Daily Inspiration: Meet Luis Leon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Leon.

Luis, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Nice Ball Golf wasn’t a business idea at first. it was just a voice. A place to share my golf vlogs on Instagram. POVs. Observations. The stuff we all think on the course but never really say out loud. The “golf husbands,” the awkward moments, the painfully real truths. The motto for Nice Ball Golf is “Everyone’s got a nice ball in them” which means every golfer, whether you are a 20 handicap or scratch golfer, has room for greatness, and that is what makes this game so amazing. All every golfer needs is one great shot, to keep them coming back for more. As my following on Instagram grew, I noticed people really resonating with my POVs and connecting to the message.

The reason I started making merch really stemmed from working with a longtime friend, Jon Madera, on his golf brand Buena Gente Golf. I was already deep in creative and performance marketing in my day job, building, testing, and optimizing to figure out what actually makes people stop and care. I jumped on board to help him with ads and creative, and our relationship grew from there. He gave me a front row seat into how he creates apparel, from ideation to tech packs to manufacturing. Jon is an extremely talented designer, and I learned a lot from him, which gave me the stepping stones to start NBG Collective.

From the beginning, I didn’t want to be labeled as an apparel brand because, to be honest, I can’t compete with some of the amazing brands out there like Buena Gente, Quiet Golf, Public Drip, Students, and others I already love and admire. So I decided to make merch, but with a purpose. I felt that golf’s new era of apparel was becoming more exclusive and expensive, while still using the phrase “growing the game,” which didn’t make sense to me. How can you grow the game with polos over $150 and sweaters over $250 while targeting a new generation of golfers who are not the traditional or aspirational golfer, and definitely don’t have the budget for that? It made me realize the middle of the pack was getting left out, and that’s where NBG Collective came from.

I didn’t want to just throw a logo on merch and call it a day. I took the time to find good materials and create something I genuinely loved. Hats, polos, and mesh shorts are what I wear daily, especially with how hot it gets in LA. I wanted to create a cotton-forward polo that reflected my favorite Ralph Lauren polos from the 2000s. I also wanted to create a hat that felt more like a baseball cap than a dad hat or five panel, because that’s what I prefer to wear.

At the end of the day, people can spend what they want on golf apparel. I still find myself spending on pieces I love from other brands. But I knew that if I was going to create something, I wanted it to be more accessible. Our launch went well, and I received a lot of great feedback on the products. That said, selling golf merch today is extremely competitive. I learned a lot from the first launch, especially about creating products the golf community actually wants to wear. Through that, I realized I need to keep building both Nice Ball Golf and NBG Collective by continuing to push the story and mission to connect with people. At the end of the day, people want to wear something they feel a part of and that represents something for them. That’s the mission going into 2026 and beyond.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
At the end of the day, people can spend what they want on golf apparel. I still find myself spending on pieces I love from other brands. But I knew that if I was going to create something, I wanted it to be more accessible. Our launch went well, and I received a lot of great feedback on the products. That said, selling golf merch today is extremely competitive. I learned a lot from the first launch, especially about creating products the golf community actually wants to wear. Through that, I realized I need to keep building both Nice Ball Golf and NBG Collective by continuing to push the story and mission to connect with people. At the end of the day, people want to wear something they feel a part of and that represents something for them. That’s the mission going into 2026 and beyond.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve spent most of my career as a creative and marketer working for myself, operating as a consultant across creative and performance in industries like gaming, beauty, sports, health and fitness and tech. I built my experience by working directly with brands, testing ideas in real time, and learning what actually drives results versus what just looks good on paper. I wasn’t just focused on how something looked, but how it performed, how it was structured, and how it fit into a larger funnel.

That perspective is what led me to build UA and Creative, my consulting business. It’s a mix of strategy, concepting, and execution, all grounded in performance. I work closely with brands to understand their product and customer, then build creative systems designed to test, learn, and scale. A lot of the focus is on simplifying things, identifying what actually matters, and creating assets that generate clear signals.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
One thing people might find surprising about me is that I’ve been producing music for the last 20 years. It all started back when I was making skate videos. Music was always the driving force behind those edits, and that naturally led me to explore music production more seriously during my time at Georgia State University. It’s something that has always run parallel to my work in marketing. A lot of how I think about rhythm, pacing, and structure in creative comes from that background. It’s a different medium, but the mindset is the same: creating something that connects, holds attention, and feels right.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nbgcollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niceballgolf
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/nbgcollective/