If you’ve seen the GTE team on a golf course this year, you’ve probably seen Turtleson. Our polo shirts are theirs, and I wore them throughout the Convention at Saunton Sands. So I’m especially pleased that Turtleson, having sponsored our last two newsletters, will be with us for the next four. Over this series I’d like to tell you more about the company and the two friends who started it.
Bristol, Tennessee
Turtleson was founded in 2011 by two lifelong friends, Greg Oakley and Chet Sikorski. The business is based in Bristol, though for those of us in the South West I should explain that it’s Bristol, Tennessee. That’s Greg’s home town, and the company has been there from the start.
Greg’s route into clothing wasn’t a direct one. His first business was a franchise cleaning commercial washrooms, and he did plenty of the cleaning himself. After five years he sold it and turned to golf and casual clothing, which he describes as “two things I’ve always loved”. With Chet, he set up a golf apparel company selling through men’s specialist shops.
It was through that business that they met Chris Knott, who was trying to launch a cashmere sweater line. When Chris’s first production run fell through, Greg found him a manufacturer and he and Chet took care of the logistics. The three of them went on to build the company that became Peter Millar, a name most of you will know from pro shops.
After they sold Peter Millar, Greg ran an export steel business for a while until his non-compete ran out. All the while he had an idea for a casual brand selling flip-flops, and he’d already come up with the name Turtleson and a logo. When he heard that Chet wanted to get back into clothing as well, they teamed up once more, and the flip-flop idea gradually grew into the golf-inspired brand they run today.
Why a turtle?
Turtleson’s website tells a lovely story about the name. In the summer of 1981, a young Greg hears a noise in the woods and finds an old box turtle with a yellowed scrap of paper in its mouth. On the paper is the design for a new kind of polo shirt, and by the time Greg looks up, the turtle has gone.
They’re quick to admit that none of it is true. The real reason is that Greg has loved turtles all his life, so he always wanted one on the logo. He also likes what a turtle represents: it lives a long time and keeps going, which seems fitting for two friends who have now been making clothes together for more than 25 years.
What they make
Turtleson make men’s and women’s clothing, including polos, shirts, layers, sweaters, trousers and outerwear. The aim is clothing that performs on the course but still looks right in the clubhouse or the office afterwards. Greg is particularly keen to raise the standard of women’s golf clothing, where he feels women are too often asked to choose between performance and a good fit.
Golf is very much at the heart of the business. Around 70% of sales come through golf clubs and resorts, and the brand is stocked in high-end golf and resort shops across the US.
Where next
Looking ahead, Greg and Chet have said they don’t want to be the biggest name in sportswear. Their aim is to be the most trusted, for both quality and service, and to be stocked in the best resorts, golf shops and specialist stores around the world while keeping the business at home in Bristol.
That’s an approach I recognise. In golf travel, the operators who do well are usually the ones who get the details right and keep their word. Next time I’ll look at where Turtleson fits into a golf trip, and what that could mean for tour operators.
Stock Turtleson in the UK
If your club, hotel or shop would like to stock Turtleson here in the UK, please get in touch with Bob Smith, their UK contact, at bob@turtleson.com.
My thanks to Turtleson for their continued support of the newsletter.
Andrew Cooke
CEO, Golf Tourism England
