I Was Wrong About Sun Day Red …. Sort Of.

Earlier this year, I wrote a rather blunt opinion piece on Sun Day Red, the new brand from Tiger Woods and TaylorMade.

Those initial remarks were very reactionary, mostly to what I saw at the Sun Day Red launch event. I still stand by my statement that the launch seemed very rushed and unpolished.

But now that we’ve had a few months for Sun Day Red to start shipping actual product, I’m ready to admit I may have jumped the gun a little bit on my conclusions.

I’ve finally gotten my hands on some retail garments. No more pre-production samples and rush-job prototypes. Honestly, I’m pretty impressed.

Let’s talk about it. There’s nothing inherently special or unique about what Sun Day Red is doing. Most any brand can make a good polo. What they’re really nailing, though, is the details, the little things you may not think of.

For example, take the Luare Chain Stitch Hoodie. It’s a pretty standard heavyweight cotton-poly hoodie but it’s got some cool red piping down the left side to play into the Sun Day Red theme. A little detail but one I noticed right away.

The Heritage Mesh Stripe Polo is another piece I’m a big fan of. Its sewn-in collar stays to prevent that dreaded “bacon” collar. And the miniature Sun Day Red logo is slightly raised to give the polo a more premium feel overall.

I even love the subtle tiger-stripe detailing inside of the Modern Rope Hat. Another small touch that makes a world of difference.

So where do we go from here?

I’m not ready to declare Sun Day Red the best golf apparel I’ve ever worn. But I came away more impressed than I initially thought I’d be. And, honestly, I have reached for those garments more times in the past few weeks than I care to admit.

What Sun Day Red is doing is elevating classic golf apparel in small but meaningful ways. It’s not ground-breaking nor earth-shattering. But it’s effective.

I’m still not sold on the logo and I definitely still balk at the price. But Sun Day Red’s attention to detail has won this hardened, snobby golfer over. That, friends, is a win.