I miss Payne Stewart!

It is now almost 8 1/2 years, since we lost a true gentleman of gentleman ... Payne Stewart. When I taped a Fashion demo at The Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta last year, I was priviliged to witness the ceremony for the Payne Stewart award and meet Tracy Stewart in person. Anytime the spirit of Payne touches me, I feel a very special emotion ... I enjoyed so much seeing him play and was always dressed for the occasion. During the one time I spent time with Payne in person during a photo shoot at Isleworth, Payne was his usual self ... needling an enthusiastic fan and fellow clothes horse. The memorial service at the First Baptist church in Orlando, were the most inspiring two hours of my entire life. I had two pair of shoes made identical to Payne's way back and every time I wear them ... my swing seems to have better rhythm.

Recently Payne's spirit has visited in the form of the soon to open Payne Stewart Golf Club in Branson Missouri http://www.paynestewartgolfclub.com/, a very special tribute to the life and legacy of Payne. I met Bobby Clampett who is designing the golf course during the recent PGA show and Bobby introduced me to Bob Allen who has the honorable calling of being the Director of Golf. I have become quick friends with Bob Allen and can tell you, that this will be one of the most special experiences in Golf anywhere in the world.

My good friend Robert Lohrer, whom I have known for 15 years through our profession we share, recently wrote a blog on his new web site http://www.styledtoatee.com/ with a wonderful idea. Paul Azinger and Payne were the best of friends, how about the American Ryder Cup team wearing plus fours/knickers during a practice round or competition this September? Payne would have certainly been a Ryder Cup captain by now at age 51. It would be a great tribute to a great man, whose spirit will live forever in the great world of Golf.

Meeting in Style at Pebble Beach

When the conversation takes us to the most special places in Golf, Pebble Beach is always a participant. I was fortunate enough to visit last week for a meeting with Steve Cohen, the founder of The Shivas Irons Society www.shivas.org and Scott Clark, the producer of The Nature of the Game www.thenatureofthegame.com movie.

When entering the gates to 17 mile drive and getting the first glimpse of revered Pebble it is like a look at a fine piece of art ... mesmerizing. Walking up to the lodge for my meeting in the Tap room, three splendidly attired staff members in tam o'shanters greeted me warmly, like a time gone by. The Tap room is a wonderful tribute to the rich history of Pebble Beach with fantastic photographs chronicling the so many golf shots embedded in the lore of Pebble.

After our meeting I meandered the grounds taking in the pro shop with collections of all the big names in the game and the already functional US Open 2010 shop. What impressed me most was the historical reference to the Bing Crosby Clambake - a tournament so rich in golf and celebrity history - with plaques and photographs.

My last few minutes I spent on the veranda overlooking the 18th hole with a glass of Pinot Grigio... taking in the sounds and sights of the spectacular scenery where the Pacific Ocean and nature collaborated on what many people have called the most beautiful place God created to play the glorious game of golf.

I ended the day with eleven holes of golf at Poppy Hills, totally unprepared in dress shoes, dress shirt and gloveless playing with Scott Clark's clubs and carrying Steve Cohen's bag. A spontaneous game with great company at a gem of a course.

May all of us be as fortunate to at least once visit this wonderful testament of virtuosic golf course design, hospitality hearkening back to a different time and a Style that reminds us, that there is a place on our planet that truly inspires.... Pebble Beach!

Shivas Irons Society launches Florida Chapter in Style at The PGA Golf Club April 26

In the Golden Age of Golf, the greats were attired in shirt and tie, plus fours and two-tone spectators. Well, don't be surprised to see some of those ensembles April 26th at The PGA Golf Club, when the Shivas Irons Society launches it's Florida Chapter.

Now in it's 16th year the Society will have a foothold in The Sunshine State. Besides my obvious passion for clothes, I have counted the metaphysical aspect of golf as one of my greatest interests.

The 1972 cult classic Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy upon which' character Shivas Irons the SIS is based, was the true pioneer of an esotericely perceived "movement" at that time, to entering every aspect of mainstream golf today.

With Inner Game of Golf by Timothy Gallwey, Extraordinary Golf and Putting by Fred Shoemaker and Zen Golf by Dr. John Parent as best sellers evolving the genre, we see the presence of "the mental" game on all professional Tours and permeating recreational golf.

Who hasn't experienced that purest golf shot of their life or a round where everything seemed to move in slow motion and we only realized what we had done when we "woke up"? It is those moments or sustained times of effortless virtuosity we all yearn for when we tee it up and the visionaries of human potential in Golf have seen their business blossom.

The Shivas Irons Society has organized a plethora of events all over the country to find true gravity ... with a great sense of camaraderie and a like minded approach to the greatest Game ever played, the events are great experience and ... a lot of fun. So I encourage you to join us on Saturday April 26th at the links like Pete Dye course at the fabulous PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie for an introduction to The Shivas Irons Society, a great round of Golf and ... a Scotch tasting with Chivas Regal.

Now if you show up dressed for the occasion, you may find yourself ending up with The Best Dressed Award, which from the preliminary indications, could be as toughly contested as the Golf.

For registration, click on the following link.
Florida Chapter-Charter Event

In Shivas' spirit and always in Style,

Auke Hempenius

The Custom Golf Consortium

A world class experience showcasing the worlds finest customized golf products.
In the world of luxury product consumption, there is only one way to meet the needs of the discerning connoisseur ... create a one of a kind item, which exudes the highly personal taste level of the buyer.

In the world of golf, equipment has for many years offered a customized option ... custom clubs. The Custom Golf Consortium now makes that option available for the entire ensemble of attire. From hats and caps, to golf shirts, belts, belt buckles, custom slacks, custom shoes, weather wear and custom grips the finest companies in each respective classification are a member of this most elite club.

Through a national series of events at the most luxurious host venues, The Custom Golf Consortium will present it's unrivaled selection of world class products to the most affluent of golf product purchasers. Through shared marketing efforts each member company multiplies it's individual efforts x the amount of member companies. The result is a revenue producing series of events, which will be considered the finest of its kind.

Member Companies
Hats - Elevee www.elevee.com
Shirts - Marbas www.marbasgolf.com
Slacks - Elevee www.elevee.com

Knickers - T Barry Knickers www.tbarryknickers.com
Belts - Martin Dingman www.martindingman.com
Belt buckles - 59 belts www.59belts.com
Shoes - Otabo www.otabo.com
Weather wear - Pro Quip www.proquipusa.net
Grips - C-thru grips www.c-thrugrips.com

Equipment- HONMA- www.honmagolf.com

Golf bags- The MacKenzie Golf Bag Company- www.themackenziegolfbagcompany.com

The introduction of The Custom Golf Consortium is scheduled for a special event in South Florida at the end of April. The Custom Golf Consortium will be the feature attraction for the first ever Fashion Village at the JPC Golf & Gala May 12 at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner and May 13 at The Cannon Ridge Golf Club in Fredericksberg, Va. The venereble Inverness Club in Toledo Ohio will feature The Custom Golf Consortium June 5, 6 and 7.

For bookings please contact Auke Hempenius at auke@golfmarketinginc.com or 407-808-2598.

Let's talk about Tiger ... and his great outfit on Saturday

Well, let's talk about Tiger ... and his great outfit on Saturday.

For the well informed among Golf fashionista's it is well documented, that I have been quite critical of Tiger's Nike attire over the years. The poor fit in the early days were followed by my favorite Tiger era of better fitting bold and vibrant colors, turning into the classic approach of the last several years.

When a global powerhouse like Nike makes a statement like they did with Tiger's Saturday outfit at Bay Hill they deserve ALL the credit in the world. With international influences of the runways in Milan, Paris, London and New York dictating the color scheme of seasonal high fashion brands, the time has now come for Golf to step up to the Fashion plate. The Plum colored ensemble Mr. Woods was sporting on Saturday was an awesome display of global fashion savvy by Nike.

With the main fashion influences on the PGA Tour coming from international entries like Camilo Villegas and Adam Scott, Tiger represents the American sensibility like no other ... talk about TV time!!!! I hope the new direction initiated by Saturday's showcase at Bay Hill AND the great cover on the current April 2008 Golf Magazine in a Yellow and Golden Tan combination is a sign of things to come.

When it comes to driving revenue for the Golf apparel brands it is about great color, creative styling and ingenious design. Nike has the team and the resources to take full advantage of their global poster boy in on-trend colors like plum/purple, mandarin/orange, Tuscan/tan and ice/blues. Doral in Miami and The Masters provide the perfect fairways for the new and colorful TW collection!

Check next week for the introduction of The Custom Golf Consortium.... world class custom golf products from 10 companies to be introduced at the end of April!

Fashionably,

A-Game.

Golf Fitness Magazine Performance Apparel Rankings winners, others impress in the fashion aisles

This year's PGA Show was the most Fashionable to date due to some fabulous new collections and the show stopper this year... Ashworth’s new urban environment (booth).

With apparel playing a more important role every year at the show, some brands pulled out all the stops with great collections and cocktail parties galore. My choice for best collection was Tehama's women's collection. A bold and bright collection in TECH fabrics and an elegant and sophisticated offering in classic fabrics.

In men's Peter Millar featured their colorful southern elegance with rich colors and superb displays. The single item that got my attention is the new "classic" shoe by adidas. A very modern interpretation with great design.

The Dunning booth (winner of the TECH category) was packed the entire show. Ralph Dunning is capturing the performance market with great product and Zach Johnson as the face of the brand.

Ahead (winner of the Hybrid category ) continues to make very strong inroads into men's apparel, from the beginnings of a head wear company. The Kate Lord women's collection is a must for every pro shop with a very street smart edge and great design and styling features. The tulip sleeve is one of the coolest style features I have ever seen in women's.

Let's talk about presentation ... The new Ashworth booth is just in a league of it's own! A very modern urban environment showcasing the four new directional collections. You can see John Ashworth's signature ALL over it! The new Calvin Klein collection was presented in a typical Calvinesque palette of Black-White-Gray....the collection was high Fashion in Golf with numerous highlights....the women's dress pants are exquisite. How about personal presentation... Germaine Bolds-Leftridge is the infectiously passionate owner and designer for 18th Couture, a first time Fashion entry in women's ... mark my words ... you will here a lot more of them in the near future. Great color scheme's, elegant dresses with a decidedly urban flair.

The two Fashion events of the year to look forward to? The JPC Golf and Gala in DC on May 12th and 13th and the Grand Opening of the Payne Stewart Golf Club the week of July 1st.
This will also be the year where the mundane demo day concept will be transformed into the...

Apparel and Equipment Demo Day Extravaganza ... for more information e-mail us at auke@golfmarketinginc.com.

To a most Fashionable year where we create a WOW experience ... World Class Only Wins!

Customization will be among top three apparel trends for 2008

First of all let me wish you a healthy, happy and most Fashionable 2008. The Tour is already underway in Hawaii and the PGA show is around the corner.

The yearly get together of the world of golf in Orlando promises to be bigger and better than ever. In equipment there will be most certainly a plethora of introductions.

In apparel we will see the offerings for Fall 2008. I predict that the customization of apparel will garner significant attention this year due to more companies offering custom made apparel and accessories. I have been scouring the Fashion landscape for the finest companies in custom shoes, slacks, belts, shirts, hats, weather wear, golf bags and grips.

For the very first Apparel and Equipment Custom Demo Day Extravaganza Feb. 9 at The PGA Golf Club a unique cadre of companies will be featured, never before presented at one venue. Otabo will be featuring custom golf shoes, produced right here in Florida www.otabo.com. Elevee will feature custom hats and slacks manufactured in Los Angeles www.elevee.com. Martin Dingman will feature custom belts hand crafted in Diamond City Arkansas www.martindingman.com. 59Belts will feature custom belt buckles www.59belts.com. Marbas will feature Italian custom golf apparel www.marbasgolf.com, Peter Millar will feature custom golf apparel created stateside www.petermillar.com. Pro Quip will feature custom weather wear www.proquipusa.net. MacKenzie golf bags will feature the finest walking bags www.mackenziegolfbags.com.

While custom fitting in equipment has long been established as the benchmark for the finest equipment, so will custom made apparel and accessories redefine the standard for golf apparel, as we know it. In the luxury retail environment custom suits, shirts and shoes have a long history of the preferred choice of the most discerning clientele.

With a national roll out planned for the A&E Custom Demo Day Extravaganza, the golfer that demands the finest in custom apparel will have access to the very finest in custom golf apparel at a host venue nearby.

I can say from experience, there is nothing more rewarding than owning attire custom made for the individual.... it is one of the finer joys of life. The personal touch that you can infuse in your wardrobe with your own taste level, gives you the greatest expression of individuality possible. Decide to match your custom clubs with custom attire in 2008, because the golfer that is dressed to kill has always had the advantage.... and always will.