Fore!! by Axel and Hudson

I bet you never saw this coming – golf attire for children. And no we’re not talking about a goofy seasonal thing. . . Fore!! by Axel and Hudson is a golf clothing line designed specifically for kids (including infants) by Paul Nguyen, a self-described golf addict who started his career designing children’s clothing for some of the larger companies. As the story goes, Paul had two kids of his own and was suddenly inspired to create his own line, apparently frustrated by his kids’ lack of fashion badassery when it comes to golf. As far as overall vibe goes, the website urges us to “think country club meets California cool”. The company also strives to be an eco-friendly brand, crafting most pieces from ultra-soft and sustainable bamboo/spandex. So they’ve got that going for them . . . which is nice.

With a young son just turning 3, I couldn’t resist landing some duds for the little one (or maybe it was my wife that pulled the trigger). I’ve never been one to think that my meatball son was in dire need of official golf clothes, but he does like to knock the ball around our backyard, so why not look good doing it?  (Again, maybe my wife said that.)

Fore!! was cool enough to let us pick out a shirt and pair of shorts for the knucklehead, and it doesn’t take long on the website to notice that they make some good looking clothes. We went with a classic green-stripe polo shirt and some money blue plaid shorts, thinking they had enough country club in them to have our kid looking better than par, but not so much that he would be in danger of getting beaten up at the swingset.

So to the backyard we go . . .

Fore!! passed the first test, as my son was actually willing to try the suckers on, which is not always a given. I’m sure all parents are familiar with this random selection process that 2-3 year olds like to employ, and while it is primarily a source of frustration, I must admit to a few subtle fist pumps when he turned down the seersucker overalls the mother-in-law presented to him on Easter. But I digress – Fore!! got the nod, and the kid was looking good.

Several details confirm that Fore!! is not messing around. The polo shirt has cuffs and placket that contrast the pattern of the shirt, giving a cool modern look to an overall timeless shirt. Buttons have a bamboo look and feel (probably made out of actual bamboo), contributing to the high-end vibe in a subtle way. The shorts are in the same boat: well-crafted with cool cuffs on the bottom, clean white stitching throughout, and even some sturdy little pockets – perfect for my kid to hide a cookie in so he can ask for another.

Also, the shorts have an expandable waistline to accommodate the inevitable growth of toddlers, which is a somewhat common feature in high-end clothing that is valuable enough to deserve props no matter what. And finally, it’s worth noting that all the Fore!! designs just look better than what you would find in a bargain spot, the same way a Banana Republic shirt just looks better than it’s copycat at Kohl’s. I’ve never quite understood it, because a better plaid with better colors shouldn’t cost any more to actually make, but for some reason only the pros can get it done.

One aspect of this adventure that I did not see coming: my wife and I described this outfit as “golf clothes”, and my kid ate it up. So now if we want him to look good for a Sunday brunch or whatever high-fallutin’ affair we get involved in, it’s no trouble to persuade the munchkin to don his best outfit. The only downside is when we pull back into the garage and he realizes he’s been bamboozled, at which time it’s on to the backyard yet again to smash the pill around.

I absolutely nutted that.

So here’s the scoop – if you don’t see paying $40.00 or more for a toddler’s shirt in your near future, then you’ll have to let Fore!! play through. Our household is full of hand-me-downs, so I am not an expert in this arena, but I have to believe that there are plenty of folks out there who are shelling out big bucks for their kids to look good, and as long as they’re not stealing my parking spots, more power to them. And shoot, maybe I’m out of touch and $40.00 for your kid to have some legit threads is no big deal. The bottom line is, Fore!! by Axel and Hudson is a solid bang-for-buck transaction: the clothes are well made and stand out as handsome and cool.

You can check out Fore!! by Axel and Hudson on their website.