PinkCaddi: Changing the Look of Golf
Cathy Le’s background characteristics don’t add up to the stereotypical golfer. Le’s family does not belong to a country club. The daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, Le was the first in her family to graduate from college.
PinkCaddi, Le’s playful golf clothing line, is dressing young women like herself who represent the changing face of women’s golf.
Tiger Woods is to be credited for the rising awareness about golf to the general public, and female golf superstars Michelle Wie and Annika Sorenstam have encouraged young females from diverse backgrounds to participate.
Le said a similar movement of popularity happened in women’s tennis when Anna Kournikova and Venus and Serena Williams came onto the scene.
“[The] individual personality [of these tennis stars] complemented and added to the excitement of the game and that’s what you’re seeing with women’s golf,” Le said. “You’re starting to see personalities through these golf professionals and through clothes is how they express it.”
A study titled “What Women Want in Golf,” conducted by Golf 20/20, a program initiated by the World Golf Foundation, found that in the last five years, there was a 10.7 percent increase in women occasional golfers and a 1.8 percent increase in core women golfers. Both of these statistics surpass the percentage increase in male golfers.
As a recreational golfer who was introduced to the sport by a friend, Le saw that the number of young female golfers was growing, as was the demand for fashionable golf clothing. For an assignment, Le developed the business plan for PinkCaddi while she was attending the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Other companies have emerged to fill a similar niche, including San Francisco–based Birdie, and big-name athletic brands like Puma have added women’s golf apparel to their offerings. Le launched PinkCaddi for Spring 2005.
According to Le, dress codes vary depending on the golf course, but in general there are rules specifying required skirt and short lengths and shirt collars. Le designed PinkCaddi with functionality first and added cute design details in fun colors to update the staple polo shirt and Bermuda shorts.
For a bamboo-knit polo shirt, Le adds a keyholestyle cut-out for design interest and shirring on the sleeves for flexibility. A cotton/Lycra polo shirt with diagonal buttons, which resembles a traditional Chinese dress, features tee holders on the shoulder. A cotton/Lycra pleated skirt features built-in shorts and a hidden side pocket to store tees, gloves or markers.
Wholesale price points range from $30 for a sleeveless cotton/Lycra tank, $55 for a bamboo wrap shirt dress and $85 for a nylon ripstop windbreaker.
The line has primarily been sold to country clubs, golf pro shops and specialty boutiques in close proximity to golf courses, but Le is targeting ready-to-wear boutiques as well.
For more information, call (323) 930-1345 or visit www.pinkcaddi.com. —Rhea Cortado
