Equipment
Summit Golf Brands appoints Nolan as non-executive chairman
Summit Golf Brands, owner of golf apparel brands Fairway and Greene, EP Pro and Zero Restriction has appointed Thomas J. Nolan as non-executive chairman of the company.
Nolan is also the president and CEO of Prospect Brands, LLC, and was previously senior vice president of Ralph Lauren’s Golf and Tennis divisions, where he was responsible for sales, marketing, merchandising and distribution and led business growth in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Ralph Lauren, Nolan was the publisher of Golf World Magazine from 2003 to 2009.
“While the golf industry isn’t necessarily growing, certain areas are,” Nolan said. “When you target the core, the early adopters who have to have the new driver . . . that segment has not been disrupted at all.”
Nolan called Summit’s three brands “iconic,” but said that each has a significant amount of room for growth.
EP Pro, a high-end women’s golf apparel and lifestyle line, recently launched its sportier line of golf apparel called EP Sport at the 2013 PGA Merchandise Show. Both the Fairway and Greene and Zero Restriction brands will evolve with new fabrics, fits and color ways as well, according to Nolan.
Summit has made a point of expanding its reach in green-grass retailers and has established an advisory board composed of leading golf professionals such as PGA and Champions Tour player Brad Faxon and chairman Dan Snider of The Alotian Club in Arkansas.
“The key here for me . . . literally everybody at this company is a golf guy,” Nolan said. “These are legitimate golf people. “If I can’t wear (Fairway and Greene or Zero Restriction) playing in the U.S. Mid Am or the club championship, we’re not making it. That, in itself, will separate us from everyone else in the marketplace.”
Summit Golf Brands is primarily owned by an investment partnership led by Warren A. Stephens, CEO of Stephens Inc. and the Lessing Company.
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
Robert Kaindl
May 9, 2013 at 1:02 am
ZR is simply the best gear I have ever used. I live in Seattle and I know Raingear.