The PGA Tour Fan Shop will be the same size as at last year’s Players Championship, 40,000 square feet.
But the changes are on the inside, starting with presentation and continuing with new products, new lines and expanded use of the “city pride” concept in sports apparel no shortage of shirts and hats commemorating the star of the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, the 17th hole’s Island Green.
And another feature of the Fan Shop: it’s going to open early again. Players Championship fans can get an early jump on their shopping on Friday, Saturday and Sunday when the Fan Shop, located just inside the main entrance to The Players off the general parking lot, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fans can park free in the lot off State Road 210 and do not have to have Players tickets on those days and hours. In addition to visiting the Fan Shop, fans can take swings at the replica of the 17th hole, grab a bite at food trucks and meet members of the Roar of the Jaguars and mascot Jaxson de Ville.
The shopping experience will start with a new feature that will make it easier to find products: products from all brands will be placed in the same area. For example, Bar Stool Sports hats, T-shirts and pullovers will be grouped together.
“We have new fixtures, new shelves … it all looks beautiful,” said Lea Oso, the PGA Tour’s Director of Merchandising. “The way we can put a product together is different. We can tell more of a story about a brand than just hang things up.”
What are the new brands?
The PGA Fan Shop will feature a number of new men’s apparel lines from Rhoback, Bad Birdie, Swannie’s, Good Good and the Sugarloaf Social Club.
Two new lines that originate on the First Coast are Ellsworth & Ivey for women’s apparel and LaFavre, which specializes in custom corduroy hats, T-shirts and jackets. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been spotted in public wearing a Players LaFavre hat.
The Fan Shop will continue to carry popular lines such as Peter Millar, Lily Pulitzer and Vineyard Vines.
Osol said the headwear area has been expanded even more.
“People come in and always gravitate to the headwear section,” she said. “We have more of them every year.”
What about the non-golfer?
Osol said PGA Fan Shops at all Tour sites began testing active wear for women who may not play golf.
“We started bringing in more lifestyle pieces, things women would want to wear beyond the golf course and in daily life, and that did really well for us.”
Now, the Fan Shops are expanding that to include youth apparel, made by brands such as Flomotion and Johnny O.
“Youth apparel is usually bought by mom and dad or grandparents,” Osol said. “We’ve tested how it would see if we gave them more of an assortment of lifestyle pieces for youth and it’s done very, very well.”
One brand in particular, Peter Millar, offers the same style of shirt for adults and youth, so families can dress alike on and off the golf course.
Local loyalty items do well
A few years ago, the PGA Tour Fan Shop began carrying shirts and headwear with local themes: First Coast, Jax, PVB (Ponte Vedra Beach) and 904 (for the area code).
It was a trend that began in team sports when players in the NBA and Major League Baseball began wearing the “City Pride” uniforms, which were then branded on clothing for fans.
The items have been just as big a hit at The Players.
“We will continue to lean into our local merchandise,” Osol said. “Those things resonate with the local community, along with beach themes such as Island Time. Our locals take such pride and ownership in The Players, and it’s giving them a product they wear to the beach, shopping and Jaguars games, and show off their community.”
The Island Green is represented
Other items that have sold well in the past are anything depicting the par-3 17th hole’s Island Green.
This year, some items are almost laugh-out loud humorous, such as a T-shirt branded: “17th hole Dive Team,” with two alligators holding golf balls in their mouths surrounding a human hand sticking out of water, holding a ball.
Another is a Nike product with a diver standing next to the Island Green with the words: “Scuba-Ted’s Golf Ball Retrieval Service.”
There’s also a shirt with an aerial view of the Island Green and a lone golf ball suspended in mid-air above it.
“Our creative services and design teams have worked very well with the brand teams to meld together our Players products,” Osol said. “And the graphics get better every year.
What else: Hats, cups, flags
The Fan Shop also will carry the basics of any golf merchandise center: golf balls, tee markers, pin flags, all assortments of glasses, cups, coffee mugs and cocktail glasses and head covers.
Two key additions to the non-apparel section will be a larger version of a Players pin flag, suitable for hanging outside a home like college or pro football banners, and a large assortment of stuffed animals.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Tour Fan Shop has an early opening in advance of Players Championship
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