Five months after launching his Sun Day Red collection, Tiger Woods is making some inroads into the lucrative golf apparel market.
A $135 chain-stitch hoodie has been the most popular item in the collection, according to Scott Frost, director of marketing for the line. “That’s the clear winner. Every time we introduce new colors, they sell out.”
In addition to the hoodie, the $115 polo shirts have also been strong sellers, Frost said. “We expect them to be leaders of the business.”
Headwear has also been a standout. Hats, which feature Sun Day Red’s logo, a leaping tiger with 15 stripes meant to reference the 15 majors Woods has won, retail for $40 or $50. “It’s an easy entry point for Tiger fans who used to buy Nike,” Frost said.
Since Sun Day Red debuted, Frost said business “has been very strong.” Although he declined to provide figures, he said sales have exceeded projections.
Sun Day Red launched to the public in May with a tight collection of “athluxury” lifestyle pieces for men such as the hoodie. Polo shirts were introduced in September as part of the brand’s Heritage collection. The shirts are designed to maximize the swing radium with a tail slightly longer than the front so they can stay tucked in. They’re made of polyester-spandex fabrics that offer stretch and prevent water absorption and also include collar stays.
Woods teased Sun Day Red in February when he sported pieces during the Genesis Invitational tournament in Pacific Palisades in California that he hosts. That came shortly after the golfer announced he was severing his ties with Nike after a 27-year relationship. Woods launched Sun Day Red with TaylorMade, his longtime partner for clubs. The brand is run independently from TaylorMade and is headquartered in San Clemente, Calif.
Sun Day Red is sold almost exclusively online but Frost said the company dipped its toe into the wholesale market earlier this month with a pop-up at Pebble Beach, the famed golf course in California where Woods won the U.S. Open in 2000 and hosts the Tiger Woods Invitational and TGR JR Invitational every year.
Frost said the Pebble Beach shop is the first part of a planned move into green grass shops next year, probably in the fall. Expanding beyond that into other retailers such as department stores is also a possibility.
“We’re setting up a wholesale business now. That’s always been the vision,” Frost said.
Last week, Sun Day Red introduced womenswear, launching with a small collection of what Frost described as “elevated essentials” such as long- and short-sleeve polos, lightweight and midweight jackets and quarter-zips, a performance T-shirt and lounge shorts. A full collection is expected for 2026.
Also planned for the future is an expansion into kids and footwear.
A look from the Sun Day Red women’s collection.
BYRUM
Frost said that starting next year, the brand will be on a “more normal cadence,” allowing it to sell beyond its own website. Right now, the company is still in “true start-up mode.” But it has invested in a team, including president Brad Blankinship, an industry veteran who was with Quiksilver and RVCA before joining TaylorMade.
And Woods continues to be intimately involved in the brand, Frost said. “He looks at apparel and footwear as an extension of his equipment,” he said. “The insights he has brought to the brand differentiates us in the market.”
As Woods said at the launch: “I have learned so much over the years and have a lifetime of experience adjusting my apparel and footwear to help me play better based on the way it was constructed. There are things I could tell you that no one knew I was doing over the years. I’m ready to share those secrets with the world.”
One controversy has surfaced, however. In a trademark dispute case, Tigeraire, a Baton Rouge, La.-based company that makes cooling products, filed a motion with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office asking Sun Day Red’s logo application be denied. Tigeraire’s logo also contains a leaping tiger. Sun Day Red responded, saying its logo did not infringe on Tigeraire’s and asked for a dismissal of the claim. At this point, there has not been a resolution. Frost declined to comment on the issue.
