14
Nov
Nov
The PGA holiday gift guide features several hot Sunfish items this year. Need some great gift ideas for the golfer in your life? Check out some of the great Sunfish selections here!
10
Nov
Nov
Review URL: http://www.thehackersparadise.com/company-spotlight-sunfish/
By Ryan Hawk
In an increasingly crowded head cover market, Sunfish is trying to set themselves apart not only with unique designs, but also exceptional quality, numerous custom options, and affordable pricing. Friends and co-owners David Riggs and Alonzo Guess combined experience in fashion, marketing, product development and graphic design to launch Sunfish and have recently added new products to an already impressive lineup.
Guess says that his company’s versatility is one of its greatest assets “when it comes to customizing our products for our customers, whether it’s one person or an account ordering several hundred items for a golf tournament.” Two of the sample items Sunfish supplied to THP show their capability in this regard, with a custom logo embroidered on both a leather and knit wool head cover. Building on that, Guess states that, “our prices are much better than others in the industry.” A quick review of the company’s website shows they do indeed offer a very attractive price for custom work, with custom wool head covers starting around $30 and leather ones around $45.
Recently adding leather products to their lineup drastically increased the amount of options available to consumers. Leather driver covers (non-custom) start at $40 and are made of 100% handmade leather in seven different colors. In addition, hybrid, fairway wood, and putter covers are also available in leather for a slightly lower cost. A variety of brands were covered using both a driver and hybrid cover from the leather line and they fit well, looked great, and didn’t take up much room in the golf bag.
In January 2015, Sunfish added “a line of hand-stitched leather scorecard/yardage book holders, available in a range of styles, and with custom embroidery available.” THP took a look at the Alligator Maroon version (one of eight options available) and it seems to be a well designed, sturdy option for (again) a very low price point of $39.99. The scorecard holder was vibrant in color, had a robust backing material inside for support, and enough elastic bands that one could arrange it in just about any way imaginable. Guess notes that, “We seem to be the only ones offering this product with embroidery.”
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Not to be ignored are the numerous wool options Sunfish offers. Standard sock-style headcovers are available in dozens of color combinations, as are animal designs. These covers are all made of New Zealand wool, are all 100% hand knit, and start at around $30 each. The animal designs were quirky and fun to have in the bag, and the choice of either pom or tassle tops is available via custom order on the sock versions. One thing that was highly appreciated with the knit offerings was the thin bottom portion that easily went down into the golf bag, thereby protecting fragile graphite shaft finishes.
Guess and Riggs are highly invested in making their customers happy and appear to have attracted a decent size following already. They are active in various social media channels and seem to be introducing new designs daily, often with customer input.
“We would not be here if it weren’t for our customers, and we learn from them every day. Customer feedback is a critical part of the development of our products and service. We welcome comments, questions, concerns, and even new product ideas. Reach out to us and let us know what’s on your mind!”
More information on Sunfish headcovers and accessories can be found on the company’s website, www.sunfishsales.com.
09
Nov
Nov
Check out the full article on Golf Digest here!
Purchase the Fly the W headcover here!
What do you do when your favorite team wins a championship? Buy some new gear, of course. But what do you do when your favorite team wins a championship for the first time in 108 years? Buy LOTS of gear.
Since the Chicago Cubs won the World Series on Wednesday night, the team’s fans around the country have been gobbling up keepsakes to commemorate the long-awaited title. So if you’re a Cubs fan who also happens to be a golfer, this Sunfish headcover seems like a no-brainer:
“#HOLYCOW!” Check out our “#FlytheW” headcover in celebration of the #Cub‘s #WorldSeries win:https://t.co/ptCthlpiof#golf #baseball pic.twitter.com/adqcgmI7pu
— Sunfish (@sunfishsales) November 3, 2016
The “W.” The Chicago flag. The Harry Caray caricature. That’s a sharp-looking headcover right there.
Sunfish says to allow three-to-four weeks for delivery, but we know Cubs fans will be patient. After all, they’ve been waiting for more than a century to celebrate.
12
Jul
Jul
One of the reasons many golfers spend so much time perfecting everything about their bag? It says a lot about their game, as well as who they are off the course.
Nashville-based Sunfish is known for its wool head covers, but in recent years the company has expanded into leather head covers, cash covers and scorebook/yardage book holders. We spoke with Sunfish Co-Founder Alonzo Guess and Minister of Marketing Nathan Stiteler about the company’s growth, and what it’s doing to help golfers get the perfect gear for their game.
WRX: Custom golf clubs have increased in popularity in recent years. Is the same true for custom golf accessories?
Alonzo: We are definitely seeing a trend toward more customized accessories, for on andoff the course. It’s been great working with our customers to expand our range of custom options in response to this demand. We take feedback very seriously when considering new product offerings. Many of our design decisions are made based on feedback we see on the GolfWRX forums.
WRX: What can be customized from Sunfish? What can’t be?
Nathan: We like to keep an open-door policy with custom requests. A lot of our greatest product ideas have come from our customers requesting something out of the norm. Right now, our website allows our customers to completely design their own knit and leather headcovers, scorecard and yardage book holders, and cash covers. There are a few new products that are in the works to add to that list. We always encourage people to let us know if there are options that they’d like to see, so we can add them to our custom builders. So really, the sky is the limit. If you can dream it up, chances are we can make it happen.
WRX: Tell us more about your “greatest product ideas” that have come from customers.
Nathan: My personal favorite item created by a customer is the infamous Ric Flair headcover. We’ve gotten so many calls about this headcover that we had to add it to our store permanently, and have started to pursue character items a bit more. The Ric Flair has also made for a pretty entertaining GolfWRX thread as well. This item is a sure way to make your friends jealous on the course.
Another great idea and recent addition is our laser engraving option. This option gives us the ability to turn around leather items with personalized images and text extremely quickly and with high precision, which is definitely a life saver for customers who find themselves in a time pinch. Having this full range of custom options has also paved the way for big tournament orders as well. A lot of customers who have built out their own personal items with us have gone on to order for tournaments, charities, and other events.
WRX: Are your sales primarily to individuals or groups? For both groups, what is most popular right now?
Alonzo: We consistently work with individuals and groups, and the most popular category for both are our custom options. Designing your next custom order is a fun process, and one thing our customers find helpful is seeing examples of our work. To make this process easier and more fun, we’ve recently created a brand new image gallery. It’s a great way to have fun looking at our work, while generating ideas for your next order. For individuals who already know what they want, they can use our custom product builder on our website. If someone is looking to customize some products for their golf shop, or is wanting something special for an upcoming event or tournament, they can reach us directly at [email protected] or complete a wholesale contact on our site. In all cases, we’re happy to work with those looking to create something unique at a great price.
WRX: Thanks guys.
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Nov
Nov
Need gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season? Well the PGA Holiday Gift Guide can help, and SUNFISH is featured!
18
May
May
Sunfish succeeds with wool, expands with leather goods
Review URL – http://www.golfwrx.com/279861/sunfish-succeeds-with-wool-expands-with-leather-goods/
When the material or fit is off, headcovers can be a scourge to a golfer’s patience. Maybe the aesthetic is nice, but is it worth the battle every time to rip the headcover off or stuff it back on?
This cost-benefit analysis has never been part of the equation for customers of Sunfish, a company that has specialized in homemade wool head covers that offer a vintage feel and a comfortable fit around the club head.
The customer need for customization has long been satisfied by Sunfish, and the company prides itself on affordable prices without diminishing the product in the process.
“We don’t have a mission statement,” Sunfish co-founder Alonzo Guess said. “But the closest thing to it would be providing tremendous options, excellent quality and excellent pricing.”
But Guess and fellow co-founder David Riggs are no longer content in dealing solely in the wool business (the company also produce wool hats, scarves, beer holders and animal head covers). Sunfish is attempting to conquer a different frontier: leather.
Related: Our review of Sunfish’s animal headcovers
In the headcover business, companies usually deal in either wool or leather, not both. Guess and Riggs are bucking that trend.
Seven months ago, the pair expanded beyond the company’s wool offerings, moving into leather headcovers a year after first contemplating the extra option.
The decision wasn’t born out of financial strife. It’s the customer that Sunfish goes great lengths to appeal to, so when Guess and Riggs realized their consumer base could benefit from more options, the choice to expand was simple.
“We just wanted to have another offering for customers,” Guess said. “Not everybody wants a knit wool cover, and not every customer wants a leather cover. But I guarantee you if you offer both of those, you’ll be able to make a lot more people happy.”
Guess hasn’t noticed a huge divergence in the demographics of those who buy leather versus wool, but the former does have a more modern look and thus tends to appeal to a younger audience.
Leather is also more resistant to wet weather, although Guess notes that neither material in their headcovers is severely affected by rain. And for those looking for a shorter headcover, leather is the way to go.
Additions in leather go beyond headcovers for Sunfish, as the company now also sells leather scorecard/yardage book holders.
Sunfish debuted that product at the PGA Merchandise Show in January, and it has caught on quickly. The scorecard/yardage book holders are a higher-end product, but Guess says they are beloved by club professionals and serve as useful alternatives to the same old goodies found in club tournament gift baskets.
And once golfers have it in their hands, the convenience is clear.
“People like to have their scorecards and yardage books in some sort of holder so they don’t get all crinkled up,” Guess said. “There’s also a pen or pencil holder built into each one. You can also flip over the holder and it gives you something hard to write and make notes on. It’s an all-in-one package.”
Sunfish is a two-pronged business model on the golf side, selling headcovers or headcover sets (both customized and not) to individuals from its website and producing freshly-logoed headcovers to some of the nation’s top courses, who can then price out the goods (or gift them) to their members.
Guess estimates that Sunfish is in business with 30 of the top 100 courses in the United States. And he believes the company produces about 50 percent of its sales from each sector.
Sunfish is a growing entity with overwhelming customer satisfaction. But staking one’s reputation to brandishing the every whim of the consumer can be a bit of a double-edged sword. It means that Guess and Riggs are constantly implementing new features based on customer feedback.
“We take seriously customer feedback whenever we develop a new design,” Guess said.
In addition to the move into leather, the duo expanded on their headcover sets in recent months. In past years, headcover sets from Sunfish comprised driver, fairway wood and hybrid.
Four months ago, at the behest of customer feedback, Sunfish started selling blade putter covers ($34.99) in wool and leather.
And still the tinkering is not done.
“[There’s the] customization of leather head covers, via the custom leather head cover builder” Guess said. “We’ll be able to build you exactly what you’re looking for [when it comes to leather].”
Click here to customize a Sunfish headcover.
The leather headcover customization is a recently launched feature on Sunfish’s website and involves several avenues at unique designs, including a list of different colors and striping options, and implementation of monograms, logo embroidering or piping.
Oh, and Guess and Riggs are in the (careful, meticulous) process of developing mallet putter cover heads that suit the wide array of shapes and sizes that comes with this type of flatstick.
The success of leather is the main focus for Sunfish, though, for the time being. The seven months in leather have netted great sales and fantastic reviews. Wool remains the paramount seller for Sunfish in the present.
Guess is planning on that changing in the near future.
“We’re hoping to get the leather up to the same marketshare for us as wool this year,” Guess said. “2015 is the year we do as much volume in leather as in wool.”
A lofty goal, yes, but so far Sunfish has found positive results in every venture it has attempted.