Will non-golfers gravitate toward luxury golf apparel? PXG thinks so

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On Friday, PXG — the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based golf equipment and apparel brand — launched a company first: a pop-up apparel store, located in the newly-renovated luxury wing of Scottsdale’s Fashion Square mall.

While PXG operates more than two-dozen brick-and-mortar outposts worldwide, the Scottsdale pop-up is the first to feature apparel only — no equipment. The placement of the storefront is intentional: Scottsdale Fashion Square is a premier shopping destination in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. The mall has undergone a renaissance in recent years, investing in new restaurant space and renovating existing corridors. For PXG, sandwiched between neighbors like luxury brands Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace, the hope is to attract a high-end customer who may not even necessarily play golf, said PXG Apparel’s president and executive creative director Renee Parsons, who recently took on a new role as PXG’s CMO, and will lead the brand’s marketing globally.

“We wanted to differentiate and identify the apparel side of the business for our consumers, and also create more awareness that we even have apparel as a brand,” Parsons said ahead of the pop-up’s grand opening. “And so by doing so, we were like, okay, this spot is super visible. You’re in front of a lot of consumers, different kinds of people, some of them are non-golfers. Some of them won’t even know what PXG is, some will know what PXG is but they won’t know that we even have apparel. So this is an opportunity for us to put this product offering for PXG front and center and have a standalone boutique with just these products in it.”

PXG Apparel’s design philosophy is centered around creating luxury pieces that are not only appropriate for golf, but also transition seamlessly into other environments, like errands and restaurants — an aesthetic that Parsons is expecting to resonate with Fashion Square’s clientele.

The pop-up is brightly lit and luxuriously appointed, and feels more like a permanent fixture than a temporary storefront. Depending on how things go in the coming months, the pop-up could, in theory, extend its lease. But Parsons said the pop-up’s placement is intended as more of marketing opportunity for brand awareness, aligning with the height of the Arizona golf and tourist season and the area’s accompanying events, like the upcoming WM Phoenix Open.

“We think this is the right time to do this and to expose our brand to new and different people,” Parsons said. “Customers want that in-person experience, they want to engage with the brands, they want to touch and feel the products. And for our brand it’s really important, because our products are elevated, especially in the golf space, and it’s hard to convey that on a website.”

Parsons is a golfer, too, and is not only actively involved in the design process of each new collection, but also wears the items on and off the course. The performance element of each piece in a given collection is a core priority.

“I’m a golfer. So we talk about that when we design collections,” she said. “Each piece has to be able to function and perform on the course.”

To help promote the pop up’s opening, PXG had a number of special events and giveaways planned over the next few months — including a grand-prize giveaway of an electric Moke — valued at more than $25,000 — to a lucky shopper. The Moke is currently on display at the pop-up’s entrance.

For for information on PXG Apparel and the pop-up store, click here, and take a look inside the Scottsdale pop-up by scrolling through the photos below.