With October books closing this week, OGIO’s golf division is celebrating phenomenal numbers. The company doubled golf bag sales over October 2003, while demand and distribution at the off-course and green-grass level continues to surge ahead for the brand.

Thanks in part to OGIO’s expanded golf sales team, the company expects this momentum will continue. New golf national sales manager Andy Gilkison has logged more than a decade in golf sales, having represented companies including Titleist, Cleveland, and Tommy Armour. Daniel Kearns-who with Gilkison will share titles while dividing national coverage-brings a wealth of consumer products and sales expertise to the mix.

Both Gilkison and Kearns will report to Harlan Gardiner, OGIO’s executive vice president.

“Our road tours have confirmed what I believed about OGIO long ago: this brand is the one to beat,” Gilkison explains. “Whether it’s the Torq Strap, RAIL, Woode top, or other components, our competitors are persistently copying OGIO innovations. When Fortune 500 companies replicate features we pioneered two years ago … when they mimic our bag-naming formula … it speaks volumes about how successfully we’ve tapped into the consumer psyche.”

Kearns, who recently served as vice president of sales of a video gaming company (“like golf, we produced toys for bigger boys,” he notes) before working as director of business development for a national golf retail chain, agrees that OGIO understands the new golfer like no one else. “OGIO is one of the most respected names in the action sports industry. Motocross, snowboarding, and skate pros are showing up in top golf magazines carrying our bags and talking about the game’s crossover appeal. The brand and our promotional ingenuity are helping draw new customers in droves. Our quality keeps them loyal and our innovation is unparalleled. It’s a perfect sell-through mix for our retail partners.”