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As is customary after three days of walking
and talking around the giant, soulless space of the Orange County Convention
Center here are my favorites from the show. As much as I love technology, you
won’t find any here. Golf balls with microchips, range finders, GPS all
leave me cold. They will never be in or on my golf bag. I have enough going on
without additional data and many of these devices are contributing to slow
play. When I play, I hit it, find it and hit it again! Here are nine great
companies and their beautifully crafted products.
MacDuff Candles
Okay, I am slightly biased here. This is my
13-year-old daughter’s company (I’m the unpaid intern!) and this was her first
show. We were on the booth courtesy of our U.S. distributor, Signs by the Sea
and it was busy from Wednesday morning until closing time on Friday afternoon.
Lily (with a little help from me) has created scented custom candles for clubs
and resorts. They are made in the USA and 100% soy. I have been going to the
show for more than two decades, but this one was more fun than ever! Seeing her
engage with existing and potential customers and write orders was a thrill.
Email her on lily@macduffcandles.com to learn more. www.macduffcandles.com
Holderness and
Bourne
This fine young company was started by two
friends, Alex Holderness and John Bourne. They entered the ultra-competitive
golf clothing world a couple of years ago with a small number of elegant shirts
and bags. As their business has grown, so has their range, with new shirts,
sweaters and belts. I particularly like the low-key branding and emphasis on detailing. www.holdernessandbourne.com
Jack Grace
A classic story of the owners creating
something they wanted and finding out others wanted it too. The company is
named for the owners two young children, yes, Jack and Grace. As we have a
young Jack in our house the name appealed to me! Their well-made saddle style
shoes have a unique feature that allows for the saddle to be changed out in a
matter of seconds. This gives you the option of matching your shoes to
your outfit without the need for two pairs of shoes….brilliant idea! www.jackgraceusa.com
Lie + Loft
Lie + Loft create timeless art
featuring renderings of classic golf courses as seen from on high. The
production qualities, elegance and simplicity of their work may even
predicate the move from man cave to living room. I also loved their new
addition of old school wool pennants. www.lieandloft.com
Seamus Golf
It’s always exciting to see what owners,
Megan and Akbar Chisti come up with for the show. With their roots in Oregon, I
love their laid-back philosophy of hand crafted, beautifully made products.
They work with local craftspeople to create one offs, as well as the gorgeous
plaid and leather products they are well known for. I’m drafting this blog in one
such product – a leather notebook made from one piece of supple brown
leather that holds a notebook and folds in two and has two holes in the cover
that holds a pencil – simple, ingenious and it will last a lifetime. www.seamusgolf.com
Signs by the Sea
Signs by the Sea is owned by husband and wife, Mike and Kathy
Yevchak. They also have a wonderful team who were on site and it’s a good job,
because their booth was undoubtedly one of the busiest on the show floor. The
company makes unique wood signage and wood and glass gifts, both large and
small for pro shops and resorts. They are also our U.S. distributors for MacDuff Candles. www.signsbythesea.com
Sik Putters
This is the putter currently being used by
PGA Tour player and resident Tour scientist, Bryson DeChambeau. The owner of
this business also happens to be Bryson’s putting coach. The putters are
beautifully made and feature a highly technical milled face that features
different lofts that promote ball roll however the golfer strikes the
ball. www.sikgolf.com
Smathers and Branson
Just like MacDuff, this cool company is
based in Bethesda, MD. Owned by two good friends, Austin Smathers and Peter
Branson, they are market leaders in all things needlepoint. Their range
includes belts, wallets, headwear and they are always innovating, yet remain
true to their core specialization. I was particularly struck this year by a
range of needlepoint golf course layouts – above you see the great Fishers
Island Club. www.smathersandbranson.com
Stitch Golf
Wow, was I in for a surprise when I visited
Stitch Golf. Their booth was huge and they have come a long way in only a few
years. What started as a head cover business is now a company with a full range
of products including a host of head covers, weekend bags, and accessories. I
really loved their new one strap golf bag (two straps are banned in our
foursome!) with its cool material and logo detailing. www.stitchgolf.com
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