Founded by 13-year-old golfer Calleigh, Calleigh’s Way was born from years of firsthand experience searching for apparel that combined performance, comfort, and style in a way that truly resonated with young female golfers. In this Vendor Spotlight, Calleigh’s Way shares the inspiration behind the brand, its approach to designing girls’ golf apparel, and why golf shops should take a closer look at the growing opportunity in girls’ golf.
AGM: What is the story behind Calleigh’s Way, and what inspired the creation of the brand?
Calleigh’s Way: Calleigh is a 13 year old girl golfer who began playing the game at age 4. While she loved the game, she (and her parents) always struggled to find clothing for the course that was tailored to both girls and golf. What they could find was bland and boring, and lacked practical needs for a golfer (e.g. pockets). That is why she started Calleigh’s Way, to fill the void that has been present for so long in the fastest growing youth sport. Calleigh’s Way clothes are designed to give girls confidence both on and off the course.
AGM: What details are most important when designing apparel specifically for young female golfers?
Calleigh’s Way: The most important detail is to remember that they are golfers, just like the boys, men and women, so they deserve the same. Calleigh, as a golfer herself, spent years taking note of everything that was missing, deep pockets for a golf ball and tees that are wide enough in the back to hold your yardage book. The addition of a strap on the back for your golf glove so you don’t have to stuff in your waist band or lay it down on the green. And most importantly, utilizing extremely high quality fabrics that create comfort whether walking to the first tee, or hitting the last drive of the day. Calleigh insisted that the clothes were of the best quality on the market, because these young girls deserve the best. Finally, the designs and colors must inspire confidence, while still embracing and reminding girls of the reason they picked up a golf club in the first place; because it is fun!
AGM: How do you approach comfort, fit, and functionality when developing products?
Calleigh’s Way: This was extremely important to Calleigh, which is why it took a long time to launch this first line. She spent time wearing multiple iterations of the different pieces, swinging the club in them, and playing full rounds of golf in the samples. After each iteration she would make minor tweaks and adjustments to ensure that when the final product arrived, and girls wore it for the first time, they would immediately know it was made by a girl golfer, for girl golfers.
AGM: How would you describe the overall style and personality of the Calleigh’s Way collection?
Calleigh’s Way: The clothes are truly redefining girls’ golf apparel with a fearless style that moves with her game, because she deserves gear as dynamic as her talent. There will be no more bland, unisex, one-size-fits-all on the fairway. Calleigh’s Way breaks the mold and throws out the “shrink it and pink it” strategy athletic brands have maintained for years when making girls’ athletic wear. It turns heads, and empowers the next generation to own their game, in their own way.
AGM: Which products from the current collection have been most popular so far, and why do you think they resonate with customers?
Calleigh’s Way: The Chippy Pullover has been a big hit, as Chippy really brings the brand’s fun personality to life. Girls have also loved the joggers, as it is often the first time they have had a really comfortable and practical pants option on the course. However, the best selling outfit has been the Pristine Green Teed up Sleeveless and Birdie Skirt. I think that girls like the bold and bright colors with the fun golf course design on the shirt and the integration of the highlighter yellow that complements it on the skirt.
AGM: What does the product development process look like for a new collection or design?
Calleigh’s Way: This is where the most fun happens! Calleigh is always thinking of ideas for new pieces, but she wants all the girls to be part of the brand, which is why she created “Calleigh’s Way, Your Way”. This allows girls to submit ideas, designs, sketches, etc. on our website. Calleigh reviews all of them, and you will see in the coming line expansion some new pieces that are named after the girl who submitted the idea on the site that Calleigh loved.
AGM: What has been most important in building a product line that is both scalable and consistent in quality?
Calleigh’s Way: At Calleigh’s Way we think about this very similarly to how she thinks about her swing:, don’t be quick. When you are quick, you make small mistakes that can lead to poor outcomes. Maintaining consistency with going through your routine and having great tempo results in pure shots. We take that same mentality. Going through the same, repeatable routine without rushing or cutting corners may take a little bit longer, but the results are what we want to stand behind as a brand. We also have a great advantage: our clothes are designed by Calleigh, so every piece you see in our lineup has been worn by her and her golf friends numerous times before it ever goes into full production. If the girls find any issues with any piece, or find a way to better optimize the piece, the change is made before going into production. Again, this takes more time, but quality has to always be first and foremost.
AGM: For golf shops interested in carrying Calleigh’s Way, what support or partnership opportunities do you offer retailers?
Calleigh’s Way: Currently, we have excellent wholesale pricing for golf shops. In addition to that, we are announcing that for AGM members, they will receive an exclusive additional 5% of our wholesale pricing. Also, as a new company filling a large void in the golf clothing space, we are creative and flexible, so we want to be a great partner. As such, we are open to all creative ideas from our partners.
AGM: What opportunities do you see for golf shops looking to expand their offerings for girls and young golfers?
Calleigh’s Way: I think they really need to remember the difference between their buyer and end user. Our buyers are parents and grandparents. We frequently hear “we never sell much youth clothing” or “we don’t have a lot of youth golfers”, both of which are understandable. However, until now, they didn’t have the opportunity to sell high quality youth clothing; something on which they would be proud to display their logo. They also are not thinking about all the Dad’s at their course, away from their family, playing golf with their buddies. Those Dad’s desperately want to spend money in the pro shop to buy something for their daughter or even wife that are not there with them. For men, this is a solution to their guilt! Calleigh’s dad has bought her boys’ quarter zips or women’s extra small polos from all over the country (the former were clearly boys or boring, the latter rarely fit), but continued to do so solely because it gave him something to bring home to his daughter from the course he was playing. He is not alone, and there is an enormous and growing market of Dad’s and grandfathers just like him. So in short, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a big youth program, or haven’t sold much youth clothing in the past, the times are different today and you don’t want to miss this opportunity to substantially increase your sales at excellent gross margins. We can all draw many parallels to things we didn’t buy because of past history without looking at the actual current trends and numbers, but had we looked at them we realized we passed on a tremendous revenue opportunity.
AGM: What message would you like to leave with AGM merchandisers about Calleigh’s Way?
Calleigh’s Way: Calleigh’s Way is a one of a kind company: a girls’ youth golf clothing line designed by a girl golfer. The clothes are unique, practical, and of the highest quality. With the tremendous growth in junior golf, and specifically in girls’ golf, this is an excellent opportunity to add something unique to your shop that will be a huge draw to both parents, vacationers, and girls that will also be an excellent revenue generator for your store. If your course frequently hosts traveling guests, Calleigh’s Way will fill a gap currently missing in your pro shop; an item to make a parent feel less guilty about being away from their children on a golf trip. Bringing their daughters home a great outfit or quarter zip from Calleigh’s Way with your course logo will ensure they get voted best mom/dad! Be ahead of the trend. Order Calleigh’s Way today.
Conclusion
As participation in junior and girls’ golf continues to expand, so does the demand for products designed specifically for these players. Calleigh’s Way was created to meet that need, combining thoughtful functionality, good quality, and youthful style in a way that reflects the real experiences of young golfers.
AGM members are encouraged to learn more about Calleigh’s Way by visiting their website at https://calleighsway.com or by contacting 1-727-247-5716. For more contact information, check out their AGM vendor page.
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