Since joining Stewart Golf as Commercial Director in October last year, Ben Moultrie-Ford has overseen an exciting period of growth for one of golf’s leading premium trolley brands.
Bringing a wealth of commercial and ecommerce experience from outside the golf industry, he has helped drive the company’s retail expansion, strengthen its marketing strategy and build on the momentum of a record-breaking year.
We recently caught up with Ben to discuss his first year in the role, why Stewart Golf continues to push the boundaries of innovation, the significance of becoming a licensee of The Open, and what’s next for the British brand as it looks ahead to an exciting future.
GBN: It has been a year since you joined Stewart Golf. How have you found your first year in the golf industry?
BM-F: One of the biggest attractions of joining Stewart Golf was the opportunity to combine my passion for golf and sport with my career, and it has lived up to every expectation. Joining with a fresh perspective has been a real advantage. It has allowed me to look at opportunities differently while learning from a fantastic team with so much knowledge of both the products and the industry.
Last year [2025] was Stewart Golf’s most successful year to date, so I certainly feel like I joined at a very exciting time for the company. It’s been a busy first year, but it’s confirmed that I made the right decision. Stewart Golf has an outstanding reputation, big ambitions and a great team, so it’s been a brilliant business to join.
Stewart Golf has always been regarded as a premium brand. Where do you see its position within the market today?
A friend of mine once described Stewart Golf as the ‘Rolls-Royce of golf trolleys’ and I think that’s a great way of putting it. We want golfers to aspire to own a Stewart Golf trolley. Whether that’s this year or a few years down the line, we want people to see our products as the benchmark for innovation, performance and design. That’s exactly where we believe the brand belongs.
Stewart Golf has returned to retail through Specialist Sports. How important has that been for the business?
It’s been a really important step for us. We’ve built a strong direct-to-consumer business, but retail gives golfers the opportunity to see and experience our products in person, which is invaluable for a premium brand.
Specialist Sports has been a fantastic partner, helping us grow with the right retailers and introduce Stewart Golf to even more golfers. It’s given us another exciting avenue for growth alongside our direct business.
What is it about Stewart Golf’s products that continues to set them apart from the competition?
When I compare products across the market, I genuinely believe the Q Follow and VERTX stand apart. They not only look fantastic, but the technology behind them has been market-leading for over 20 years.
Rather than focusing on what everyone else is doing, we concentrate on our own roadmap and continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. That’s what has always defined Stewart Golf and that’s what will continue driving us forward.
This year Stewart Golf became an Official Licensee of The Open Championship. How significant has that partnership been for the business?
The partnership gives us a global platform to showcase the brand and aligns us with one of the game’s most prestigious championships. It reinforces everything Stewart Golf stands for – heritage, innovation, craftsmanship and premium performance.
Our customers appreciate products that have a story behind them. The Open Collection wasn’t simply about creating another colourway; it was about celebrating one of the most iconic championships in sport through premium design and attention to detail.
Looking ahead, the partnership with The Open runs through until 2028, with St Andrews hosting the championship in 2027. How important will next year be for Stewart Golf?
It’s a huge opportunity. St Andrews is one of the most iconic venues in world golf and The Open returning there creates an incredible platform for the brand.
This year has shown us what’s possible and we’re already looking at how we can build on that success. It’s still early, so I can’t reveal too much, but 2027 is a year everyone at Stewart Golf is incredibly excited about.
Stewart Golf has invested heavily in content and creator partnerships over the past year. How important has that strategy become?
It’s becoming an increasingly important part of how we communicate the brand. Peter Finch has done an incredible job representing Stewart Golf. One thing that really stood out at The Open was the number of people who came into our stand and mentioned they’d seen our products featured in Pete’s videos.
We’re also delighted to be working with Matt Fryer and Alissa Kacar. Matt has one of the most engaged audiences in UK golf, while Alissa gives us fantastic reach into the US market and introduces Stewart Golf to a broader audience that may not have discovered the brand previously.
All our creator partners genuinely use and believe in our products, and that’s incredibly important.
Stewart Golf has also strengthened its investment in PR, communications and content through its partnership with The Loop since early 2026. Why was that an important decision?
We’ve always known we’ve got exceptional products, but we also recognised there was an opportunity to tell our story more effectively. From our first conversations with The Loop, it was clear they understood exactly where we wanted to take the brand. Their experience across PR, communications, content creation and media relations has already made a real impact. We don’t see them as an external agency. They’re an extension of our team and genuinely share our ambition to elevate the Stewart Golf brand.