About five or six years ago, Facebook got to know me well.
Really well.
And before I knew it, I was getting barraged with targeted ads for companies that peddled golf shirts.
What remaining closet space I had disappeared.
Lately, though, it seems like new polo-peddling “companies” are popping up every week. I put companies in quotes because I’m not so sure many of these are legitimate businesses so much as websites, but there’s no doubting there are lots of them.
In no particular order:
- USA Palm. Family-owned real deal company out of Texas and my favorite of the new kids on the block … Killer polo selection … The Seattle Team wore their LED polo on Friday at Bandon last year
and their Tighe Plaid polo on Saturday:
- Pins & Aces. No doubt my second favorite of the newbies — and it’s a close call … Their Dancin’ Pimentos shirt, which of course I own, is arguably one of the three or four best golf shirts ever made.
- Waggle Golf. Before Facebook got to know me, Waggle was one of the first shirt companies I discovered (it, and the late Alial Fital) … Lots of animal patterns for some reason … Team 206 famously wore these to victory in Kelowna in 2019:
- Fish Hippie. Arguably doesn’t belong in this post because it’s more a lifestyle- than golf brand, but they have some pretty damn good golf polos … Brand-wise sort of a Southeast fisherman’s answer to Johnnie O.
- Bad Birdie. One of the more prominent of the new players … Longbow GC in Mesa, where I visited a few months ago, had several shirts in stock, including this one, which I rank among my favorites:
- Rhoback. Not exactly a newcomer on the block, Rhoback is one of the few companies in this post whose polos I don’t own.
- Sunday Swagger. Long one of my favorites … Lots of tropical-type stuff … Have often thought this one would look good on Fessler or Aro
- Birdie Threads. Only three polos but they’re all pretty cool, including this one:
- Average Birds. Starting to notice a theme here, with all the “birds” and “birdies”? … Only nine polos, but a few memorable ones:
- Birdies Double. Probably the most competitively priced of them all (polos are $59 plus whatever discount you can find) … Only twelve polos but they’re all sharp, including this one which the Seattle Team will sport at Sand Valley:
- Neverland CC. Home of the ugliest Masters-themed shirt I’ve ever seen:
- Golf Gods. Another one of my faves and one of the bigger players out there … 80+ polos … UK-based … If the City of Seattle could wear a golf polo it might be this one, which they call “High Times” (then again, it doesn’t have any needles):
- Kaipar Clothing. Hawaii inspired so that limits its appeal in the PNW … Do dig this one, though:
- 3Jack Threads. Some pretty cool polos in their limited selection, although I have spotted no fewer than three that are available on competitor sites … Like so many of the others, lots of tropics and Hawaii-type stuff … I’ve long flirted with this one but can’t seem to pull the trigger:
- Raised by Coyotes. Very much a Southwest vibe, so they get an A for being unique … This one, called the Texas BBQ polo, would be a winner if I, well, liked Texas barbecue:
- Full Wedge Golf. With 28 polos these guys have one of the larger offerings out there … They’ve been around for a few years … I own this one:
- Chuco Golf. Another fairly sizable offering, but there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to it … Some polos look like Sligo Golf, others have skulls & crossbones … I’d wear this one if someone gave it to me:
- J.Hernz Golf. Most of their two dozen or so polos fall into the love ’em or hate ’em categories … For me it’s most of the latter, although this one isn’t terrible:
- GasHouse Golf. Only ten polos and I don’t see how they came up with “gashouse,” but a few, like the one below, aren’t bad:
- Pure. One of the more conservative offerings of these newcomers … A few solids … Their best are sold out … This one, which looks like Puma could release it, wouldn’t upset anyone:
- ForeFathers. Where golf shirt company becomes cookbook:
I actually own this taco shirt; it’s a compliment — or at least comment — magnet.
- Tropical Bros. Another of the bigger ones … Their two dozen or so polos are, unsurprisingly, tropical themed, so they’re a bit of a stretch in the PNW … I’ve long had my eye on this one, but I already own a shark polo, courtesy of Golf Gods:
- Eagegof. Amazon only, I’m pretty sure … The Seattle Team wore Eagegofs for our Sunday victory at Bandon Crossings in 2021.
- Pin High Golf. Somewhere between Sligo and Puma lies Pin High Golf … Another Amazon only brand, I think … I flirted with a Pin High for ’22 but ultimately went four other directions … This one looks an awful lot like the shirt Rickie Fowler wore to win the Players Championship:
- LRD Golf. Yet another Amazon-only brand … Looks like they have Golf, Fishing and General Athletic .. Slap Peter Millar on the label and this one goes for triple digits:
- M MAELREG Golf. Another Amazon-only brand … Fifteen or so polos, all of solid quality (I own two) … This one’s pretty sharp:
- Yatta Golf. Like so many of the other companies on this list, Yatta peddles about a dozen or so polos and has more than their fair share of florals and flamingos … World Team captain Greg Cheever might appreciate this one:
- Sir Mulligan. Only four polos. all of which look like they’d best be worn in the Southeast … Non-returnable and non-exchangeable, which sucks … Kinda dig this one, but again, not really something you can wear in the PNW:
- Proud 90. Another one of the many wild party brands … Pretty decent selection if you like the tropics and booze … I’ve always kinda dug this dinosaur one:
- Royal & Awesome. Pretty funky stuff, sort of a British answer to Loudmouth … I actually kind of like this one:
They also peddle the ugliest Ryder Cup shirt ever worn:
- Vitamin G. The only brand in this post I discovered the old fashioned way — in a pro shop (Sand Point’s) … I bought the “Maverick” — high quality but very heavy for a polyester polo shirt … May have to think about “Dublin Down” for next year’s Ireland trip:
- Weekend Wears. “Premium designs for the bold” they say … I’d say so, at least on the second part:
- Upsaint. These guys only have two polos to compliment their dozen or so button downs, and they look pretty similar:
- Rolo Golf. Not much good to say about their limited offering … Somewhere, someone gets paid to come up with stuff like this:
- Sunday Crew. A handful of decent ones among a fairly limited selection … This one’s my favorite:
- Ham and Egg Golf. Located in Isle of Palms, SC, where I almost moved … Makers of the best member/guest hats ever made:
- Sandy Golf Co. These guys offer a solid dozen or so polos ranging from quite tame to the Hawaiian florals … This one, dubbed “Kraken,” might do well with Seattle hockey fans:
- XandUp. These guys only have a few polos … I guess their schtick is their wide variety of sizes — XS to 4XL … This shirt has it’s place:
- Duvin Design. Some of these companies make some strange design decisions — Duvin is one of them
What would possess someone to wear Siamese toucans I do not know.
- Palm Golf Co. Looks like a pretty cool brand with a fairly wide offering, just not much of it in the polo department … Polos are plain but do look fairly high quality:
- Moonshine Golf. Military schtick and not much in the way of selection … Jack Laidlaw would like this one:
- Grunk Dolfer. Not sure about the brand, but there are actually a few pretty decent polos among their fifteen or so … I kinda dig this one, called “Vegas Summer”:
- U Suck at Golf. Not much different in brand identity than Grunk Dolfer — lame imho … Actually have a few decent polos that I might even consider but for the unfortunate logo:
- Golf Made Me Do It. Not sure I get the name … Seems to be heavily music-themed … This is a pretty solid one:
- Hazards & Bogeys. Another one of these sites that just seems to have been thrown up there … Have to admit I dig this “splatter” polo (splatters are showing up everywhere, including my closet):
That’s a whopping FORTY-FIVE by my count.
I’m sure I missed some, and I’m sure there will be lots more to come.
Greenspan Cup 