Chase54 is one of the best kept secrets in the world of golf apparel. This small brand may not be a household name yet, but I’ve been impressed with its quality, comfort and style.
Founded by golfers for golfers, Chase54 is anything but a fly-by-night apparel company created by a few golfing buddies at the 19th hole. It was founded and is backed by over 30 years of apparel industry experience, and by golfers that played the game at the highest levels.
When I received my Chase54 gear, I was struck by the quality craftmanship, eye-catching designs and detailing throughout the pieces. Shirts with crisp collars and sleeves that hit in the right places. Pants with subtle plaids, contrast piping, and zippers on the pant legs to help them flow over your shoes. This effortless style coupled with a wearable color palette creates a look that appeals to a wide range of golfers.
Chase54 Pants
In a previous post, I wrote about how J.Lindeberg pants have been my de facto choice for several years. While I’m not giving up the J.Lindebergs, the pants from Chase54 have earned a spot in the rotation.
(Left) Contrast piping and pocket details. (Top) Gripper tape on the waistband. (Bottom) Zippered pant legs.
I wore the Burnside pants from Chase54 for one of my typical early morning rounds. A crack of dawn tee time meant plenty of moisture on the fairways. Temperatures were in the low 40s, but quickly rose to the mid 60s. The technical fabric (100% poly twill mechanical stretch) did a great job of keeping my lower legs dry and warm early in the round and provided great breathability as the temperature increased later in the day.
In addition to the contrast piping and zippered pant legs that I mentioned above, the Burnsides also have rubber gripper tape on the inside of the waistband to keep your shirt tucked in–perfect for when you try to get those few extra yards out of that 6 iron approach shot.The only thing I would change about the Burnsides would be a more tapered fit through the legs, but this won’t prevent them from finding a place in my rotation. I also recognize that the straight-leg style that they offer will appeal to a broader range of golfers.
A big surprise for me were the Midway pants. I’ve never seen myself as a white pants kind of guy. In fact, my wife rolled her eyes when I pulled them out of the box, but once I tried them on she said, “Wow. Those look great.” On their website, Chase54 claims, “If you can’t look good in some Midways, that’s your own fault.” I’d have to agree. The Midways have the slimmer fit through the legs that I was looking for with the Burnsides. In addition to white, the Midways are also available in red and a grey plaid. Another pair will likely find their way into my closet in one of those colors.
The great thing about both the Burnsides and the Midways is that they are low maintenance. They don’t require you to get acquainted with that iron sitting in your closet. Just wear, wash and repeat.
The Long Shots pants have already become a staple of my off-course wardrobe. These cotton/spandex blend pants are incredibly soft and have small rivets on the pockets to give them a casual, denim-like look. I can’t wait to get these on the course when conditions are dryer.
For me, Chase54 pants fit true to size in the waist and have a little bit of stretch (which is never a bad thing). If you are between sizes, though, I’d recommend going with the larger size.
Chase54 Shorts
Chase54 offers two styles of shorts–the McCoul and Traveller. The McCouls have a very similar look and feel to the Long Shots pants–just shorter–and are available in a range of colors. The Traveller shorts feature the same technical twill fabric and contrast piping as the Burnside and Midway pants, and the bright yellow and blue plaid colorways will certainly get some attention.
While the McCouls have a similar fit to the pants in the Chase54 collection, I found the Traveller shorts to have a much slimmer fit and a shorter inseam. I would definitely recommend sizing up in the Travellers.
One thing that really sets Chase54 shorts (and pants for that matter) apart from other brands is the waterproof/sweatproof rear pockets. No more disgusting scorecards and pin sheets at the end of a hot, humid round. Your playing partners will certainly appreciate this when you hand them a dry scorecard at the end of the day.
Chase54 Shirts
Coffee, corn and water bottles? No, this isn’t your grocery list, but a some of the eco-friendly fabrics Chase54 uses for their shirts. A few of my favorite shirt styles are the Patton, the Mosby, and the MacArthur.
The Patton fuses the soft feel you’d expect from a cotton shirt with technical elements like elastic side panels and mesh underneath the arms for added stretch and breathability.
The Mosby has ended my several year journey for a solid white polo shirt. My wife usually finds white polos to be boring (go figure), but the added style of the longer placket on the Mosby quickly received a thumbs up from her.
The MacArthur is definitely a shirt that looks good and you can even feel good about wearing it. It blends the retro-classic vibe of a tipped color, banded sleeves and a contrast placket with a renewable corn fiber fabric.
As a point of comparison, the fit of Chase54 shirts is similar to Travis Mathew shirts. Size up if you like a slightly looser fit, or order your normal size if you prefer a slimmer fit. I sized up to a large, but I’ll probably go with a medium in the future for a slimmer fit.
I really like the fact that the sleeves on Chase54 shirts hit at the bicep and they are a good width. Sleeves on some fashion-forward brands take the narrow sleeves concept a bit too far and they end up being too tight and restrictive, while other very traditional brands have sleeves that look like kites. The sleeves on Chase54 shirts are the perfect happy medium.
A Preview of Chase54 Fall 2013 Collections
As good as the Spring 2013 Collection looks from Chase54, I’m really looking forward to the Fall Collection. Some of my early favorites are the Piedmont, the Defoor and Wesley shirts, along with the Garmon shorts and Vernon pants.
Chase54 will also be releasing the Fundamentals Collection–a new green grass exclusive collection that features high-quality fabrics, a more traditional style and fit, and an affordable price point. Chase54’s vision with the Fundamentals Collection was to give something back to green grass shops through a top-shelf product minus the high price tag. To me, the Fundamentals Collection has a very classic look that will likely appeal to a wide range of country club members and guests. It will be a great addition to many pro shops. Expect the Fundamentals Collection to be available in August of this year.
The Chase54 name represents golf’s perfect game–a seemingly impossible feat of 18 under par on a par 72 course. For many of us, a 54 on the front 9 is a lot more likely than a 54 on 18, but the never-ending journey and the pursuit of perfection is what keeps us coming back. Chase54 is pursuing its own journey of creating the perfect golf apparel through quality, comfort and stylish designs. It is one of the hidden gems in the golf apparel industry.
Check out Chase54 as you begin to get your wardrobe together for the upcoming season. The video below does a good job of capturing what the brand is all about. You can visit Chase54 on the web and connect with them on Twitter and Facebook.
Finding golf apparel that fits your body properly is not always easy to do, especially if your body doesn’t match the mannequin models used for designing sportswear.