By Apryl DeLancey Published Today Sports Rating: Unrated
Golf apparel does not have to be pretentious and stuffy - just ask the guys at Tattoo Golf! Appalled with the horrendous choices in golfing attire, founder Bill Anderson made a point to change that hideous fact forever. The company's roots began with Anderson selling the line from his Burbank home from a simple web page. Since then, they have been a fixture at events and on courses everywhere. Greg Shaw, who joined Tattoo Golf in May 2006 was gracious enough to answer 5 questions for me about my favorite golf apparel company, golf, and the state of its fashion:
1. How much resistance do you get from the bigger chain stores and the pretentious golfers? Has it been an uphill climb to get into the more conservative areas? For example, how much penetration do you have outside of Southern California?
The Tattoo Golf line is targeting a young-minded golfer who is dissatisfied with the golf clothing that's found out in the market today. They are looking for something fun, different, and a bit edgy to set themselves apart from the crowd. They probably don't buy much, if any, golf apparel in pro shops or golf stores because it's not their thing but we're working on changing that. One fact we're very proud of is that every retailer we've sold to has reordered! This tells me our product is selling but getting chain store buyers to understand this and carry our line is proving more difficult than we expected - but we're not giving up. I think when you deal with older buyers there's a perception that our line is strictly for the fringe element but it's not! You don't need tattoos to wear our line! We've obviously been concentrating our wholesale efforts to So. Cal. but we have a few accounts in other states and have a new Mid-West sales rep who is starting to do a great job for us.
2. Why do you think it is taking so long for golf to loosen up? What do you think it will take to make the sport more accessible? Is golf destined to forever be a "rich guy" or "country club" sport?
I actually think the sport is more accessible now than ever before which has brought a flood of new, younger golfers out onto courses throughout the U.S. Once the cost of clubs is out of the way, a round of golf at a muni course won't set you back all that much and outside of California, the prices really drop to play a round so our customer base is definitely growing.
3. Do you have any pros that you sponsor now? Have you tried? Is this also a challenge to be taken seriously by the golfing elite?
We don't have any touring pros wearing our gear now but we're working on it! We could outfit them with clothing but at this stage of our company’s life it wouldn't be possible to be a cash sponsor but one day..... As far as golfing's elite taking us seriously, we were approached by LPGA rookie Mollie Fankhauser who said she absolutely loves our line so we're working with her to get some hats & shirts out to her which hopefully she's wearing when she wins her first tournament.
4. Where does the company get inspiration for designs? Tattoo art? How many tattoos do you guys have? While we are on the subject, why does everyone look at tattooed golfers like we are going to rob them on the driving range?
Everybody loves skulls so the main design of the wicked looking skull with crossed clubs was a natural for us. We do look at tattoo art for inspiration and also follow current fashion trends to capitalize on the “what's hot” at the moment. Last year we started seeing argyle designs again so we jumped in with a Tattoo Golf version of the argyle pattern and it quickly became our best selling shirt. My partner Bill has the tattoos, I'm the virgin! As far as getting robbed on the driving range, I guess it's still surprising to see tattooed people playing golf or maybe they're wondering where they put their golf clubs on the chopper?
5. What do you believe has been the most defining moment in golf history in the last few decades? What do you think the next big thing will be?
I hate to say it but I think Tiger has changed the industry forever. He's increased viewership in PGA televised golf so much that tournament purses have exploded making every player in the top 150 a millionaire. He's brought an unimaginable number of new, young golfers to the game and he's also made the game so cool that everyone wants in on the action. I've always golfed but in the past decade I've know many friends who've picked it up because they feel like they're missing out on something! In high school it was considered nerdy to be on the golf team but those days are long gone. Tattoo Golf's the next big thing for sure!
Check out Tattoo Golf's web page here.
