Course of Style: The Fowler Factor

His clothes may be loud and really out there, but Rickie Fowler has had a very beneficial effect on the business of Puma Golf, his apparel sponsor, according to the company’s president, Bob Philion. “The relationship couldn’t be better in terms of positioning,” he said. “He’s young. We’re a young, developing brand. He has an edgy style that’s completely unique.”

Believe it or not, when Fowler wears one of his signature Technicolor outfits in a tournament, sales soar.

“It’s an amazing amount of demand, like you wouldn’t believe,” Philion said, “We have hundreds of calls coming into our customer service people.”

Philion added that Puma's followers on Facebook want to know where they can get what Fowler wears. His orange shirts, hats, and shoes are perfect examples.

“These are not colors every guy could wear,” Philion said. “But we are starting to see strong colors in a lot of other collections.”

Philion said that the saturated orange shade was Fowler’s idea, not Puma’s. (It's the color of Oklahoma State, the school Fowler attended.)

The now familiar “210 Monoline Flat Brim” cap with a dye-cut panther was also made to Fowler’s specifications.

Philion compared the success of Puma’s orange golf clothes to the white driver phenomenon at TaylorMade.

“This industry, like any apparel industry, is extremely trendy,” he added. (Cobra now makes a white driver, too.)

Philion gave Fowler credit for Puma’s “dramatic” business growth in golf apparel.

“Rickie being such a solid player has added a big dose of credibility,” Philion said.

For the U.S. Open, Puma is making a special edition of Fowler’s Cell Fusion Orange shoes ( shown above ), 500 pairs of which will be sold at selected retailers.

Callaway Golf, known for its technically advanced clubs, held a fashion show of its golf apparel and accessories collection this week at the Sheraton Carlsbad, near the company’s headquarters north of San Diego.

The presentation included some cooler, hipper Callaway clothes: slit skirts for women, graphic print shirts for men, and some interesting art prints, like a color-block pattern in which the color bleeds. Callaway calls it the “Rothko” effect, after the abstract impressionist Mark Rothko.

The company is debuting its own version of the “street” or spikeless Ecco golf shoe made famous by Fred Couples. The Callaway version is called the Del Mar, after the coastal town north of San Diego. Ashworth Golf, Couples’ apparel sponsor, also recently introduced a series of casual golf shoes with names like the Encinitas, the Leucadia, and the Cardiff – all towns along the coast north of San Diego. At this rate, they’re soon going to run out of surfer beach towns between Los Angeles and San Diego to name shoes after.

Golf Setup » Street Cred: Youth Movement Afoot In Golf Shoes Market

Fred Couples may be old, but he’s not old-school. One look at his golf shoes tells you that.

The Champions Tour stalwart made quite a statement at the Masters, and we’re not talking about his sixth-place finish. Remarkable as it was, Couples’ play drew only slightly more commentary than his footwear.

Trodding Augusta National’s hallowed fairways in pursuit of a second green jacket, Couples belied his 50 years, greying temples and aching lower back in his ECCO Street Premiere golf shoes. In fact, his bag may as well have had “Sk8r Boi” stamped on the side, so casually cool was Freddie’s look.

ECCO , already known for its fashion-forward approach to golf shoes, took things a step further (sorry) with the Street Premiere. The company describes the model as “street inspired” and encourages buyers to wear the shoes “both on and off the course.”

Try that with your grandfather’s tassled metal spikes.

ECCO ‘s Street Premiere features distressed-leather uppers, a removable Cambrelle-covered insole, and pre-molded traction bars. Pre-molded traction bars? It means that despite the absence of spikes – metal, soft or otherwise – these babies grip the turf like honest-to-goodness golf shoes.

The Dutch company, one of the world’s biggest shoe brands, isn’t the only manufacturer pushing the style envelope. In their never-ending quest for youthful consumers, companies like Nike and Puma offer shoes that would look right at home in a half-pipe.

A quick glance at these industry giants’ unconventional products:

Nike Air Anthem

Unlike ECCO , Nike’s entry is outfitted with spikes. (So much for the bowling alley.) But the Air Anthem kicks tradition to the cart-path curb with a low-profile setup reminiscent of tennis shoes. Built for comfort and waterproof, to boot, the Air Anthem is made from soft synthetic leather, with a full-length Phylon midsole and… suffice it to say you needn’t worry about blisters.

Or looking like a geezer.

Who wears ‘em : Spain’s Pablo Martin, winner of the 2010 Alfred Dunhill Cup

Puma Cell Fusion

We think these shoes are ultra-hip, but don’t take our word for it. Puma’s marketing department ups the cool quotient by stating, “If James Bond played golf, he’d wear this shoe.

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