EXCELLENCE THROUGH EVOLUTION
We speak to Mark Hilton, president and MD of Peter Millar International, about the brand’s philosophy, evolution and partnership with our Top 100 rankings
Back at the turn of this century, an ambitious sales rep from North Carolina called Chris Knott spotted a gap in the golf apparel market. Going to a manufacturer, he sourced luxury cashmere sweaters in a range of vibrant colours and sold them to country clubs.
He sold them rather quickly, realised he had the beginnings of a brand and sought out a couple of like-minded business partners. Inspired by an inscription on an antique lawn bowl given to him by his mother, Knott chose the name Peter Millar for the new brand.
Those signature cashmere sweaters remain in the Peter Millar line but, over the last 20 years, the brand has evolved significantly. Other items of golfing attire were added, and the range expanded to include casual and formal wear. Today, Peter Millar offers a complete clothing range that remains true to the original ethos of delivering a versatile blend of classic and contemporary style, utilising the best in materials and craftsmanship.
Like the courses in our Top 100 list, Peter Millar strives to offer ongoing excellence through evolution, making the clothing company a perfect partner for our Top 100. We spoke to president and MD Mark Hilton about the Peter Millar International brand and its relationship with Golf Monthly...
How would you describe Peter Millar?
That description has changed over the years. We don’t think of ourselves now as simply a golf brand, we’re a true premium lifestyle brand with a very strong golf department. Golf remains incredibly important, but we don’t want people to think Peter Millar makes great polo shirts and that’s it. Yes, we do, of course, but you can also dress from the boardroom to the golf course to the beach, and everything in between, in Peter Millar.
How has the business changed?
From a golf perspective, ten years ago we were selling just to the very best golf clubs that had a strong tourist business. As the brand has evolved and become more contemporary, we now sell to courses that have no overseas visitors as the customer loves our product. We now sell direct to consumers via petermillar.com and petermillar.co.uk and we have 22 retail stores in the US.
Who is the Peter Millar golfer?
The Peter Millar golfer appreciates quality. They appreciate that although our product is maybe higher-priced than some, you are getting exceptional value for money. We have a wide selection that can cater for many style
choices. Our customer likes the brand’s understated nature and the absolute quality of what we produce.
What makes the Peter Millar product so good?
Our design teams are in-house so everything we do starts life in the design office in North Carolina. We have specialist teams for each department. Whether you’re buying a sports coat, a woven shirt or a polo, you know it’s authentic. We leave no stone unturned and people come to like the attention to detail. It’s the details we would never budge on. We’re not in the business of cutting corners. Our objective is to make a product we are proud of and that our customer will think is great value. We use the very best materials from around the world and rely on the highest levels of craftsmanship.
What are the differences between the Crown Sport and Crown Crafted collections?
Crown Sport is about lively, fun, bold colours. It’s about outerwear being best in class and very relevant; vibrant colours that are easy to wear. Crown Crafted is a tailored-fit collection – a little more understated, more muted tones, easier to wear off-course.
And women’s wear?
We have an incredibly strong ladies’ line. Again, there’s Crown Sport and Crown, so you have the luxurious fabrics, the cashmeres in the Crown collection. But that sits alongside Crown Sport which is absolutely appropriate for golf and active wear.
Why is Peter Millar excited about the Top 100 partnership?
The Top 100 represents achievement, aspiration and quality. Those are values we share at Peter Millar. I think it’s a very nice partnership because of what we’re trying to achieve – excellence. I think also about constantly evolving – the Top 100 courses are always looking for ways to improve their offering, as are we. If we think we can tweak a garment to make it better, we will.
What’s next for Peter Millar?
We must continue to evolve and remain relevant, staying on trend into the future. If you told me five years ago that Peter Millar would be doing hoodies, camo and sketch prints, I wouldn’t have believed you. Some of those pieces are now among our best sellers. That’s because we listen to our customers. We think of our customers as partners and we want long-term relationships with them. We will continue to listen to our customers.
“We think of Peter Millar now as a true premium lifestyle brand with a very strong golf department”
7
Carnoustie (Championship) GF: £198-£282
The Championship course at Carnoustie delivers one of golf’s sternest yet most measured tests. It’s a course that demands both skill and strategy. There may be no views of the sea around the course, but the terrain is pure links. The turf is firm and sandy over natural bumps and hollows. The narrow fairways are protected by rough, burns and magnetic bunkering as they pick their way carefully towards the vast, supremely maintained and often fast greens. It is undoubtedly a great championship venue, as it proves every time The Open pays a visit.
GM verdict: Golfing purists love this links test. A challenging layout with one of the great finishes in golf.
6 Royal Dornoch (Championship) GF: £150-£400
Philanthropist and industrialist Andrew Carnegie said of his Dornoch home, “If there is heaven on earth, it is here.” It is a captivating place that leaves an indelible imprint on the memory – a beautiful setting and equally attractive course, with holes that blend so naturally into the surroundings it’s hard to believe it has not existed since time began. Following dramatic improvements to the 7th, work has been undertaken to enhance the 8th, with tees shifted to change the playing characteristics and much gorse and soil removed to open up vistas.
GM verdict: The links may be an old classic, but the club is forward-thinking and always eager to improve further.
NO CHANGE
4 Muirfield GF: £150-£495
Effectively playing as two loops of nine, with the challenge posed by the wind changing almost hole by hole, Muirfield is a simply fabulous design. It provides a stringent test of every aspect of your game, from the physical to the mental. For many, it’s the fairest links test of all, with everything laid out
5 Royal Birkdale GF: £185-£320
Originally designed in the late 1890s by George Lowe, this pre-eminent links was further developed by Hawtree and Taylor in the 1920s into a magnificent test. Since 1954 it has hosted no fewer than ten Open Championships, with a stellar roll call of victors. The design ethos is for holes to in front of you. The course is always immaculately conditioned and the turf is a joy to play from. The layout is strong throughout, but the run for home is particularly tough, with par being a very good score at the two challenging par 3s, the 13th and 16th.
GM verdict: A flowing and expansive links exuding quality, tradition and history. A fair but exacting test. run between the dunes rather than over them, resulting in a very honest test that receives universal praise. The four par 3s are all strong and engaging, with perhaps the standout being the 12th, which plays to a steep-fronted green set in an amphitheatre of dunes.
GM verdict: A sublime and endlessly varied links that has long been the best course in England in our rankings.
3 Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) GF: £175-£475
The Ailsa is the most recent newcomer to host The Open. Its first was in 1977 and this put Turnberry on the global golfing map as the final round developed into one of the all-time classics, with Tom Watson edging it by one from Jack Nicklaus. The Open has returned three times, most recently in 2009, since when the links has been greatly improved. Martin Ebert, who had made some earlier changes, was given a far more expansive remit and resources and the course reopened in 2016. Every hole received a substantial revamp, with the most exciting changes out by the famous lighthouse.
The first of these was the creation of a spectacular new par-3 9th, now a daunting prospect from the back tee as you play over the cliffs and crags to a new green right by the lighthouse. The new 10th is a thrilling par 5 along the shallow cliffs, and the 11th is another new hole, a picture-perfect par 3 that again flirts with danger all the way on the left. It would be wonderful to see The Open return with these new holes in play.
GM verdict: A knockout combination of strategy and a stunning setting that’s a complete joy all the way.