Cyclonic Golf starts new apparel line
September 3, 2004
The folks at Cyclonic Golf must really enjoy working in a highly competitive environment.
The Lewes company already earned a growing reputation for their fashionable yet functional golf shoes. Now it has branched out into an even more cutthroat part of the fashion industry, with new lines of golf apparel that made their first appearance at the 2004 PGA Merchandise show.
Cyclonic Golf is expanding to offer a new line of golf fashions. Shown above are three of the shirt styles.
The company’s website describes the latest venture in these words: “Targeted to golfers with a modern sense of style, Cyclonic shoes and now the new apparel re-interpret golf’s tradition of style and performance in a twenty-first century context for a new generation hitting the links.”
The Cyclonic staffers I interviewed recently continued the same theme during their discussion of the new products.
John Sarver is the sales coordinator. The former DuPont Company retiree was clearly excited by Cyclonic’s prospects, despite the competition from better-known golf apparel companies such as LaCoste, Ashworth, and Nike. “Our pants and shirts are designed to complement our golf shoes. I think they do it very well. We started talking about expanding into clothing about a year ago, and we were ready for the PGA show in January.”
Sarver wore one of their blue plaid full-button front models, which also featured a button-down collar. “Some folks might think this shirt isn’t suitable for golf, since it opens all the way instead of the usual three or four button plaquet you see on most golf shirts. We like to tell people this style works not only on the golf course, but also on the 19th hole,” he grinned.
I was intrigued by the unique three-symbol logo that appears on the collars or shirtsleeves of the new shirts. Sarver’s explanation was simple and obvious, once he showed me.
“Those are the three parts of the patented soles for our shoes,” he said, as he held up a Cyclonic shoe next to one of the shirts. “The bar on the shirt is the same as the stabilizer on the shoe, the triangle is the same size, and the third part of the logo shows the soft-spikes.”
Administrative assistant Loretta Ross said their zipper-front shirts are already a hot item among younger golfers, some of whom are what she called “our groupies.”
“We have several customers who are just really excited about our fashions. They tell all their friends. One guy in Texas is putting together a charity golf tournament in Dallas, and he’s put in orders for a lot of our stuff.”
All of the shirts are short-sleeved, made of 100% cotton, and in either a pique or jersey weave. The zipper-front shirts open up a full 6 inches from the top. The jersey shirts have a four-button front, with side slits along the bottom edge. The two-button pique models also use side slits. All three models are available in solid colors including heather gray, white, navy, and sky blue, and the suggested retail price is $28.
Ross and Sarver were also proud of their new line of pants, which are also 100% cotton. The initial lines were offered in six colors, but the marketplace reaction quickly caused them to limit the color schemes to sand, khaki, white, and navy.
I asked them where the white pants sold, since that’s not a color often seen around the men’s tees at Cape Region golf courses. Ross said, “The whites sell really well in California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Arizona, and the Philippines.”
Ross also showed me the special cell-phone pocket that is set about mid-thigh on the plain-front pants. The two regular back pockets have Velcro flaps, and the two front side slash pockets should provide easy access. The suggested retail price is $48.
Sarver said their golf shoes also continue to sell well, both at their internet site and at retail outlets such as Clubhouse Golf on Rehoboth Avenue. The two top-selling lines are the Finley, a slip-ons in black leather with grey topstitching, and the Logan, modern white lace-ups with charcoal accent stitching.
For more information, call 302-644-7001 or go to the web at www.cyclonicgolf.com.