Welcome back, Weekend Warriors!

This week, we’re finally starting to see some brands pop out with their spring/summer releases, with Sun Day Red potentially even being the first. While a lot of brands are doing fun WM Open themed releases, Puma stepped out with Real Tree from head to toe.

I hope you enjoy!

Maurice Allen

Maurice Allen didn’t just have the cleanest kicks, or the longest iron, or a top-20 finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the opening tournament to the LPGA. He didn’t just have a gallery from the first hole, or J.R. Smith as his playing partner, or an eagle in round 3. He also had the opportunity to continue his most important mission of championing visibility and opportunity for marginalized people in and outside of golf. His bag for the final two rounds was a beautiful and bespoke work of art that served as a reminder “For All Those who Helped Along The Way”. When Maurice first spoke to me about the bag, not just about how cool the design was and the mix of materials, but what it stood for and represented, I was really blown away. This was just a small introduction into the level of outreach and charity that Maurice accomplishes, whether through his golf bag, or his clinics, or his sponsoring of kids in his mentorship program (who last week, were all granted $1000 savings accounts they can’t touch for over a decade). A great golfer, elite long driver, and even better person, it was an absolute pleasure to follow Maurice (and J.R and Pajaree) around on Sunday, and an even greater pleasure to be able to talk and write about the great things he is doing for this world through golf.

TGL Week 5 Preview

TGL day, baby! A few more firsts are happening in this match. It is the first matchup between two teams who have both played a match already, LAGC vs Boston Common. It also is the debut of Tommy Fleetwood, who will be filling in for Sahith Theegala this week. Unfortunately, we will not be seeing the TGL debut of Hideki Matsuyama, who I think would become another fan favorite (even though he plays on Boston). The 1v1 lineups are great, Rory vs Tommy with some Team Europe inter-fighting, Adam vs Collin bringing us the battle of the simulator swing, and Keegan vs Justin will deliver a no-nonsense, may the better golfer win standoff. Pre-season, I had Boston as the best team in the league just on paper, even though I knew in my heart the Jupiter would dismantle them last week. For tonight, I think it will be harder to pick the winner, especially given the fact both of these teams have played in TGL before (LA is 1-0, Boston is 0-1). I know that Rory won Pebble Beach legit two days ago, and he is going to be the talk of the town. But, do not count out the LA boys. Their first TGL performance was a systemic picking apart of Jupiter, who came into TGL lacking the pop in their step that LA carried from the start. With Tommy Fleetwood’s swing entering this pack of smooth swingers, I still think I may have to put LA above Boston tonight. Yes, Boston may have the better team on paper, but when the lights get bright and boos get loud, I think LA may have a better team dynamic to fall down on, including their trash talk and their traveling fans.

Puma x Real Tree

Puma is one of those brands that has always managed to stay part of the game but always on the periphery, not being able to size up to giants like Nike and Adidas. They have some big athletes like Rickie Fowler and LaMelo in basketball, and due to being one of the smaller dogs, they are also more inclined to try new and unique things. While this is nowhere near groundbreaking, Puma has recently come out with an entire line of Realtree print, bringing it to polos, jackets, hats, shoes, and more. How did they forget the socks?

I’m a big fan of Realtree print products, I think it gives a very specific look while also being one of those funny Carhartt type products that were created for a very specific purpose, yet somehow found themselves becoming also a fashion statement. While the all-over Realtree print is definitely the defining feature of the collection, there are a few pieces that handle it more subtlety, like a navy quarter zip with Realtree lining, or the bright orange polo (wonder where that inspiration came from). While I appreciate them leaving room for those who do not want to walk around in perfect forest camouflage, I do think that the best part of Realtree is going all in on the design and playing it up to the max. They definitely did that in the other pieces they put out, and they did enough of that in each sillouhete that they are not taking away from the collection at all. It just seems unnecessary to me to have solid color products in a Realtree SKU collection. Either way, Puma products have recently blown me away with their quality, I got some polos and pants from them the other week, and for $80, that is a price point better than a lot of other brands these days. Puma is definitely one to keep an eye out for in perfectly executing a bit off the cuff like this, and with the recent designs and collaborations they have been doing, I am excited to see where spring and summer take them.

Shop the collection here.

Sun Day Red Spring/Summer

Who needs a groundhog when you have a Tiger? Sun Day Red cares to wait along for Punxsutawney Phil less than Phil Connors, declaring it springtime enough for the release of their first ever spring/summer collection. It is a piece that begs spring through its colors and not much else. There is the familiar SDR red and black, especially around some of the higher quality pieces like the cashmere sweaters and the quarter zip. But, much of the springtime vibe is anchored through the polos and hats. The light blues and pinks mesh well with the white and beige accessories, evoking the feeling of the early morning practices that Tiger performs during the Masters push. The poker chip ball marker is elegant, and I’m happy they decided to go a little unique with the tees, making it worth buying by design other than name, which is a rarity here. The polo prints, while subtle, add a splash of detail to an otherwise noiseless SKU. I love how the hoodies are a bit on the boxy, oversize side, which we do not see so often in the more “traditional” golf clothing space. Not a large collection by any means, they execute on the spring theme in a way that is subtle but not muted, while still including multiple silhouettes and styles of each piece.

I am a fan of SDR, I think that they are on the right track, but they have all their eggs in one basket marketing wise. So much of their entire brand is built on just the fact that these clothes are made for and (in a sense) made by Tiger Woods, which obviously elevates it to a certain standard just by the name and association alone. The products themselves are very high quality, and I am a big fan of the way the polos are cut around the sleeves and collar. But, other than a few details, and the big Tiger Woods aspect, there is not much separating these polos from a majority of the high quality polo companies. To this day, the best products from Sun Day Red (in my opinion) are the ones that stand out from the rest, like the unique ball markers, or the wholly original shoes, or the polos that have soul to them. The polo’s that borrow on designs from Tiger’s past, or reflect outfits he wore in big moments. They seem to have only done this once, calling back to fit from his amateur days, with most others just being the same polo put in different colors or patterns, none being of anything unique.

Most of the spring collection looks supremely nice, high quality materials and detailed, long lasting prints. But, if you take the logos away (remember when SDR first dropped without logos), a lot the products look like they could live on any other website. They used beautiful hues and smart patterning, but nothing about the designs themselves makes the products stand out. While it is smart to base the company on performance and materials, so many others are doing that, and though Tiger is a big plus, I don’t think he is the end all be all for clothing that he can be for equipment, tournaments, etc. Sun Day Red creates clothing where the feel and function is inspired by Tiger, but I believe more should be done where the look is inspired by Tiger as well, at least for the on course clothing. The best pieces from Sun Day Red are the clothes that draw on designs from Tiger’s past, not just the feel, as well as the unique items like the ball markers. As I said before, I am a big fan of this spring/summer collection, and I it feels very much in line with the brand’s vision. But, I think that they are holding themselves back from creating and finding designs that can help give the brand more character while still staying in step with the original SDR vision.

Shop the collection here.

Weekly Advisors

This week’s tip comes from Jose, the head pro at Normandy Shores Golf Course. Jose saw my little pull cut into the TGL screen and immediately had some notes for me, which I welcomed openly. As I noted, my pull cut comes from the fact that I like to throw on top of the ball rather than turning them and meeting the ball on plane. To help combat this, he put me into impact position, not even holding a club, then proceed to pull my trail arm down while lifting my right shoulder up. One of my problems in my swing is my trail shoulder moving up and toward the ball, so feeling this exaggerated movement of it dropping was amazing. It helped me to produce a straighter ball flight, and helped me to introduce a new drill into my arsenal.

Course of the Week

North Shore golf course in Orlando is not your typical Central Florida track. Trading in width for depth, straightness for curvature, this course uses perception and angling to a near-perfect degree, elongating approaches and elevating tee boxes to bring elements of wind and hang time into play. There is not a lot of par 5’s here either, which makes you play a lot smarter, especially given that the copious amounts of par 4’s are so different from each other. Some are shorter and curve around trees while others are long shots that make you tee off straightaway, but fight thought an army of bunkers and water while doing so. It’s not the best greens I’ve ever seen, but they definitely rolled pure and I was able to have one of my better putting days in recent memory at this spot. For anyone in Orlando looking for a public course in a pinch, that won’t put a damper on your pocket, North Shore is your spot.

Brand of the Week

Welcome to a new section here at Weekenders Weekly, where I will be spotlighting a brand in golf, usually a new or emerging one, that caught my eye, released something awesome, or is just dope and you guys should know about it. For the first week, though, I want to use it to talk about a very familiar friend who just hit a gigantic milestone.

Ginormous shoutout to lowercase bags, who after a bombastic week at the PGA Show, has smashed their Kickstarter project goal of 10k, proving what I already knew in how badly the world needs this product, even if they don’t know it yet. If you don’t already know, lowercase bags is a reinvention of the golf bag, not just in terms of look, but function. It is a backpack that holds your laptop, water bottle, and cell phone, but also your tees, balls, and… clubs? Yep, with their proprietary locking system, up to 8 clubs can be secured in the bag, perfect for that subway commute, or the packed sidewalks, or the rolling hills of your local bike trail? These guys have another trick up their sleeve. In a completely unexpected twist, the backpack can also be attached to the side of a bicycle, opening up an entire new realm of possibility in terms of where and how you can go play golf. With a team that is as hardworking as they are pleasant, hundreds of hours in R&D, and beautiful marketing, I knew from the moment I saw it that lowercase bags was primed make waves. I’m glad that I was proven right, even still at the beginning, and I am ecstatic for the future for this brand.

Support the homies here.

Stupid Golf Story

This stupid golf story of the week goes to the starter at a course I will not name, as you will see in a second, but I’ll tell you this; you’d never guess it. As I was getting ready to tee off, I was having a conversation with the starter about lateness at the course (a pet peeve of mine), and he started going off about this one person he was dealing with who was all entitled, annoying, and a bunch of other colorful stuff. Well, as luck would have it, the aforementioned person rolled up in a golf cart past the clubhouse. The starter, mid conversation, walked over to start berating the golfer, yelling at him to not mess with him, not be so stuck up, and to get out of his face. It was a classic old man screaming match, and I was stuck right in the middle. It was definitely an interesting thing to have happen only moments before teeing off, but I am happy to say that I held the fairway.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Weekenders Weekly! Tonight’s TGL action should follow up on the cutthroat action of last week’s, and I am looking forward to getting my first real look at the TV broadcast. Next week TGL is taking a break, but the week after promises to be a doozy with a triple header on Monday and another match on Tuesday! Stay tapped in for more PGA Show content releasing throughout the near future, as well as some more original form content strung across both print and video! We have some cool stuff cooking, including never before seen footage from the Crest Cup! Thanks for following along guys, and go play some golf!