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by Tim McLain on July 15, 2026
Every golf trade show has its usual suspects: apparel, clubs, bags, balls. But the upcoming PGA Buying Summit's floor plan lately has so much more lifestyle brands that are expanding into golf or have only been in golf for a few years and are now prioritizing it more.
This year's exhibitor list has a genuinely fun mix of brands that don't have a golf-first focus: a smart mug company, Argentine belt makers, western wear, childrenswear, swimwear labels, and mainstream athleisure.
Here's a quick tour of a couple of these brands.
Ember is the company behind the mug that keeps your coffee at the exact temperature you want it, thanks to 31 patents' worth of tech built into the wall of the cup. The lineup has grown well past the original mug: there's a travel mug, a cold tumbler, an espresso cup, and even a monthly coffee subscription club. It's landed in gift guides from Time, GQ, and Good Housekeeping, and it's the kind of gadget that shows up on desks and nightstands as much as clubhouses. The angle here is likely as gifts for tournaments or space on golf shop floors.
Born in Argentina, based in Austin, Zilker Belts built its name on hand-woven gaucho belts made by artisans, sold alongside kids' belts, dog collars, guitar straps, and bolo ties. The brand leans hard into its Texas roots (there are collabs with Austin institutions like Meat Church BBQ and Armadillo World Headquarters), and it already markets custom bulk orders for "PGA and member-guest golf events," so golf buyers aren't exactly new territory for them.
Nokona has been making baseball gloves in Nocona, Texas since 1926, and its ShowBelts line takes that same leathercraft into belts, originally aimed squarely at the baseball world. The belts get worn by MLB players, there are team and All-Star Game editions, and buyers can fully customize their own. It's a good example of a heritage manufacturer stretching its core craft (leatherworking) into a new product category rather than starting from scratch.
Cowboy Hardware has been making western wear for the whole family since 1995, and it's built a reputation as a go-to for kids' western clothing specifically, everything from infant onesies to boys' and girls' jeans, shirts, and outerwear. It also does matching family sets and gear bags.
Iron Oak is a Texas pearl-snap polo brand built around western prints and vintage-inspired styling. It was founded in 2020, so it's a newer brand but golf is already part of the plan: the site has a dedicated "On the Course" golf performance polos line, and Iron Oak just launched a collab with Zilker Belts. Rodeo style and country club style are apparently closer neighbors than you'd think.
Angel Dear is a premium baby and toddler brand out of Livermore, California, best known for its "lovie" security blankets and bamboo-viscose basics with hand-illustrated prints. The catalog is organized into dozens of themed prints, from farm animals to sea creatures to a "Trending Baseball" and "Trending Soccer" lineup, so a golf-themed set fits right into a brand that's constantly rotating in new sport and lifestyle prints for the littlest customers.
Landon James is a boutique kids' clothing label with simple Boys and Girls collections, built around preppy prints and matching sets like the Pink Paisley Set and Coastal Seashell Set. It's a smaller, newer-feeling operation compared to some of the other kids' brands here, the kind of label that's grown through boutique and Instagram-driven sales before showing up at a show like Summit.
Beach Riot is a California swim and activewear brand designed and made in Orange County, known for bright colors and bold prints across swimsuits, leggings, and dresses. It's not just dipping a toe into golf either; there's a full "Golf & Country Club Edit" collection alongside a separate tennis and pickleball line, plus collabs with jewelry designer Logan Tay and DIFF Eyewear for sunglasses. It's clearly betting on the overlap between resortwear, racquet sports, and golf.
Fenix Sportier comes out of the luxury racquet sports world, known for its leather sport visors and clear stadium bags, with dedicated collections for tennis, pickleball, padel, and now golf. Its tagline, "from course to clubhouse," sums up the pitch pretty well: the same accessories that work courtside are being positioned for the fairway too.
FP Movement, Free People's activewear label, focuses on all sorts of sports. It has also placed a bigger emphasis on golf with a full golf shop of its own, over 100 products deep, including polos, skorts, dresses, layering pieces, golf shoes from Lacoste and Duca del Cosma, gloves, club covers, and even a golf journal. There's also a crossover capsule with pro tennis player Emma Navarro that further solidifies how the brand is eyeing the resort marketing.
Fabletics is the big mainstream name in this group, the athleisure brand co-founded in 2013 with Kate Hudson. It's built a business around splashy capsule collaborations (Varsity Spirit, Hydrow, Vanessa Hudgens, Kevin Hart's menswear line) and launched its own tennis collection back in 2022. Its golf collaboration with Malbon is now in its second edition a year after the first launched, following the same playbook the brand has used again and again: partner with a category-relevant name, drop a capsule, and see how far the crossover goes.
From smart mugs to gaucho belts to swimwear, this year's non-golf lineup at Summit is a pretty good snapshot of how wide the golf lifestyle net has gotten.
FAQ
What is Summit, and why are non-golf brands showing up there?
Summit is a golf industry trade show, but its exhibitor list has grown well beyond clubs, balls, and traditional golf apparel. Lifestyle, leather goods, kids' apparel, and athleisure brands are increasingly using the show to reach golf retailers and buyers.
What counts as a "non-traditional golf-first" brand?
These are brands whose core business doesn't focus on golf, think coffee tech, western wear, children's clothing, or swimwear, but that are exhibiting at a golf-specific show, either to test the category or to sell a golf line they've already built.
Which non-golf brands are exhibiting at Summit this year?
The lineup includes Ember Technologies, Zilker Belts, Nokona ShowBelts, Cowboy Hardware, Iron Oak Apparel Co., Ruth and Ralph, Angel Dear, Landon James, Beach Riot, Fenix Sportier, FP Movement, and Fabletics.
Do any of these brands already sell golf-specific products?
Yes. Several, including Iron Oak (golf performance polos), Ruth and Ralph (a golf print collection), Beach Riot (a Golf & Country Club Edit), Fenix Sportier (golf bags and visors), and FP Movement (a 100-plus-product golf shop), already have dedicated golf lines rather than just testing the waters.
Why are lifestyle and apparel brands expanding into golf?
Golf's audience has broadened past traditional golfwear shoppers into resortwear, athleisure, and country-club lifestyle buyers, customers that swim, surf, or racquet-sport brands already reach. Golf capsules are a natural way to meet that same customer in a new setting.
