Airdrie teen creates clothing line for kids who golf

Kids' golf clothing line receiving rave reviews A 14-year-old from Airdrie and his family are taking a big swing in the golf industry with their own kids' clothing line.

A little bit of rain wasn't enough to keep 14-year-old Chase Strang from heading to the golf course and hitting some balls on Tuesday.

The Airdrie teen has loved the game ever since he was a little kid, but says he really got hooked when he started watching a program about children trying to qualify to play Pinehurst Golf Course in North Carolina.

For Strang, that dream came true when he was nine.

"I told my mom one time, I said, 'Mom, I'm going to go there.' She was like, 'Okay, I believe in you,' but she said, 'I don't know, it's quite a step.'

"Then I showed her and I qualified and got to go play Pinehurst, and it was awesome."

Being colourful on the course

When he's out on the golf course, Strang says he likes to be colourful.

His saying is "when you look good, you play good."

However, finding colourful golf apparel isn't easy for youth.

"I was always (colourful) as a kid," Strang said. "I had funky socks with donuts and penguins and all of that, and I thought that would be cool on golf shirts, so I asked my mom, I said I wanted a flamingo on my golf shirt."

Golf clothing line for kids

Strang's mom Jackie says she searched high and low for a flamingo golf shirt but couldn't find one.

She says that's when they decided to start their own golf clothing line for kids.

"I got a few shirts made just for him, and he'd wear them to golf tournaments, and parents eventually started asking where I got Chase's clothes because they couldn't find anything like it."

"Chase would come home telling me that kids were asking him if his mom could make them a shirt, so I thought why not give it a try, and it just became 'JQ Golf Clothing' from there."

Lots of colour

The golf shirts have plenty of colours with flamingos, bananas and maple leaf patterns, among others.

Inside the collar, the shirts have Chase' signature line of 'look good, play good' printed.

The clothing line is now in 13 pro shops across Canada, including Calgary's Pinebrook Golf and Country Club.

Head pro Shelley Charlton says they're a big hit.

"With the kids, the biggest choice is, 'Mom how many can I get?' versus 'Which one do I want?'" said Charlton.

"It's been very well received and it's been a really good addition for us in our pro shop for sure."

Having fun designing golf clothes

Strang's goal is to one day play on the PGA tour, but he also wants to continue designing golf clothes for kids.

"I would love to keep doing that and making cool clothes for kids who can't find any," he said.

"It feels awesome just seeing your designs, your clothes being held in someone else's place. It's so cool."

JQ Golf Clothing is a family business. Chase' two siblings also have a say in the designs and his father is involved.

For more information, you can visit lookgoodplaygoodgolf.com.