the greens are alarmingly slow and each putt is life or death. We played the village-owned track, took lessons from the local pro (who I still work with to this day), and loved every minute of it. The local muni was more interested in being an accessible place for the community that made everyone feel welcome and like they belonged in the game of golf.
Max Reinland ultimately created Muni Kids to blend his love for “muni spirit” and streetwear. Inspired by brands like The Hundreds and Obey, Max found a way to combine his two life passions. Not only did he combine his two true loves, but Muni Kids created an opportunity to work with his family and spread the good word of golf.
Where it Began
Brothers Maxton and Drew Reinland grew up in a normal, loving, encouraging home in Southeast Washington. Chances are, though, you would rarely find the boys at home if you were to visit. More than likely, you’d find them out playing their local municipal track or on the road playing in junior tournaments. Max Reinland would go on to play college golf, have a go at being a touring pro, and finally returned home to become pro at the local muni he grew up on. Max will tell you, the ups and downs of being a muni pro will really test you. There are just so many elements completely outside of your control when your controlling partner is the village! It was during this time that Max came up with the idea for Muni Kids and decided to go for it.
Max had been toying with the idea of making small runs of golf streetwear products just to fulfill his personal needs. While things were starting to wind down at Max’s muni pro job, that’s when he decided to make a go of Muni Kids full time. The phrase “disrupt the market” gets thrown about loosely, but that’s essentially what Max set out to do. True, there are a lot of “lifestyle t-shirt” brands out there, but there aren’t a lot of great options that are accessible with real longevity. Being a true Muni Kid at heart, that’s what Max Reinland set out to do and has succeeded.
The Operation
In the early days of Muni Kids, the operation wasn’t much more than Max ordering up blank hats and shirts and then getting friends to do the printing. Then he’d basically “sell them out of the trunk of his car.” Once headcovers worked their way into the mix, Max started getting help from his mother, Marti, who would sew all of the covers for him. As both Max’s passion for the product and the interest in the business grew, so did the operation.
Muni Kids currently primarily operates out of Dave’s Valley Golf Center located in Clarkston, Washington where Drew Reinland is also the Director of Instruction. This arrangement allows Drew (as well as Max) to stay involved with the community by giving lessons while helping Max run the business. The dynamic between the brothers is key to their success. While Max has been growing Muni Kids from the start, Drew brings a different perspective and a sort of balance to the business. Max often describes Drew as the “yin to his yang.” These days, Max focuses more on developing the direction of the business and the creative side of the house. Meanwhile Drew focuses on the operational side, getting product sold, and keeping Max balanced.
The Gear
Muni Kids, to me, is much more than a “Golf-themed streetwear” brand. Maybe it’s because I grew up playing muni golf myself, but the more laid-back, care-free, inclusive theme throughout the brand feels so much more relatable. That feel of a welcoming and embracing muni course comes out in all the Muni Kids products. The bread and butter of Muni Kids is their hats and t-shirts, but they sell accessories ranging from towels to sunglasses.
Muni Kids’s gear has a signature “Pacific Northwest” vibe to it (think Vans “Off the Wall” meets Patagonia) but there is a good amount of diversity. Being big fans of hip-hop, many of the lineup has clear West Coast hip-hop inspiration to it – especially the “Old E Collection.” If you dig the Patagonia/”Hiker Hipster” look and love golf, the Muni Kids hat collection is a must. Regardless of tastes, I appreciate the Muni Kids gear because it genuinely feels like it came from “homies who grew up playing golf at the local Muni just like” I did. It brings me back to my golden years of golf and allows me to express that style off the course.
Final Thoughts
In an industry where so much pride is put on “exclusivity” and “luxury,” Muni Kids is a refreshing breath of air. One of the major principles of Muni Kids is that “everyone is welcome” – the way the game should be. I think as participation in golf is supposedly on the decline, we need more brands like Muni Kids. There are plenty of other brands out there that are trying to give off the impression that they support this movement, but few act on it the way Muni Kids does. Not only does Muni Kids make a fun product with a classic vibe, but they live what they preach. With a portion of their annual sales going toward junior golf programs throughout the US, Muni Kids truly stands behind their cause of welcoming everyone to the game.
