When it comes to providing golf shop assortment, headwear is one of the best places to experiment with words and images. Each facility has a singular history and distinct character to share – from its founding and memorable events played there to local color, famous holes and other course landmarks – and putting some of these ideas onto hats is a way to promote the club brand with little risk or investment.
“It’s not just the core logo anymore,” says Ryan Nolz, National Sales Director for Pukka. “It is about telling stories, selling stories. Go into the archives at your club and find something cool and unique to highlight.”
According to Nolz, this includes a lot of “If you know, you know” (IYKYK) themes, especially as the average member age at many clubs continues to trend down. The headwear category has also been elevated by the presence of high-end brands like Melin, G/FORE and Malbon, among others, prompting Pukka to introduce its premium Pukka Black collection to the mix.
“I don’t think anyone thought golf shops would be selling $90 hats, but this has helped all of us,” Nolz adds.
“People see it as a ‘go-to gift,’ with people walking out of the shop with three or four hats and many shops giving more space to headwear. It represents the destination experience through premier storytelling – not just about buying a logo but emotional ties to the logo and the story it tells.”
Ahead is also approaching the market with story-driven collections that capture the breadth of the line, according to Senior Creative Director Mark Kliethermes. “Leading with headwear and supported by our men’s and women’s apparel lines, our assortments are built on themes that speak directly to the end consumer,” he says.
“Whether it’s evergreen themes like sport or elevation, or classic assortments or more trend-driven concepts like textural tonals, sheen or retro rival, our customers are equipped to easily lay in comprehensive product assortments that work for their course and clientele.”
Here is a roundup of what some of the industry’s leading headwear brands are offering in 2026:
Ahead
The fall offering from Ahead blends performance innovation with nostalgic style. The company introduces Vento, a laser-perforated evolution of its best-selling AeroSphere tech fabric that delivers en hanced breathability with a sleek, modern look. At the same time, a retro 1990s influence drives the aesthetic story through distressed finishes and bold all-over prints, adding personality and throwback energy to the assortment. The women’s line ex pands with expressive all-over prints and fresh reinterpretations of classic visors, resulting in a collection that feels “athletic, fashion-aware and distinctly current.”
Ahead is also concentrating on decoration, with a number of logo possibilities. For performance items, look for a dimensional silicone badge, AeroClear transparent badge with silicone detail and LuminX printed twill with an iridescent foil edge, while a casual/lifestyle look can be achieved with a Pioneer debossed leather patch with matching felt and Trailblazer debossed leather patch. Also look for the merrowed edge woven patch for a classic, elevated look and Varsity heavyweight fleece decoration for a collegiate look.
Antigua
Antigua recently introduced an elevated, innovation-driven headwear collection designed for today’s golfer. Blending trend-right silhouettes with advanced performance fabrics, the assortment delivers versatile, fully customizable solutions for clubs, tournaments and resort retail — all supported by highly accessible minimums, the company says.
For fall 2026, Antigua expands the line with the Rival, a bucket style made from durable performance ripstop that offers a premium hand feel, is highly breathable and strikes a balance between structure, lightweight comfort and modern styling. Also look for a thoughtfully curated selection of cold-weather classics that includes knit hats in a range of weights that are reimagined with a refined and contemporary aesthetic.
Structured cuffs, stripe options, plush pom-poms and a soft fleece lining provide flexible customization, allowing clubs to reflect the unique personality of their membership while delivering warmth and comfort to combat cooler conditions.
Flyway Hats
Known for “craftsmanship, customization and timeless Southern style,” Flyway Hats presents styles like the Biscayne, a gambler-style model done in woven palm leaf and featuring a slightly turned up 3.5-inch brim, oval crown and sharp hatband for an air of sophistication; San Marco, which blends a lightweight weave with a structured brim for both shade and style; and Seaside, a unisex Trilby-style fedora with a short brim hipster look that includes a narrow 2.25-inch brim and comfortable interior sweatband.
And for women, look for Flyway’s new Twilly-style hatbands, created in collaboration with artist Lindsey Simonds and Litore Studio and offering a fresh, customizable way for women to personalize their headwear.
“The 2026 collections represent an exciting step forward for Flyway Hats,” CEO John Wagner says. “We’ve listened closely to our customers, expanded our sizing and color options, and introduced new collaborations that reflect the artistry and spirit of the Coastal South.”
Fury Headwear
One of the details unique to Fury Headwear is the perforation pattern on its Tee-It-Up silhouette, with the perforations intentionally de signed to mimic a golf ball and tee – “a subtle but meaningful nod to the game,” CEO/Founder Jeff Medici says. “In this small design detail, Fury reinforces that we build our hats specifically for golfers, not as a generic athletic product repurposed for the sport.”
For 2026, Fury is refining its core silhouettes and expanding color choices – which now in clude elevated neutrals like light gray – to better support modern golf shop and resort merchandising. Fury also celebrates its popularity on the PGA TOUR, with 23 players now wearing the brand and seven wins recorded by athletes in Fury headwear. “The growth on tour has been incredibly organic and continues to validate our sport-specific approach to performance headwear,” Medici adds.
Imperial Headwear
Imperial Headwear’s latest assortment blends heritage influences and modern trends with “trusted” fabrics in easy-to-wear silhouettes. Highlights include the Persimmon, an updated two-tone twist on the classic 5054; Wrightson, featuring a putty crown and contrast visor in a retro five-panel silhouette; Heirloom, an evolution of the pigment-dyed classic, made from lightweight cotton canvas with a stone wash for a soft, lived-in feel; Griffin low-profile, soft-structured cap made with stone-washed cotton canvas and featuring a brushed visor that delivers a subtle, heritage-driven look; and Retreat retro five-panel style made from wide-pinwale cotton corduroy with a heavy stone wash for lifestyle appeal, especially among younger consumers.
Imperial also concentrates on new decoration offerings like the HP+ 3D patch delivering dimensional depth, fine detail and long-term durability through a soft, flexible, rubber-like finish, and the Hi-Def silicone patch, which combines high-definition silicone with a woven substrate for clean edges, precision detail and modern appeal across a wide range of head-wear styles.
“Customers are reacting to the blend of heritage and modern design, and the new decoration options, especially the new HP+ 3D patch, give them more ways to create something that feels truly their own,” says Andrew Blatnik, Imperial’s National Sales Manager for Golf.
Pukka
Pukka comes to market with the 2026 Popular Looks Volume I Collection, which presents 18 hand-selected designs that reflect the latest headwear trends and are meant for on or off the course. Informed by regional and seasonal insights, the lineup blends modern details like woven labels and rubber patches with classics such as ropes and performance fabrics – all lending themselves to merchandising flexibility, the company says.
Also look for Pukka Black, where “innovation meets individuality” in designs with “relentless attention to detail.” This collection features advanced construction techniques and top-tier functional materials that “deliver comfort, durability and modern style.” Pukka says the Black collection is set apart by customization, each piece “a canvas for self-expression, allowing you to create headwear that’s not just worn, but owned — distinct, refined and unmistakably yours.”
Shade Headwear
Shade Headwear’s new Clubhouse Collection focuses on premium performance fabrics, specialty appliques and embroidery techniques like chenille stitching. At the core of each seasonal collection is simplicity, lower minimums per style, variety (21 looks per season) and popular trims. Plus, the company has introduced printed seam taping as an extension of its private label heritage. Every hat in the line will now ship with a custom inside label, closure clip label and printed seam taping (excluding knits) at no additional cost.
“The collection concept minimizes the customer's time to choose hat styles that sell,” says Shade Co-Founder James Thompson. “Removing the guesswork by dialing back the level of customization per look, lowering minimums per style, focusing on premium styling and capping it off with our full private-label capability in a condensed presentation has proven to be a very effective way to take the stress off club buyers.”
VimHue
VimHue continues to make its mark on women’s golf headwear, building on the brand’s reputation for fit-first construction while ex panding into styles that transition from the course to everyday wear. “Elevated silhouettes, refined color selections and intentional details anchor the lineup, giving golf and country clubs versatile options that feel both current and timeless,” VimHue Founder Katy Craft says.
A standout in the fall 2026 assortment is VimHue’s synthetic straw offering, combining the look of traditional straw with enhanced durability and wearability for extended seasons and resort environments. The line is complemented by fresh two-tone cap styles, available in both soft cotton and performance materials, allowing clubs to tailor assortments to their member base.
“Fully customizable and designed with strong female appeal in mind, these styles balance fashion, function and flexibility — making them easy winners for shops focused on premium presentation and strong sell-through,” Craft adds.
