Bobby Jones is coming home to Georgia.
Jones Global Sports, maker of the Bobby Jones apparel brand, said Tuesday it will move its corporate offices to Atlanta this summer. The move won’t mean many jobs – about five to start – but it connects a boutique brand of golf sportswear and equipment with its namesake’s hometown.
The Bobby Jones brand was founded in 1989 and has been primarily based in New York. The company produces golf apparel, sells Bobby Jones memorabilia and has also developed its own golf equipment. Products are sold in country clubs, Nordstrom and specialty retailers including H. Stockton.
Jones, who died in 1971, won five U.S. Amateur championships, three British Opens a British Amateur and four U.S. Opens, and was a founder of the Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.
Jones Global Sports will share offices with Prince Global Sports, a tennis brand that announced plans last month to relocate to Atlanta, a top metro area for both golf and tennis. Both brands are owned by Waitt Co. of Omaha, Neb.
The Jones brand, like Prince, recently emerged from bankruptcy and both brands are restructuring their businesses and creating new products under new ownership, said Andy Bell, president and CEO of Jones Global Sports.
Though golf play has declined, Bell said the firm sees an opening for its high-end products through online sales and possible growth through luxury retailers. The company also has hired a former Orlimar executive to design new drivers, woods and rescue golf clubs.
The Jones and Prince companies will move into 100 Terminus at Peachtree and Piedmont roads. Bell said the company could grow to about a dozen in Atlanta over time, and will likely share talent and expertise.
Bell said Jones Global Sports design and sourcing offices will remain in New York and distribution will stay in Pennsylvania. Sales and marketing will be based in Atlanta, as will a vendor showroom.
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