Picture this: a golfer drives to the Linksoul store in Huntington Beach, California, and finds it dark, empty, and marked as permanently closed. They pull out their phone, search online, and stumble onto forum posts suggesting the brand is finished. It’s easy to assume the worst.
But the reality is more nuanced than a locked door.
This article breaks down what’s actually going on with Linksoul — what triggered the rumors, what genuinely changed, and what customers need to know right now.
What Linksoul Is and Why People Care About It
Linksoul is a golf and lifestyle apparel brand founded around 2010. Its core mission is to unite people through golf, blending on-course performance with everyday casual style.
The brand is closely associated with John Ashworth, who also founded Ashworth Clothing — a well-known name in golf apparel. That connection gave Linksoul credibility with serious golf fans from the start.
Over time, Linksoul built a loyal following. Its customers tend to be golfers who want clothes that work both on the fairway and off it. That kind of tight, niche fanbase means any leadership change or store closure gets noticed fast. When something looks off, the community talks.
Where the “Going Out of Business” Rumor Came From
The rumors didn’t come out of nowhere. A few specific things happened in a short window, and together they looked like a brand winding down.
First, the Huntington Beach, California location is listed as permanently closed on mapping and directory sites like MapQuest. For West Coast fans who had visited that store, seeing it gone felt like a bad sign.
Second, John Ashworth — the person most associated with Linksoul — departed the company as of late 2024. When the visible face of a brand leaves, it’s natural to wonder if the brand itself is done.
Third, the company’s operational address shifted from California to Duluth, Georgia. That move made the California connection feel completely severed.
Each change on its own might not raise alarms. But all three happening around the same time created the impression of a brand in collapse. Think of it like a restaurant chain: one location closing doesn’t mean the whole chain is shutting down. But if the founder quits, a flagship location closes, and the main office moves out of state — people start asking questions.
Who Owns Linksoul Now and What That Means
Linksoul was acquired by Dan Costa through his company TeedUp DF, LLC. A press release on Yahoo Finance described the deal as a move to “usher in a new era” for the brand.
That framing matters. This is an investment and a repositioning — not a liquidation. Someone looked at Linksoul, saw value in it, and decided to buy it and continue it. That’s not how a company behaves when it’s trying to wind things down quietly.
Founder-to-new-owner transitions are common in apparel. The original creator steps away, a new owner takes the wheel, and the brand continues — sometimes with changes, sometimes with improvements. The brand’s assets, customer base, and operations don’t disappear just because the ownership structure changed.
Costa’s acquisition is the clearest signal that Linksoul is not done. Someone put money into it with the intent to move it forward.
John Ashworth Left Linksoul — But That’s Not the Same as Linksoul Closing
As of December 2024, John Ashworth is no longer at Linksoul. According to MyGolfSpy, he has returned to Ashworth Clothing, which has been spun out of TaylorMade/Adidas as a privately held company.
For fans who associate Linksoul deeply with Ashworth, this feels significant. And it is — his departure is real, and it marks the end of a specific chapter for the brand.
But his departure is not evidence that Linksoul is shutting down. These are two separate things. Ashworth moved on to a different opportunity. Linksoul, meanwhile, now operates under new ownership that has publicly committed to continuing it.
Many apparel brands have outlived their founders or changed creative directors and kept going — sometimes growing in new directions. The brand’s products, customer relationships, and operations don’t vanish when a founder walks out the door.
If you loved Linksoul because of what it stood for, that identity can carry forward under new leadership. If you loved it specifically because of Ashworth’s personal vision, then yes, something has changed. But changed is not the same as gone.
Is Linksoul Still Operating Today?
Based on available public information, yes — Linksoul appears to still be operating.
Linksoul LLC is registered as an active business with the Better Business Bureau, listed under men’s clothing with a Duluth, Georgia address: 2625 North Berkeley Lake Road NW, Suite 100, Duluth, GA 30096.
The official Linksoul website has a live customer service page with a working phone number (1.888.217.4911) and a mailing address for returns. That’s not what an abandoned company looks like. Businesses that are shutting down don’t typically maintain active customer service contacts and return addresses.
Preqin, a business data platform, also profiles Linksoul as a golf apparel company based in Duluth, describing it as focused on stylish, high-performance clothing that works both on the course and off it.
So while the California storefront is closed and the founder has moved on, the operational infrastructure — corporate registration, customer service, mailing address, and presumably an active online store — points to a brand that is still running.
What Customers Should Actually Do Right Now
If you’re a current or potential Linksoul customer, here’s the practical takeaway.
- Don’t rely on old California store information. The Huntington Beach location is closed. If you’re looking for a physical store, verify current retail availability directly with the company.
- Use the official customer service contact. If you have a pending order, need a return, or have a question about products, call 1.888.217.4911 or write to the Duluth, Georgia address. Don’t trust forum speculation over the company’s own contact page.
- Check the website directly. The best way to see if products are available is to visit the official Linksoul website. Active inventory and live checkout are reliable signals that a brand is still open for business.
- Be aware the brand has changed hands. The product lineup or brand direction may shift over time under new ownership. That’s worth watching if you’re a loyal customer.
How to Read Private Brand Health Without Financial Data
Linksoul is a private company. That means there are no public SEC filings, no earnings reports, and no quarterly investor updates. If you’re trying to figure out whether a private brand is in trouble, you can’t look it up the way you would a publicly traded company.
What you can look at instead are operational signals:
- Is the company’s website active and selling products?
- Is customer service reachable?
- Is the business registered and current with state or business directories?
- Has anyone invested in or acquired the brand recently?
For Linksoul, all of these currently point toward a business that is still running. That doesn’t mean there are no challenges — it means there is no public evidence of a shutdown.
For more context on how private companies communicate through business transitions, Business Regards covers ownership changes, brand strategy, and what public signals actually tell us about a company’s direction.
The Bottom Line
Linksoul is not going out of business based on what’s publicly available right now. The rumors are understandable — a store closed, the founder left, and the company moved across the country. That combination looks bad on the surface.
But the actual picture is a brand that went through an acquisition, relocated its operations to Georgia, and lost its founder to a competing opportunity. Those are real changes, and they matter. They are not, however, the same thing as a company shutting its doors.
If you’re a Linksoul customer, use official channels and keep an eye on how the brand develops under Dan Costa’s ownership. If you’re just curious about what happened, the short answer is: the brand changed hands, not status.
Watch the product, not the rumors.
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