Feature
Beyond the big logos: five smaller golf labels worth discovering
From a British label making quilted jackets out of old fishing nets to an Oregon workshop sewing waxed-canvas headcovers, five founder-led golf brands and one autumn piece from each.
A husband-and-wife workshop in Oregon, two college teammates from Morehouse and a Swedish golfer who once played 153 holes in jeans are behind three of the five smaller, founder-led golf labels below.
For each we’ve picked one autumn piece and a cheaper way in. Prices are taken from the brands’ websites at the time of writing, in the currency each one uses.
Manors Golf (UK): Argyle Pertex Jacket, £275
Manors’ pitch is that where golf takes you matters more than strokes gained. The new Argyle Pertex Jacket is the pick of its autumn range. The outer is Pertex Quantum NetPlus, a recycled nylon made from discarded fishing nets, and the fill is PrimaLoft ThermoPlume, a recycled synthetic that the brand says behaves like goose down for warmth and packability.
Manors describes the shell as water repellent and windproof, with stretch panels under the arms, a two-way zip, two chest pockets and concealed side pockets for cold hands. It comes in Black or Clay. It’s not sold as a waterproof, so keep a rain shell in the bag.
The cheaper way in is the Crewneck Polartec Fleece at £130, cut from Polartec 100 with vintage-style ribbing at the collar.
Argyle Pertex Jacket at Manors
Seamus Golf (USA): Countryman Waxed Canvas headcovers, from $100
Seamus started in a garage in 2011. Akbar Chisti, a former caddie at Bandon Dunes, had a tartan headcover from Royal Troon that was falling apart; his wife Megan, a womenswear designer, decided she could make a better one. Bandon Dunes placed the first order, and the Oregon brand, named after the family’s Irish terrier, now says every piece is designed, cut, sewn and packaged by hand.
Tartan wool is the house speciality, but for autumn we’d look at the Countryman range in waxed canvas. Seamus says the wax is worked into the fabric rather than coated on top, which gives it lasting resistance to wet weather and lets it build a worn-in patina over time. The Sage version pairs tan canvas with chocolate leather and a brown fleece lining. The fairway cover is $110 and the hybrid cover, which is half leather and half canvas, is $100. Skyfall Grey and Midnight Navy are the other colours.
Photo: Seamus Golf
Countryman Waxed Canvas Fairway at Seamus Golf
Eastside Golf (USA): Links Sweater, $128
Eastside Golf is the work of Olajuwon Ajanaku, who grew up in East Atlanta and earned a golf scholarship to Morehouse College, and his college teammate Earl A. Cooper, now a PGA Professional. The pair won a national championship together at Morehouse, and the brand they built mixes golf with streetwear: bold prints and big colours.
The Links Sweater is the quieter side of the range and, for autumn, the more useful one. It’s a soft premium knit in a classic fit, available in Prime Green and Wild Grape.
On a smaller budget, the Knit Beanie in Wild Grape is $55, a simple acrylic beanie for cold mornings on the course or off it.
Links Sweater at Eastside Golf
Foray Golf (USA): Double Layer Anorak, $220
Megan LaMothe founded Foray in 2016 on a simple idea: women’s golf clothing should get the same design attention as the rest of a woman’s wardrobe. Collections are limited and start from fashion rather than from the golf catalogue, and the name comes from her daughter, Rae.
The Double Layer Anorak is the most adaptable piece here. It’s a water-resistant outer shell with a removable hooded vest inside, so you can wear the two together on a raw day, the shell alone in a shower, or the vest on its own when it’s merely brisk. Foray calls it “one coat, three ways”. The cut is longer than a typical golf jacket for extra cover, with an adjustable waist so it doesn’t swamp you. It comes in Hazelnut.
The Full Zip Sweater Jacket ($160) is the softer alternative: a ribbed knit in washable technical yarn with a two-way zip, pockets and a high collar you can fold down, structured enough to wear as a light outer layer.
Double Layer Anorak at Foray Golf
Abacus (Sweden): Links Stretch Rainjacket, €169.90
Abacus founder Sven-Olof Karlsson set a world record in 1977 by playing 153 holes in a day, dressed in jeans and a cotton polo, and decided golfers deserved better clothing, according to the brand. Clothing that copes with bad weather has been its focus ever since.
The Links Stretch Rainjacket is the sensible entry to the range: a traditional woven waterproof with a mesh lining and Velcro cuffs. Abacus lists it at 10,000mm waterproofing and 10,000g/m²/24h breathability, with two-way stretch to follow your turn and a PFC-free water-repellent finish. The fit is generous, with adjustable waist, neck and sleeves. Those numbers sit at the everyday end of the rain-jacket scale rather than the storm-proof end, which suits golfers who play through showers more than sideways downpours.
The men’s jacket comes in Navy or Black. The women’s Links Stretch Rainjacket is €149.90, and the matching men’s Links rain trousers are €129.90, with legs that adjust by two inches so the hem neither drags nor leaves a gap above your shoes.
Links Stretch Rainjacket at Abacus
Ordering from abroad
None of these is a budget brand. When ordering direct from another country, check sizing, returns, shipping and import charges before you buy.
Sources
- Manors Golf: Argyle Pertex Jacket
- Manors Golf: Crewneck Polartec Fleece
- Manors Golf: About
- Seamus Golf: Countryman Waxed Canvas Fairway, Sage
- Seamus Golf: Countryman Waxed Canvas Hybrid, Sage
- Seamus Golf: Our story
- Seamus Golf: About us
- Eastside Golf: Links Sweater
- Eastside Golf: Wild Grape Knit Beanie
- Eastside Golf: About us
- Foray Golf: Double Layer Anorak
- Foray Golf: Full Zip Sweater Jacket
- Foray Golf: About
- Abacus: Mens Links Stretch Rainjacket
- Abacus: Lds Links Stretch Rainjacket
- Abacus: Mens Links Raintrousers
- Abacus: About
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