PGA Championship tees up massive merchandise experience in Charlotte
All sorts of PGA Championship swag can be found at Quail Hollow Golf Club.
Names of previous champions line the tops of shelves inside a tent bigger than the size of a football field.
Quail Hollow, the iconic course in south Charlotte, hosts the PGA Championship this week for the first time in eight years. There’s plenty more to be seen inside the monstrosity that is home to the event’s new merchandise shop, a 49,000-square foot facility loaded with gear.
“This will be the 107th playing of the PGA Championship, and we have over 30,000 members here as the Carolinas section is our largest section of PGA members in the country,” competition director Jason Soucy said. “As the steward of the championship on behalf of them, this is one of the most important things we can do. Obviously, our chief championships officer is going to put the best players in the world out there, and they’re going to play an incredible competition.
“But for those folks who are coming here on-site to realize, ‘what is different?’ ‘Why is it a major?’ ‘Who is the PGA of America?’ This is one element that’s going to be important for us to make sure that we can set the tone.”
Local Charlotte flavor at the PGA Championship
The Queen City’s culture is stitched into the fabric of this new merchandise shop.
Local favorites like the 704 Shop are among the outfitters involved. There are ball caps displaying the city’s area code, in addition to clothes showing the three letters — “CLT” — that often define the Queen City. A hint of the state’s license plates appears on some clothing and various items, including phrases like “PGA 25” written beneath “First in Flight.”
National brands are leaning into the local flair as well. Barstool Sports sells hats with teal Hornets-colored brims and NASCAR-inspired checkered flags — a nod to the area’s roots in stock car racing and professional basketball. There are also matchbox toy cars designed exclusively for this event.
The shop also has its share of limited-edition items being promoted. In honor of the 107th PGA Championship, there are 107 — exactly 107; each is numbered — golf driver head covers. First-come, first-serve, this one-of-a-kind item is in the back of the shop before it runs out.
Can’t make it to Quail Hollow? Get merch in uptown
There’s a pop-up shop in Victoria Yards.
Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday, the PGA Championship will have its brand in front of even more Charlotteans. Select merchandise will be available at 209 East 7th Street in uptown throughout the week.
This merchandise shop operates in partnership with Legends, a premier name in event retail. With a blend of national prestige and plenty of local charm, this week’s major in Charlotte is a celebration of the Queen City’s culture and its place in the world of sport.
“There’s no better city on the East Coast,” Soucy said. “Especially this time of year. The proximity to the airport, the restaurants, the hotels. To have a golf course — the quality, a major championship-caliber one in Quail Hollow — just south of Charlotte’s center city proper, not a lot of cities can come up with that kind of opportunity.
“...There are only four majors. If you were able to get something here when you were able to see Rory McIlroy winning the grand slam, he’s won the PGA Championship multiple times and has got such a tremendous history of success here at Quail Hollow. Justin Thomas won here in 2017, he seems to like the Carolinas, he won again at RBC Heritage. Scottie Scheffler hasn’t been out here in a few years. The stars are aligning for the competition to be amazing.”
