Walter Hagen - sartorial elegance personified

Walter Hagen was sartorial elegance personified in the early days of the golden age of golf.

Hagen was the first sportsman to make the best dressed list and the first to make a million dollars.

When the discussion involves golf, names like Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones come to mind. But let me tell you about the man, who I consider the most important in the game when it comes to sartorial musings. With a dashing style in play and the finest threads money could buy, "The Haig" as he was referred to, ruled the fairways like no one ever had and to this point no one ever has. His famous line: "I never wanted to be a millionaire. I just want to live like one." has made it in not only the vocabulary of golfers but our populace at large.

At age five Walter began playing the game in the family's cow pasture. "I would herd the cows all in one spot where I made the hole, so they could eat the grass and make a close putting surface." One wonders if this was the reason he became known as the greatest pressure putter of his era. Hagen developed his taste for the finest things in life at the exclusive country clubs where he would caddy. Tall and handsome with sleek black hair, he was always nattily attired in an individual manner only Walter could pull off. His expertise at golf allowed him to mingle with the elite on the course, but in those days golfers were not allowed entry in the clubs themselves, especially in England.

When Hagen made his first trip to The British Open in 1920, he shocked the elite by having champagne delivered to his Rolls Royce limousine parked in the club's driveway. In those days professional golfers were only allowed in the side or back door, so Hagen made a point of not going into the clubhouse at all. His clashes with the establishment on both sides of the Atlantic were legendary, but it elevated the game of Golf and its best players to a new level. His unrivaled flamboyance and colorful personality attracted increased sponsorship dollars to the game, eliciting Hagen's great friend and fierce rival Gene Sarazen to comment: "All the players who stretch a check between their fingers should say a silent prayer to Walter Hagen. It was Walter who made professional golf what it is."

His tailored look with the finest wools and cashmeres, plus-fours and two tone spectators made Walter Hagen a recognizable sports icon on both sides of the Atlantic. The golf fans in Great Britain took a great liking to the man, who single handedly brought a sense of style, color and elegance to the great game of golf. A stark contrast to the English country clothes in drab browns and gray, considered the appropriate uniform for the game. Walter Hagen backed up his flamboyant appearance with a game feared by his opponents, especially in match play. He won 11 major golf Championships, of which 5 PGA Championships in a time when it was contested in the match play format. Hagen was a crooked driver of the ball, but owned a short game that forced this irritated statement from Bobby Jones: "When a man misses his drive, then misses his second shot and then wins the hole with a birdie, it get's my goat." It came after Hagen delivered Jones' most lopsided defeat in a 72-hole "World Championship" on Florida in 1926. Hagen called it: "My greatest thrill in golf."

The legacy Walter Hagen leaves behind can be best illustrated with some heartfelt comments of the greatest of his contemporaries from the world of golf and the world of life.

Former President Dwight Eisenhower: "Your achievements at home and in Great Britain have earned you both the PGA's Hall of Fame and an enduring place in the affection of all for your stout heart and great talent."

Ben Hogan: "Without you, golf would not be what it is today. I give you my deepest thanks."
But the current King of golf Arnold Palmer said it best: "The biggest thrill I got when I set a British Open record of 276 strokes at Troon, was to have Walter Hagen phone me from Traverse City to congratulate me. I didn't even know The Haig knew I was alive until then."
Arnold Palmer paid the ultimate tribute to Hagen, by being one of his pall bearers after his death on Oct. 6, 1969.

May we give Sir Walter his rightful place in the golf conversation today ... One of the greatest players of all time, but most definitely the greatest dresser of all time.

Auke

PGA Golf Club's Apparel & Equipment Extravaganza

Apparel and Equipment Demo Day Extravaganza at The PGA Golf Club creates new platform of revenue.

So you are one of the couple of thousand clubs that host a demo day once or twice a year? On Nov. 10, 2007 at The PGA Golf Club a new era in the long history of the golf demo day was launched. You have your members, visitors and other golf enthusiasts right there, why not add a fun, entertaining and revenue producing component.

We chose two make-over winners from the crowd of 450 and awarded a Best Dressed award with a $250 gift certificate from Cutter & Buck. The make over winners received a cap, shirt, shorts, socks and shoes from different apparel companies like Ahead, Greg Norman and Ashworth and received a rousing ovation when they re-appeared after their amazing change!

Yours truly did a presentation on the three biggest trends for 2008 ... Raglan Sleeves, Hybrid apparel and Customization. We had some great props and everybody had a fabulous time. Bob Baldassari, the new GM at The PGA Golf Club had his staff in shirt and tie and VOILA ... have them hit clubs, have a chance to win a complete outfit or a gift certificate and a Fashionable addition to an already existing event will create extra $$$.

End result??? Apparel, which we displayed with an on-site pro shop generated 1/3!! of the revenue for the event!

With the enormous success of the first A&E Demo Day Extravaganza, the next one is already planned for February 9th with seven golf companies that make custom products. Stay tuned for the increasing decibel level of the cash register ringing from Port St. Lucie.

Freddie Couples the King

Freddie Couples King of Skins? How about King of Style!

Of all the golf I have seen throughout the years, after Sunday it is crystal clear ... Freddie Couples is in a league all by himself. Sidelined by injury since The Masters the atmosphere was palpable in Indian Wells on Sunday. You just knew everybody wanted Freddie to hit perfect shots and make all the putts. In the style department Freddie is the ultimate personification of California cool ... his gait is leisurely, his swing syrupy, his smile is infectious. Freddie is a throwback ... you young guns go work out and I'll relax by the pool and oh yeah, who was the player with the longest driving average at The Masters this year ... you guessed it!

For Ashworth Freddie has been the face of the brand for 20 years. There is no better endorser on the planet for ANY apparel brand than Freddie Couples. In the arena of the golf apparel business Ashworth has taken its hits, just like Freddie has had his ups and downs. The difference is when Freddie doesn't play well it still looks great and doesn't affect the bottom line. But this is a new day ... a new management team at the helm at Ashworth and Freddie's return to tournament play are nicely coinciding. Of course the return of namesake John Ashworth after a silly 10-year absence is the most fashionable ingredient.

I sat with Jerry Montiel and John Ashworth in their booth in 1990, to pitch a partnership. I refer to the ‘90s as the Ashworth glory days. Well, with Freddie healthy and about to inject a much needed shot of cortisone into the Senior Tour (I cannot and will not get used to “Champions Tour”) I predict Ashworth will re-invent itself and return to their rightful place in the world of Golf Fashion ... King of Cool!

On the business side of Golf Fashion it will take a season or two for Ashworth to rectify the colossal mistakes made by the previous management team. Over distribution and a severe lack of attention to the heart of the golf business ... green grass shops! The recent quarter results showed an expected loss, due to the elimination of nonperforming accounts and a reduced presence at retail. With John's first full collection to be showcased at the PGA show in Orlando this coming January, there will be plenty of pros and buyers that can't resist the most lethal California Cool combination on the fairways ... Freddie and Ashworth.

Stay tuned for an in-depth interview with John Ashworth in the next couple of months.

Always playing the A-game,

Auke

Se Ri's custom look

When I awarded Se Ri Pak the Best Dressed Award for 2007, it was apparent that we would get along nicely. When I saw Se Ri the next time at the JPC Golf and Gala in D.C., we established a nice rapport during the golf tournament. She would hit the tee shot for the groups coming through on the first tee and I would judge their clothing for the Best Dressed Award.

Se Ri was always dressed in great colors with neat trim accents. The only part that didn't fit in this great image was a basic white and black bag. I brought up the subject with her agent and he agreed. I suggested we create something colorful that would complement her great looking clothes. After making some inquiries I got in touch with Keri from Keri golf and we hit it off. I choose the Golden Age color as the base color, because it is elegant, very versatile and was invented by the great Dutch painters during the Golden Age, named as such due to the unprecedented amount of world renowned Dutch painters during this era.

The creative brainstorming sessions included the color and location of the logos; most importantly the brand new logo of Se Ri's sister Yoo Ri's clothing collection. The little valuables bag and custom color zippers made for a great finishing touch. The extra pockets would provide Se Ri room for a bite on the course and the double strap would give her caddie the choice of carrying the bag over both shoulders.

We had allowed plenty of time for production and the bag arrived about 10 days before the Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. At this time I had contacted Otabo custom shoes to create a pair of shoes to match the bag and voila ... a one of a kind custom made combination of a very cool bag and shoes celebrating Se Ri's heritage with the Korean flag colors. Se Ri was delighted with the result when she saw the bag and shoes right before the festivities in St. Augustine.

Although I have quite a few other passions, creating unique one of a kind product, customized for an individual gives me the greatest joy. There is no better feeling, than to own a product that is specifically created for you. Se Ri will be the first player for whom her apparel, shoes and bag are all coordinated with custom made product. It is a great example of how a team of creative experts can work together and achieve fabulous results. Keep your eye out for Se Ri on the LPGA Tour and let us know what you think of her new look.

Style has no handicap,


Auke.

Tiger discovers "new" shirt

Raglan sleeve configuration biggest news for golf apparel in 2008.

So the year in Golf is almost over and all the media is perusing over the less important news in golf....who won what and how much money? ... who plays what equipment? ... and, oh yeah that new NASCAR imitation the FedEx Cup.

It was in the third round of The Tour Championship that the most important Fashion statement of the year was made, by no less than Tiger the Brand himself. Everybody was mesmerized by his 28 on the front nine, I however was intrigued by the fact that Tiger finally discovered the benefits of a raglan sleeved shirt. The cover of Golf World gave it a little extra punch!

When Tiger choose to wear a mock neck in PGA Tour competition, Nike saw sales increase 300+ percent. It also took an act of Congress ( Private Country Clubs) to allow the casual apparel to be sported on the fairways of the most hallowed grounds of this historic game. The same won't be necessary for the raglan, but could be just as ground breaking. The raglan sleeve is named after Lord Raglan an English war Lord who lost an arm during Waterloo in 1815. He had an overcoat made with the shoulder seam running from the arm hole directly to the neck line, so the loss of his arm would be less visible.

Fast forward to 2007 ... The movement of the golf swing creates friction with the traditional set-in sleeve, which is designed for the more vertical arm movement of Polo ( hence the polo shirt ). On multiple media platforms, I will introduce the raglan sleeve which moves with the more diagonal plane of the golf swing as "The Golf Shirt". World beaters like Retief Goosen ( Ahead ), Adam Scott ( Burberry ) and Zach Johnson ( Dunning ) have benefited from the advantages the raglan sleeve provides. It was only a matter of time before Sir Tiger with his legendary attention to detail, would make the switch. Inquiries to both Tiger's agent and the top brass at Nike were left un answered as far as Tiger's preference for the future and Nike's plans. My hunch is, we'll see more of it in 2008.

Here is the Aukesphere prediction ... the raglan will share center stage with the other trend that will make a Fashionably splash ... HYBRID APPAREL!

Auke

Welcome to The Aukesphere

Welcome to a new voice in the world of Style, Fashion and Golf ... YOU!

What are your ideas, thoughts and suggestions about the world of Style and Fashion in Golf? What do you want to know more about, see more of or find out where to purchase? It will all be here on The Aukesphere ... just one click away ... Golf's most Fashionable address.

I'll be on this end with all the tools to give you everything you want ... weekly trends, cool interviews and provoking thoughts. My idea is to built a global platform that will create Fashionable interaction between the many layers that make up the golf enthusiasts around the world. Discuss subjects that may elicit a response from a Tour player or a top executive at an apparel company. Raise awareness about things we care about and promote willingness to serve the great game we call Golf.

Fashion has become an increasingly larger part of our daily lives. International Fashion weeks video streamed on the net in real time. Cable shows like Project Runway and designers featured on Oprah. Daily headlines in international newspapers and magazine's like In Style, Vogue, GQ and Esquire giving everybody the chance to become a Fashionista. How does Golf play in the Fashion equation? We have seen a drastic improvement over the last couple of years of better Golf apparel available for both men and women ... but what about Fashion coverage in the Golf media?

With international Fashion houses like Burberry, Zegna and St. John entering the business it is now time for the Golf media to give you what you want. That's why we at The Aukesphere have created a weekly web based Fashion platform that is available to you 24/7. Let us know what you like and don't like. I will personally promise you that YOU are the voice that will decide the content of what we do every week. You can expect strong opinions from me and I expect exactly the same from you, when we agree to disagree we make the ultimate product stronger.

My goal is to become an interactive platform where we discuss what EVERYBODY wears ... from AJGA players to college, the Professional Tours, celebrities and the recreational player. Together we discover the hottest trends and the new brands that create the buzz and build a community of great Style, cool Fashion and what's next! I will respond to all inquiries and post the most Fashionable every week. I want your input on the Best Dressed lists for both the LPGA and the PGA Tour. Let me know who you want to be interviewed and if see you something cool ... The Aukesphere wants to be the first one to hear about it!

Here is to the most Stylish Holiday season ever!

Again, welcome to The Aukesphere, where Style has no handicap,

Auke

Aukesphere