Our take on custom headwear in the golf industry
1. Why Branded Headwear & Apparel Matters in Golf
I’m a lifelong golfer. Some of my earliest memories are on the course with my dad and grandfather. They’d hit their tee shots, drive up to the start of the fairway, and let me out with a club and a ball. While they went to find their shots, my job was simple: hit the ball, chase it, hit it again — repeating the process until I either caught up to them on the green or they finished the hole and doubled back to pick me up so we could do it all over again.
I’ve loved the game ever since. I was fortunate enough to have some college paid for through golf, and during summer breaks I caddied at The Kingsley Club — a place I’m still tied to today. This coming spring will mark my 15th season looping there. In short, I’ve been around the game for most of my life, in just about every way you can imagine.
That background matters when we talk about branded headwear and apparel in golf, because golfers don’t wear branded gear by accident. They wear it for one of two reasons: they have to, or they want to.
A golfer might wear a Titleist hat because their first-ever birdie was made with a Titleist ball. They’ll wear an Arcadia Bluffs polo because they understand it’s one of the top public courses in Michigan — and they want to show that they played it. That Holderness & Bourne pullover they bought at Crystal Downs the one time a buddy’s grandfather invited them along? They didn’t even look at the price tag. That was one of the best days of their life.
In golf, branded apparel isn’t about the product — it’s about the experience behind it. People buy and wear gear because it represents a moment, a place, or a story they’re proud of.
That’s where our job comes in: to bring that experience to life through headwear and apparel people actually want to wear.
2. Common Mistakes We See Brands Make
One of the most common mistakes we see is brands trying to be something they’re not. Not every golf course can — or should — be the “best” at whatever category you can think of, and that’s perfectly okay. The goal isn’t to appeal to everyone; it’s to resonate with your golfer.
The biggest factor in successful headwear and apparel is alignment with your customer base. A municipal course on the east side of Northern Michigan serves a very different golfer than a private club. If I walk into a muni pro shop, I expect to see practical, versatile gear — maybe even a few camo options that can double as hunting hats. On the other hand, a place like Walloon Country Club should offer apparel that feels right next to brands like Vineyard Vines, where style and polish are part of the experience.
When branded gear misses the mark, it’s usually because the product was chosen first and the customer was an afterthought. The best merch programs start by understanding who your golfers are, how they live, and where they’ll actually wear the gear — then selecting headwear and apparel that fits naturally into that lifestyle.
3. How TapCap fits into the golf industry
Merch & Brand Ambassadors (Before and After the Round)
The goal of every golf course is to increase the number of tee times booked while maximizing the experience of each golfer — not an easy task, since many would argue those two goals are often at odds. TapCap is designed to help courses pursue both at the same time, not by pushing more messaging, but by empowering the people already most connected to the brand.
The golfers who buy your merchandise are your most loyal ambassadors. They’re proud to represent your course, proud of the round they played, and proud of the experience they had while they were there. That pride is exactly what makes TapCap effective. By embedding a simple tap-to-connect experience into the gear they already choose to wear, you give those golfers an easy way to carry your brand into their own communities.
With a simple tap, TapCap can guide golfers back to what matters most — booking future tee times, exploring a course guide, staying up to date on events, or leaving reviews that share their experience with the rest of the world. Instead of asking golfers to search, scan, or remember links, the connection happens naturally through the apparel they already associate with a great day on the course.
TapCap doesn’t compete with the on-course experience — it extends it, creating engagement without interruption and encouraging golfers to return again and again.
To see a sample of what a golf courses’ TapCap landing page would look like click here!
The Caddie Yard (Where TapCap Was Born)
The caddie yard is where the idea for TapCap originated. As a society, we’re moving further and further away from cash. Venmo, Cash App, and similar platforms have become common tipping methods — but the experience hasn’t caught up yet.
Trying to spell out a Venmo username to an entire foursome isn’t effective. QR codes on a bright, sunny day? Even worse. And tipping culture itself has become increasingly ambiguous, leaving golfers unsure whether they tipped enough — or too much.
This is where TapCap shines. A simple tap on a caddie’s hat launches a landing page with everything a golfer needs in one place. One click takes them directly to Venmo or Cash App. Even better, clubs can clearly outline their tipping procedures so expectations are transparent and consistent.
TapCap removes the awkwardness, eliminates confusion, and makes tipping clear, comfortable, and fair for everyone involved.
Events & Outings (Peak Chaos, Peak Opportunity)
Events are often the most hectic days of the golf season. Large groups arriving at once require significant planning, extra staff, and plenty of effort just to keep things moving smoothly.
TapCap can play an unexpected role here — even as something as simple as a door prize. As more events shift toward digital scorecards and live leaderboards, many golfers are being asked to adopt new technology they aren’t comfortable with. By preloading scoring software directly into a TapCap, golfers can access their scorecard with a single tap — all they need to do is enter their starting hole.
Sponsorship is another major opportunity. Events are typically funded by sponsors, with the largest sponsor earning naming rights and smaller sponsors getting signage on tee boxes. The challenge has always been proving ROI.
With TapCap, sponsors can be featured directly on the landing page or a dedicated sponsor page. Custom URL tags allow sponsors to track how many clicks they receive, providing real data on engagement and visibility.
That’s a much easier sell than, “Your logo will be hanging on the 13th tee box.”
And unlike a tee sign, TapCap sponsorship lives on long after the event is over.
The Bigger Picture
TapCap isn’t a single-use solution — it’s a flexible tool that can support multiple areas of a golf operation without adding friction. Whether it’s merchandise, caddie interaction, or large-scale events, the common thread is the same: meet golfers where they already are, using tools that feel natural and intuitive.
4. Quantity, Reorders & Long-Term Planning
When it comes to custom headwear and apparel, the goal is simple: get the most value out of every order. Like any well-run business, golf courses need to balance quality, margin, and demand — and that’s becoming more challenging as the cost of custom gear continues to rise.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen consistent increases across headwear and apparel pricing. Styles that were once considered entry-level have climbed steadily, and when those increases compound through decoration and resale margins, they can put real pressure on both the course and the golfer. The result is higher price sensitivity and tougher decisions around what merch makes sense to stock.
Most golf courses place two to three merchandise orders per season, driven by turnover, events, and seasonal demand. Because of that, ordering once and hoping it lasts the year rarely works. Instead, the most effective approach is planning for replenishment from the start.
One of the best ways to do this is by ordering more patches than hats upfront, especially when it allows you to hit a pricing break. Any unused patches can be held and applied to future orders, allowing you to restock quickly without redoing artwork or paying higher per-unit costs. With our wholesalers offering fast turnaround, this keeps pro shops stocked without overcommitting to inventory.
Variety is important in golf merchandise, but it doesn’t always need to come from entirely new designs. We often recommend creating variety by rotating headwear styles and brands across the same patch, rather than constantly introducing new logos. This approach keeps offerings fresh, controls costs, and allows courses to present a diverse assortment while maintaining consistency in branding.
The end goal is simple: maximize flexibility, protect margins, and make reordering easy — so your merch program works as smoothly as the rest of the golf operation.
5. Final Thoughts: Experience First, Always
At its core, golf has always been about experience. The courses we remember, the gear we keep, and the brands we choose to wear are all tied to moments that mattered to us. Branded headwear and apparel only works in golf when it honors that reality.
TapCap isn’t about adding more technology to the game — it’s about using technology responsibly, in ways that feel natural and invisible to the golfer. Whether it’s extending the life of a great round through merchandise, removing friction in the caddie yard, improving communication during events, or helping courses think more strategically about inventory and reorders, the goal is always the same: support the experience, don’t interrupt it.
When headwear, apparel, and TapCap are planned with intention, they stop being one-off purchases and start becoming part of a larger ecosystem — one that serves golfers, staff, sponsors, and the operation as a whole. That’s how brands earn loyalty in golf. Not by shouting louder, but by showing up in the right places, at the right times, in ways that feel earned.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: the best merch programs don’t start with products — they start with people and the experiences they’re proud to carry with them.
-Your hat Caddies
