Golf"s Most Ubiquitous Designer

[ward peyronnin]

Ok fairplay bit of a bait and switch.
Wherever I have gone in  the past few years THE dominant 800 pounder in the retail pro shop section is Peter Millar. I can't recall such astonishing breadth and coverage in my now long life on any platform except proprietary products. I recently returned from the UK where I played 10 courses and he is almost everywhere and shoulders out the other labels.
I haven't encountered any accounts of just how the PM brand has succeeded so overwhelmingly. Playboy centerfold reps? cryptocurrency kickbacks? Whaaaat is their secret?
Can anyone shed any light or am I crossing lines here?

[Ally Mcintosh]

I recently returned from the UK where I played 10 courses and he is almost everywhere….

Peter Millar or Martin Ebert?

[JESII]

Better looking clothes and high quality…IMO

[John Kavanaugh]

You don't have to compete with their logo on your own logoed merch.

[hhuffines]

The brand was conceived here in the Triangle and has a facility in Durham.  They have top notch management! 

[John Emerson]

I am big fan of the Donald Ross brand.  I bought a shirt at streamsong and it, to this day, is my favorite shirt.  Hard to beat Linksoul though…IMO

[Mark Pritchett]

Holderness and Bourne for me, simply the best shirts and layering in golf. 

[Gib_Papazian]

It might just be that both members and visitors got tired of paying $69 for cheaply made, poorly stitched, Ashworth trash that dissolve like alka-seltzer after three washings.

Peter Millar shirts actually keep their shape and XL sizes don't instantly shrink into a ladies medium, which explains why I've got the most expensive pile of Ashworth cleaning and garage rags in western civilization.

Maybe it is a European thing, but I also cannot fathom why anybody would adorn their beer gut and soup stains with the world's most garish, out-of-proportion, Hugo Boss  logo.

Of course, it seems everybody on the eastern wall of the Atlantic likes their pants and shirts to fit like a strait jacket, so maybe my wife is right and I'm a walking ocular offense, with baggy tan khakis, white socks and black golf shoes.

[Kalen Braley]

Gib,

I think its an East Coast vs West Coast thing.  On the west coast we prefer casual wear with emphasis on comfort in nearly everything we put on.  Work, school, golf, going out, hanging out at the bar, or even church.

But on the East Coast?  The last time I visited Virginia, people were better dressed to go to Target on a Saturday than I get dressed to go into the office.

[Will Thrasher]

Agree with all these posts. PM has carved out an excellent niche as a high-end, classic brand. Courses don't have to compete with garish logos or designs, and the classic style appeals to a large swath of golfers. I love Linksoul as well, but PM dominates my closet.

[Jim Sherma]

With every trip to a nice club I am getting more convinced that golf courses are simply becoming a front for high priced clothing stores. Prior to 2008 they were built to sell real estate, now it looks like they are being built to sell $100+ shirts and $75+ dollar belts.

[Jeff_Brauer]

It's funny, but first, I don't care for them, and second, I see a lot of them on the discount racks at pro shops.  While they may last longer, etc., in the midwest down to TX, I don't think many see paying that premium for their shirts.

[John Kavanaugh]

I still tuck in my shirt because I'm old, fat and from Bobby Knight country. If you are the type of gentleman that prefers an untucked shirt perhaps PM isn't for you. They have a pronounced ass flap that helps a big boy keep it in his pants.

[WilliamN]

IMHO, the market shifted pre Peter Millar / other new brands into two categories - 1) Athletic companies who sold golf wear and 2) Legacy brands who just were putting out the same product over and over again.  I'll put myself in the category of "younger guys" who wanted a classic style but didn't want to wear a pop-tent for a golf shirt in designed by Foot Joy, Donald Ross, etc.  Peter Millar (and others) filled the hole that the legacy brands allowed to happen by only catering to the players who wore baggy khakis, oversized shirts, etc. that looked good in the mid 90's but didn't really advance the cause.  I'd also say Peter Millar capitalized on the "1/4 zip" trend like no other and had a product that no one else really offered

Fast forward 10-15 years and they have been able to capitalize on their early lead, continue to innovate, and now are in "every" private club pro shop in America.  They've also opened the door for some of these "newer" brands as well (ala B Draddy, Holderness & Bourne, etc.)

[John Kavanaugh]

The fact that Aunt Becky didn't get them canceled is a testimony to all that is good in golf.

[Rob Marshall]

I am big fan of the Donald Ross brand.  I bought a shirt at streamsong and it, to this day, is my favorite shirt.  Hard to beat Linksoul though…IMO

The founder of the Donald Ross Brand is the gentleman who turned me on to this site. I think Paul has moved to NC but he was and possibly still is a member at the Country Club of Rochester. I haven't run into him in a number of years.

[Gib_Papazian]

Speaking for myself, there is nothing worse than a Pro Shop full of tasteless shirts (irrespective of which manufacturer), featuring our beloved Winged O, with a subtext of whichever tournament or organization (PGA, USGA) to whom we whored out our golf courses.


I remember my dear departed brother Rick Short, looking for a couple items before we headed to Newport CC and the Havermeyer Cup, asking if we had ANYTHING in the shop without obnoxious, garish trademarks of the latest self-important television event - as if the legitimacy of our identity rests solely in having our golf courses taken over by an avaricious circus every other year.


They literally had to dig in the back room for a pair of shirts dating back from the Carter Administration.


Since we've managed to deconstruct nearly every tradition and social construct in both golf and America, I see no reason not to just get it over with, embrace dadaism and start putting logos on Loudmouth golf apparel.   
   

[Jerry Kluger]

Peter Millar did start in Raleigh, NC and coincidentally, my son played on his high school golf team with the son of the founder of PM.  Interestingly, Stitch Golf is also from this area having been founded by the brother of one of the assistant pros at my club.  Originally, he started by making leather headcovers at an old furniture manufacturing facility in High Point, NC and has gone on to making golf bags, and clothing. A few years ago I attended the Masters and the only brand of shirts they sold other than their own brand was Peter Millar and they also sold Stitch Golf headcovers. Stitch came out with a golf bag which now has a second version and it appears that Titleist saw the market and came out with their own version of the bag which I believe is called Linksmasters.

[Daryl David]

I am big fan of the Donald Ross brand.  I bought a shirt at streamsong and it, to this day, is my favorite shirt.  Hard to beat Linksoul though…IMO

Donald Ross shirts are definitely a notch above Peter Millar. Better materials and the longer cut stays tucked in. Yep, I’m one of those old guys that believes shirts should be tucked in. 

[Joe Bausch]

FWIW:  on the morning radio coverage of the Ryder Cup on XMRadio, Peter Millar has had an ad on each break.

[Tim Martin]

I won’t wear logo gear from any course I haven’t played or tournament I haven’t attended. It hurts to have to answer a question from someone that spotted the logo with “I won it in a raffle”.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I dislike any course logos on my gear to be honest…


I mean, I have a few things from my own club (just to support the pro shop). But generally I just like a small manufacturer’s logo.


I want my golf gear to look like smart sports gear rather than obvious golf gear. And I prefer it slim fitting.

[Tim Martin]

I dislike any course logos on my gear to be honest…


I mean, I have a few things from my own club (just to support the pro shop). But generally I just like a small manufacturer’s logo.


I want my golf gear to look like smart sports gear rather than obvious golf gear. And I prefer it slim fitting.

Ally-I mostly wear the the Ralph Lauren regular polos as they last forever and are also good for casual. Never been a fan of the long untapered sleeve that falls to the elbow or below.

[Jeff Schley]

I dislike any course logos on my gear to be honest…


I mean, I have a few things from my own club (just to support the pro shop). But generally I just like a small manufacturer’s logo.


I want my golf gear to look like smart sports gear rather than obvious golf gear. And I prefer it slim fitting.

Ally-I mostly wear the the Ralph Lauren regular polos as they last forever and are also good for casual. Never been a fan of the long untapered sleeve that falls to the elbow or below.

RL makes quality gear and yes I have found it holds up really well, especially with high salt content water I have to use here. Not all stuff does. My older cutter/buck and ashworth stuff which at the time were some of the first "performance" fabric have eroded. Also the Greg Norman Play Dry stuff I stopped buying years ago (not sure now). With Peter Millar, RL, Daddy O, B Draddy, Donald Ross, KJus, etc there are some excellent products out now better than ever and they last.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Kjus remains by far my favourite find.