Atrip through the aisles at the PGA Buying Summit in Frisco, Texas, in late July left no doubt the golf apparel industry is still riding a wave of creativity sparked by the golf boom of the last five years.
There were number of pronounced trends evident in the newly unveiled spring 2025 collections, including a continued move toward casual/athletic-inspired items that cross over from golf to other activities; smaller, more subtle prints than PGA of America Professionals and buyers have seen in recent seasons; and the expansion of monochromatic styling on the women’s side as the market moves away from “matchy matchy” looks – a trend that goes hand in hand with more categorical vs. collection buying.
“This is our first year here and I find it well organized and easy to navigate,” said Jared Henzlik, PGA of America Director of Retail at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri. “We’re trying to find companies cognizant of doing things that cross over – apparel you can play golf in and then kick over to a restaurant. People are wearing things that aren’t as golfy, especially young professionals who are traveling.”
Athleisure-inspired garments, once the domain of golf’s more athletic brands like Under Armour and Nike, could be seen across the majority of lines, with performance pullovers and hoodies, joggers, leggings, athletic shorts and T-shirts showing up in men’s and women’s collections.
“There’s a lot of crossover apparel – versatile pieces that can go from golf to fitness and beyond,” said Lori Dopslaff, AGM, Golf Shop Merchandiser at Naples Lakes Country Club in Bonita Springs, Florida. “Many lines do some golf products and some casual or athletic inspired. It’s nice when you can find a line that can mix and match that way.”
“We’re seeing athleisure as a trend in the shops, including more racerbacks, as shops are not afraid of it anymore,” said Michelle Kempe, PGA, National Director of Retail at Escalante Golf in Dallas. “Either people are looking for more coverage from long sleeves for sun protection, or as little coverage as possible as they play or work out.”
Among those vendors steeped in athletic products was Rhone, whose spring line includes a textured fabric with signature Glacier cooling technology, lightweight performance pique mesh and an all-way stretch performance fabric with rib knit details. At the same time, Ahead moves into spring 2025 with the Flint classic quarter-zip performance piece and soft, ocean-washed Levi Tees on the men’s side, and Quincy FZ Hoodie with lined hood and kangaroo pocket and Hudson Anorak in a super-lightweight mini ripstop fabrication for women.
Municipal, a newer brand co-founded by actor Mark Wahlberg, presented an athletically inspired capsule called The 4:AM Club that has been getting a lot of interest from private clubs with their own fitness facilities, while Greatness Wins, co-founded by Yankee great Derek Jeter, showed quarter-zips, hooded tees, hoodies and windbreakers meant to cross over from golf to the gym and beyond.
And at the Harlestons booth, buyers were able to check out three new hoodies, short- and long-sleeve tees and lined swim trunks in a stretchy fabric, with Head of Sales Bryan Thomas commenting, “It’s a little more lifestyle, athleisure. People are interested in new fabrications, with touch and sun protection being very important.” In another market trend, prints have definitely toned down in size and color, with Flag & Anthem – voted Best Men’s Brand at the Fashion Show – presenting a dot print polo whose mini stars are barely discernable from a distance, and Greg Norman Collection showing smaller ocean marble, albatross and ocean floral patterns for men and impressionist floral and tone-on-tone kaleidoscope prints on the women’s side. Also for women, Swing Control featured a sophisticated Dutch paisley and abstract infinity pattern in tops, bottoms and as trim that can be paired with complimentary solids.
“Prints are less pronounced compared to how big they were,” said Jim Dougherty, National Sales Manager for AndersonOrd, whose patterns consist of small palm fronds, whimsical watercolors and other understated designs. “New versions of stripes are also working their way back in, but it has to be subtle.”
Women’s lines offer a mix of athletic and sophisticated fashion
Athleisure could be seen on the women’s side of the market in items like Tail’s Tokyo modern fit short and Claud racerback cami sports bra with removable padded cups, Nike Golf’s Legacy yoga/performance fabrication and tasc Performance’s collection of polos, skorts, dresses and outerwear. Add to that some new lines promoting athletic looks, including first-time exhibitor AIEA, whose line of “elevated sportswear with a hint of New York streetwear” included a mock neck sleeveless top, sport shorts fitted to the body and cropped textured pullover sweater.
At the same time, the women’s market is seeing another emerging trend toward monochromatic collections grounded in luxury with items like blazers, hemmed shorts and sweater-inspired golf polos. A.Putnam, which premiered this look at the 2023 PGA Buying Summit, continues to lead the charge with a spring line inspired by Europe’s iconic royal estates and marked by artist-painted prints and neutral colors like silver birch and dress blues. Special pieces include the Sorona plant-based down jacket that converts to a vest and all-cotton Cooling Crochet tops that are airy but not sheer.
“When I started my line, I didn’t want to look flirty and colorful but to bring a sophisticated look to the course,” founder Ali Putnam said. “I think I have found the sweet spot – professional women who want to be a little more buttoned up and like pieces that can cross over into workwear.”
Also inspired by simple luxury and new to this year’s event were Williams Athletic Club, which showed items like the Caroline short with a silky finish and Jackie blazer with clean lines and technical properites; Devon Halsey, which presented monochromatic “super chic” looks in solid colors like white, night, vapor gray and lavender; and Honors, featuring classic designs with high-performing materials in tops, shorts, skorts, tuxedo stripe pants and a hooded vest.
“There’s so much color and prints going on in golf; we thought there was an opportunity for more sophisticated, elevated looks – classic styling with contemporary cuts,” said Jenna Walter, one of the co-founders of Honors. “It’s been a good show. For a new brand like us, participating in the Fashion Show gave us good visibility and a good kick start. People saw us there and came by the booth.”
In addition, many Summit attendees were im pressed by Marie Birdie, named Best Women’s Brand at the Fashion Show, which caters to teens and tweens with a full lineup of tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories and a robust social marketing presence, and Texas Standard, a high-end Texas/ Western inspired line with items like a sheep skin vest, Western field shirt, Mexican Tejas Guayabera shirts and a collection of flannels.
“Culturally, western is hot right now,” Texas Standard Wholesale Manager Alex Hereford said. “Country music is bigger than ever, and Yellowstone brought back the cultural cowboy. With us being based in Texas, we are staying true to our roots.”
In addition, Birkenstock, a 250-year-old company whose iconic shoes can promote “active recovery” after a round of golf, introduced its line to PGA Buying Summit attendees for the first time. “When you walk the golf course, you want to change shoes, and getting into Birkenstocks helps align your body,” said Sean Wilson, Territory Manager and Head of Special Projects. “More and more golf shops are telling me they’re not going to expand by selling more polos, but by getting into more lifestyle categories that bring excitement to the shop. The industry has been on a five-year high, and we have to find ways to continue to drive that.”
Serious Business on the Sold-Out Show Floor
The action moved back inside the resort for the second and third days of the 2024 PGA Buying Summit, which featured golf retail sourcing activity spread across two ballrooms. Top brands in the sold-out exhibit space included Nike Golf, Greyson, Holderness & Bourne, Under Armour, Dunning, Vineyard Vines and Johnnie-O, along with emerging brands such as Eastside Golf, Featherie, Flag & Anthem, Fore All, Devon Halsey, Kastel Denmark and Jack Black.
PGA of America Golf Professionals and golf shop buyers were impressed with the mix of new and established brands, and the ability to have relaxed, in-depth sourcing conversations.
“We’re finding a lot of great products for our clubs,” said PGA of America Golf Professional Michelle Kempe, National Director of Retail for Escalante Golf. “It’s such an easy event to navigate, which makes it very efficient for buyers. There’s a great mix of brands, the traffic seems strong, and the energy is high. I like that the PGA Buying Summit is really focused on buying, and the events in the evening are a nice addition.”
Exhibitors were also impressed by the traffic and chance to make an impression during the 2024 PGA Buying Summit.
“It’s our first time at a PGA Show event, and we’ve made a lot of new relationships and written a lot of orders,” said Teresa Fernandez of Hooey – Cowboy Golf, a Western clothing and accessories company. “We’ve had a golf line for about five years, but it’s exciting that a lot of people are learning about us because we’re here. It would take us a long time to meet this many accounts on our own, and we’re getting a lot of feedback as to how we can build our golf business even more.”
In addition to the golf retail sourcing opportunities, the second day of the PGA Buying Summit provided an opportunity for attendees to tour the Home of the PGA of America, as well as take part in equipment and fitness education sessions at the new PGA of America Coaching Center powered by T-Mobile. Callaway Golf, Ping, Technogym, XXIO, PGA of America Value Guide, PGA COACH and Next Chapter Social all were on hand for the complimentary sessions.
The second day of the 2024 PGA Buying Summit concluded by returning to the Monument Realty PGA District for the new Summer Jam Golf Festival. Complimentary barbecue and drinks for attendees were provided and live music and entertainment were on tap throughout the evening. Putting contests were held on The Dance Floor, the lighted two-acre putting course, and The Swing was open to attendees with complimentary tee times.
“It was really fun to see how many people were out on The Swing and The Dance Floor experiencing what we have here at PGA Frisco,” said PGA of America Vice President Don Rea Jr. “It’s cool to see our PGA of America Members and golf industry people shuttling between the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, the Monument Realty PGA District and our PGA Headquarters for this chance to do some buying at a great time of year, see the new Home of the PGA of America and spend time with other leaders in the golf business.”