LIV Golf: Two teams relaunch ahead of the 2026 season

LIV Golf’s Iron Heads GC and Stinger GC have rebranded as Korean Golf Club and Southern Guards GC respectively, leaning into the two teams geographical heritage.

Korean Golf Club's new brand reflects Korea’s growing influence on global golf culture and a reimagined vision for what modern golf can be.

At the heart of Korean Golf Club’s brand is an emphasis on honour, inclusivity and collective strength. Inspired by the Korean concept of brotherhood denoting respect, trust, and guidance within close relationships, Korean Golf Club celebrates unity and togetherness, and the connective power of golf. The club’s new visual identity is anchored by the White Tiger (Baekho), a revered figure in Korean history and folklore symbolizing strength, protection, and resilience.

"We were inspired after LIV Korea 2025. Seeing the energy of the thousands of young fans who showed up,” said Korean Golf Club General Manager Martin Kim. “Our tagline ‘Welcome to the club’ is reflective of the opportunity we saw to create a new space for young fans showing up. KGC is a brand that stands for the golf movement in Korea and Koreans around the world. We're all beyond excited."

The new identity infuses the sport with the energy, youth, and global momentum of K-culture, positioning Korean Golf Club as a cultural standard-bearer within LIV Golf and on the world stage. Korean Golf Club welcomes fans into a modern golf experience that is expressive, energetic, and deeply connected to culture.

Subtle design elements within the mark pay homage to the game of golf itself, while traditional Korean motifs reflect a respect for heritage alongside a drive toward innovation.

White Tiger Logo: Our icon, the white tiger, is a revered figure in Korean folklore and history. As the “protector and guardian,” it embodies the strength and tenacity of the Korean Golf Club and its home country. The tiger’s face includes a subtle nod to the game, with its eyes and bridge of its nose making the shape of two golf clubs.

Rose of Sharon: The national flower of South Korea that represents Korea’s resilient spirit and enduring beauty. The Rose of Sharon is featured prominently within Korean Golf Club’s roundel.

From Seoul to the global stage, the rebrand captures Korea’s role as a leader in music, fashion, entertainment, and now, a new era of golf.

Korean Golf Club represents a declaration of intent: to turn golf on its head, elevate entertainment as innovation, and create moments that resonate far beyond the fairways. The new identity will be reflected across competition, apparel, digital platforms, and fan engagement initiatives beginning with the 2026 LIV Golf season.

LIV Golf has established a meaningful connection with the Korean market, highlighted by the League’s inaugural LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play, held in May 2025 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon. The three-day event featured a world-class field of elite players, with presenting partner Coupang Play amplifying the event’s momentum across Asia as the exclusive broadcast partner in South Korea. Beyond the competition, LIV Golf Korea delivered a festival-style experience anchored by a headline performance from K-pop icon G-Dragon, alongside appearances by IVE, Dynamic Duo, Gummy, and KiiKii - seamlessly uniting sport, music, and culture in one of the League’s most dynamic events to date.

Stinger Golf Club has officially rebranded as Southern Guards GC, marking a significant new chapter for South Africa’s team on the world stage, just months before the league tees off on African soil for the first time.

At the heart of the Southern Guards’s brand identity is an emphasis on culture, unity and resilience. Inspired by the principle of Ubuntu – “I am because we are” – Southern Guards GC is anchored by a collective strength built through shared purpose and national identity.

Central to the team’s refreshed identity is the rhino, a powerful symbol deeply rooted in South African culture. Representing strength and resolve, it embodies both competitive toughness and a commitment to legacy. The design is shaped by South African textures and patterns, signalling a team that competes fiercely while representing South Africa on the global LIV Golf stage.

The rebrand marks a defining moment for the South African team as anticipation builds for LIV Golf South Africa, set to take place at Steyn City, Johannesburg from 19–22 March 2026. With more than 70,000 tickets already sold, momentum around the event and its host team continue to grow.

Richard Glover, General Manager of Southern Guards GC, said: "This has been an emotional and considered decision, but we felt the time was right to embrace a name and visual identity that more authentically reflects who we are and where we come from. Southern Guards GC reflects the responsibility we carry in representing South Africa on a global stage. With LIV Golf coming to the country for the first time, the timing couldn’t be more fitting for us to represent our heritage with pride.”

Southern Guards GC will continue into the 2026 season with the same all-South African lineup that has become synonymous with the team’s identity: Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester and Charl Schwartzel – four of the country’s most accomplished golfers, now united under a refreshed banner for a landmark season.

The news that two of the LIV Golf teams have changed their names ahead of the fifth season is potentially a reflection of how the team element of LIV Golf has largely failed to resonate with a great number of fans. As we head into the 2026 season 4 of the teams have different names to which they began their time in LIV Golf with 4 years ago. Punch GC has become Ripper GC, Niblicks GC has become RangeGoats GC, IronHeads GC have become Korean Golf Club and Stinger GC has become Southern Guards GC.

Although many in the establishment media and self-made celebrity golf media world will mock this it is worth remembering that Arsenal FC were originally Dial Square and have had four names in their 140-year history (Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Arsenal). Manchester United were originally Newton Heath, Everton were originally St Domingo's, Manchester City were previously St Mark's, and Ardwick AFC and Tottenham Hotspur were established as Hotspur Football Club.

Football Clubs, Rugby Clubs and Formula 1 teams have evolved over many decades, with some teams coming and going, but most have changed names at some point over the years, but it is because we now live in a world is so fast-paced, so impatient, and so quick to judge, that many will mock the team name changes. The fact still remains that LIV Golf is only entering its fifth season, whereas the English Football League is playing its 127th season this year.

Both rebrands replace the original placeholder names for the teams, which were named after elements of the sport - Stinger for the shot made famous by Tiger and others, played under the wind, and IronHeads was in reference to Irons in the golf bag. Now the Southern Guards, with its Rhino emblem and Korean Golf Club with its White Tiger, are much more synonymous with where these two teams represent. It would also seem to confirm, whilst not explicitly, that LIV Golf Korea will be on the schedule for 2026 when it is finalised, likely by the end of Media week, in Florida.