A Quick 18 With Short Par 4

We recently had the chance to sit down with Bobby Dimeo that founder of Short Par 4, a company that wants to be your personal style caddie. In a nutshell, Short Par 4 will keeping you styling on the links with custom selected high-end clothing that they send to your door on a subscription basis. They …

We recently had the chance to sit down with Bobby Dimeo that founder of Short Par 4, a company that wants to be your personal style caddie. In a nutshell, Short Par 4 will keeping you styling on the links with custom selected high-end clothing that they send to your door on a subscription basis. They work with some of the best retailers out there and can tailor each package to a particular golfer’s style and needs.

We tested out the experience and received some pretty sweet Adidas ClaimCool shirts and shorts delivered to our door. The best part? You’re getting a steal of a deal off retail prices, even for the $45 subscription, you’re getting $140+ dollars in clothing from top manufacturers. Beats heading to the golf shop and testing the latest and greatest just to be shocked by a huge pricetag. Anyway, I’ll the the president talk about it, here’s the nitty gritty in our interview with Short Par 4.

Tell us about yourself, and your company. Why did you want to make a company like this? 

I have been in the golf business for over 10 years now with this being my first venture into the golf apparel side.  I own another golf business called Caddie Connection Inc.  We broker caddies to charity events and LPGA/PGA Pro Ams around the country.

Short Par 4 came to me last year when I saw golf apparel really take a turn towards lifestyle apparel. There were many new brands that have started in the past few years that have done really well going away from your typical polyester or heavy cotton polo.  To me this was an opening for a company like Short Par 4 to come in and show golfers that this apparel can be worn on and off the course.  From the boardroom to the tee box to the ball game.

Whats your handicap? Whats your favourite course?

My handicap is 1 and my favorite course I played would have to be Cypress Point but a very close 2nd would be Oak Hill in Rochester NY.

We’ve seen a recent influx of “boxed-style” delivery companies – Birchbox in NYC for example, what made you think golfers needed a unique option?

The subscription model has been around for many years, I think everyone remembers the BMG CD club.  With that business model being tied into many different trends like dogs, apparel for men and women, food, etc we knew if we could show people a way to receive style and savings every month with the ability to exchange if something doesn’t fit then we were on to something.

What makes you different?

Many of the box companies out there today focus on quantity which leads to overruns, closeouts, or flat out things people don’t want.  We focus on the quality of the box with our items being current in season product.  We also focus on location of our members.  If a member is in Arizona then we will not send them pants in April but a member in New York can still get pants in April.  We pride ourselves on customer experience!

What are your thoughts about the current clothing golfers wear today?

Golf Apparel today has come full circle.  We went from the cotton polos to the amazing polyester moisture wicking polo to now many companies coming back out with a light cotton polo.  Today many of the polos are blended with a poly/cotton blend to help with moisture but also give you that more Athletic fit.

The current clothing today is a mix.  You get the young guy who watches a lot of golf and sees Rickie wearing orange, Tiger wearing red, and Bubba wearing big visors.  This guy is not brand specific but wants what he sees on TV.  Next you have the guy who wants everything Nike because Tiger won all those years wearing Nike.  The brand specific guy is tough to shop for because we can’t provide the same brand every month.  Lastly you have the close out shopper who wants just any deal out there.  Not brand specific at all and will be the first person to tell you how good of a deal they got for their polo they are wearing that day.

Do you feel the bright colored clothing brought to us from players like Ricky Fowler is here to stay? How have you seen the industry change to reflect this trend?

Social Media has definitely helped this trend.  I think more kids are watching and attending golf tournaments than ever before but Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have drawn fans even closer to guys like Rickie.  I don’t see the bright colors changing in the younger audience (kids to mid 20s)  but I think it already has started changing in the late 20s to late 30s crowd.  Puma for instance has toned Rickie down and he is wearing much more gray with the brighter colors to offset it.

Tell us about your clothing – From what major companies do you offer clothing from? why these companies? Where can you ship your products to? Why should golfers choose Short Par over heading to a golf shop or department store for their golf clothing needs?

The major brands we carry are – Under Armour, Nike, Puma, Adidas, Travis Mathew, and Callaway.  The reason we chose these brands is because they fit each of our personas which are Traditional, Loud and Wild, Athletic, and All Styles. Short Par 4 takes away from having to go to the store and deal with lines and product not being in stock.  If you understand your style and fill the profile out correctly, Shot Par 4 is like having a personal shopper with the ability to exchange it for free.  You never have to leave your house.

Do you offer more than shorts and shirts? 

We offer all apparel items such as pants, outerwear, polos (long sleeve and short sleeve), and shorts.  We also will fill boxes with accessories such as belts, hats, shoes, gloves, and balls.  We are not a sample box.

How do you stay current and on top of trends in the golf industry?

We are big on the blogs and we are constantly in communication with our vendors so we know whats launching and when we can expect it to come out.  We like to get product to our members that is just coming out.

What is your return policy?

You can exchange for fit. We understand not all apparel companies fit the same. We will exchange for size. If we are out of what you are exchanging we will exchange for similar fit and style.
If the member fills out the style profile correctly they should get something they like. If we miss it the first time then we work with the member to make sure we get it right moving forward. Our style caddies are no different than regular caddies. If you have a caddie for the first time they don’t always get the yardage right for each club but the more they caddie for you the better they become. We are no different. We like to get it right the first time but we are human and sometimes it takes a second box to get it dialed in.

Who do you feel is the best dressed golfer on the PGA Tour? 

When we look at pure golf style we tend to look at players like Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott. When we are looking at style with a flare we are looking at Graham McDowell and Rickie Fowler.

What about the LPGA Tour?

The LPGA Tour is a little different but If I had to choose I would say Lexi Thompson has great style.

Do you think professionals should be able to wear shorts on tour?

Golf is a very traditional sport but I think that tradition has ran its course.  I do believe that we will see professional golfers wear shorts in the next 10 years.  The younger generation is going to be very influential on these tours.

Do you offer clothing options for women?

We will be launching our womens apparel in January 2016.

What has your response from customers been thus far? Any plans on expansion – and into where?

The customer response has been very positive with our current model of $45 per month to receive $100 or more of retail value.  The expansion talks have already taken place and Canada is next with Plans to get to the UK by mid next year.

Any last thoughts/words for our audience?

Give Short Par 4 a shot if you are into style, fashion, and savings.  Never pay retail prices again on the industries best apparel.  We pride ourselves in your experience so if there is anything you would like to see or you just want to tell us that you love your stuff, please feel free to contact us at any time at [email protected].

There is not a minimum number of months you have to sign up for.  This is month to month and cancel at any time with no hassle.

There you have it folks – a great product worth a shot if you’re looking to stay on top of style trends out on the links. Check out there website to subscribe – Short Par 4