Field Notes

The 2020 Ryder Cup is finally here and Imperial hat & apparel collection will be on the scene at Whistling Straights. Imperial has been been a licensee of the PGA of America and Ryder Cup for 5 years. We can't wait to showcase our collection in the Ryder Cup Shops on-site this year. Before the Ryder Cup kicks off, we’ve asked two of our esteemed colleagues, David Schaffer and Dan Parenti, to provide some insight into the new Ryder Cup collection. David Schaffer, Vice President of Sales, started in Imperial’s marketing department 8 years ago. He loves creating great products with his team for golf courses to feature in their pro shops and creating consumer demand for Imperial. David shares, “I’m proud to be a part of the 2020 Ryder Cup and supporting the game of golf.” Dan Parenti, Vice President of Design and Brand Development, has been with Imperial for over 6 years and has been in apparel and headwear product development for over 20 years. Dan adds, “It's still a rush to work with some of the best golf courses in the world, and I'm proud of our work with the 2020 Ryder Cup.” Describe your 2020 Ryder Cup collection. What particular items are you excited about? David: Our collection at the Ryder Cup this year is a combination of the best-selling styles and T-shirts, ranging from solid tech hats to retro rope hats. As always, we’ve added awesome styles, colors and logos. I'm most excited about some of the vintage caps as well as the T-shirts that feature Official Ryder Cup art painted by Lee Wybranski. Dan: Our 2020 Ryder Cup collection pays homage to both Whistling Straits' location in Wisconsin and Imperial's midwestern roots. I'm particularly excited about our special edition Alter Ego cap, which bears a pattern including the Wisconsin state silhouette, wedges of cheese and sheep. We've also partnered with Lee Wybranski again on a T-shirt design with his beautiful Ryder Cup poster painting on the back. What was the inspiration behind the Ryder Cup hat and T-shirt designs? David: We tried to spotlight the Ryder Cup logo in a variety of formats, including several different kinds of patches in addition to embroidery. Vintage styling and modern fits were the themes of our headwear, and our T-shirts are buttery soft with tastefully washed prints. Dan: The Ryder Cup logo is immensely iconic. While we incorporated the logo into some unique patches and labels featuring call-outs to Wisconsin, it didn't need much help standing out on golf hats and apparel. If you were playing at Whistling Straits this September, which hat style would you wear? David: Imperial style 5054 "The Wrightson" for sure! The best cap from the hottest headwear brand in golf! Dan: I'd wear our Hammond six panel rope cap in all navy. I love this understated cap, especially with our Ryder Cup patch featuring the trophy. If you’re attending the Ryder Cup this year, be on the lookout for David and Dan’s recommendations while browsing the merchandising tents. Nowhere else will you find our fun Wisconsin- and Ryder Cup-themed patches on our best-selling golf hats.

Designing your own hat with Imperial Headwear gives you all the freedom in the world. Whether you love one of our new styles and colors or want to add your own twist to a classic hat, our online hat designer tool has everything you need to make your custom hat design your own. Pictured: The Lunarscape paired with “Course Closed, Bar Open” patch by SlackerTide With the addition of our new golf hats, we believe the 2021 styles will pair nicely with our SlackerTide Collection. You may remember our interview with owner and artist Richard Blanco a while back. With an updated SlackerTide Collection, you’ll be sure to have more fun golf and drinking logos in your arsenal when you make your own hat. SlackerTide is all about relaxation and fun - his funny golf hats are sure to make your buddies laugh on the golf course and they may even bring you some luck in the birdie department. From punny golf sayings to repping “the Goat,” you’ll find a SlackerTide icon that fits your golf lifestyle. No matter which outdoor activities you enjoy, especially if you love Florida, you can go crazy personalizing your own hat. Your Golf Cap Design Can Include Our Latest Hat Styles Pictured: The Humdinger paired with the “Ace” patch by SlackerTide Imperial’s been hard at work designing new hat styles, adding fun colors and collaborating with awesome partners to bring you awesome materials for your custom hat designs. Whether you’re interested in our heathered performance caps or printed rope caps, you can add whichever icons you like; we believe our new SlackerTide logos will mesh well with our new prints. Pictured: The Hullabaloo Performance Tie Dye Cap paired with “Double Bogey” by SlackerTide The Hullabaloo Tie-Dye Performance Caps Our latest performance hat styles come in multi-color, pink and blue tie-dye. Tie-dye is making a comeback, and we’re here for it. Now you can make your childhood dreams come true again and design your own tie-dye hat without all the mess. The cool blues of this performance golf cap and the salmon pinks are perfect backgrounds for your new SlackerTide designs. Whether you’re “Here Fore Beer” or master of the “2 Putt,” any of SlackerTide’s laidback designs will look great on a Hullabaloo tie-dye hat. Speaking of fond childhood memories - who remembers the green soldiers from Toy Story? That’s right, you can get golfing soldiers on your custom hat design thanks to SlackerTide. The New DNA Rope Cap Collection Pictured: the tropical new Aloha Rope Cap colors paired with SlackerTide Our DNA Collection has some new colors and prints that are sure to be favorites on our personalized hat tool. These floral themes were already a huge hit, so we’re bringing back more designs you’re sure to love. The tropical vibes behind these fun rope hats are a scenic backdrop for the SlackerTide logos, which all originate from Florida. Go with a “Course Closed | Bar Open” or one of the original “Breakfast Ball” pancake icons for a vacation feel or go die-hard golf by repping the “Ace” or “No Gimmies” designs. Pictured: The Grand Teton (coming soon in September) paired with “Breakfast Ball” by SlackerTide Adding SlackerTide to Your Custom Hat Design Personalized golf caps are a luxury we’re happy to offer. If you’re interested in adding a SlackerTide golf icon to one of the new hat designs above, you can make it your own. If you’d like to explore our other new customizable hats and icons, have a blast. Lastly, if you want to upload your own design to one of our mesh back hats, trucker hats, bucket hats or a Tour Visor®, we’ve got you covered. Upload your custom logo with ease with no minimum order. When you design your own hat with Imperial, your options are limitless. Your custom design with us is sure to be your new favorite hat.

Summertime is here, which means it’s time for you to design your own hat that will match all your summer adventures. No matter if your plans are to play golf, hike a mountain or lounge by the pool, you’ll want an Imperial hat to keep you company. Now, if you know anything about Imperial Headwear, we’re obsessed with golf and think you may be, too. To kick off the summer in the right way, we released a few new hat styles and colors as well as tons of fun hat logos that you’d love to wear to the golf course; no matter where your vacation takes you this summer, you can always show your love for your favorite game with our trendy golf hats. That’s not to say every day is dedicated to celebrating golf (though we wouldn’t be opposed). We also designed logos for other summer activities we all enjoy, like camping, roadtripping, drinking and spending time with our best (canine) friends. So, take a peek at our newest hat logos below, along with our latest styles and colors, and see how you can incorporate golf into your summer vacation (even if it is simply a golf hat). That’s what our personalized hat tool is all about! Make Your Own Hat: Road Trip Edition A custom hat design for your summer road trip is the perfect item to pack. Road trips are all about creating memories, so why not slide some golf references in there no matter where the car, van (or cart) takes you. When you picture a squiggly line, are you imagining your car traversing roads out west or your golf shot? Commemorate either with our Shape Your Shot logo from our online hat designer tool; by adding this logo to any one of our bestselling hats, you’ll have a smile on your face -- either you’re remembering your road trip fun or laughing about a golf shot you tried to thread through some trees. You can also go the non-golf route when it comes to road tripping. Did you spend an inordinate amount of time with your family or friends in an RV? If they literally drove you crazy (but you can’t help but love them), get your family golf hats with our new elephant logo to remind them of their circus summer. You can also put our brand new RV logo on our brand new Barnes Cotton Rope Hat, which is lightweight and comes in several natural tones. If you like to kick it old school, switch out the RV logo for our cool Camping Glyphs on our new Hullabaloo Tie-Dye Performance Cap instead! Lastly, sometimes it’s nice to have a logo on your hat that can keep people guessing about the meaning. With our new State Flower Collection, you can subtly display your favorite state on your golf hat. On the flip side, you can add some city patches to your golf hat or even a buffalo-shaped mountain to pay tribute to the west in general. No matter which way you decide to prepare or commemorate your summer road trip, Imperial has tons of hats and summer logos to choose from. Don’t forget we also have new car logos -- the Model Tee and Caddy Caddy. Personalized Golf Caps: Fun in the Sun Wearing your golf cap design in the sun is a no-brainer -- how else will you celebrate summer without getting a sunburn on your face? Whether you’re headed to the beach, the pool or somewhere else with plenty of sunshine, Imperial has new hat styles and logos with the island vibe. On the golf course, is your go-to saying when you hit it in the bunker “Just heading to the beach!”? Maybe you’re a phenomenal bunker player who can hit it high and soft to one foot every time. If so, the Bunker Rake hat logo is for you. For a less conspicuous golf reference, our Sun Tee golf logo on The Humdinger performance hat will get the job done. With a heathered texture and colors ranging from a dark grey to pacific blue, The Humdinger golf hat fits the island theme seamlessly. Golf Rope Hats for Dips and Sips < Is it really summer if you don’t have a golf hat that represents food or drink? With a golf twist, we’ve debuted the Transfusion and Chili Dip icons. Do you take part in the transfusion cocktail on the 19th hole? Or did you start your transfusion early and chili dip your chip? Either way, these golf references are a blast and are sure to be a conversation starter. Add one to the front of the new Manifold Cotton Rope Cap. Did we mention the Chili Dip icon would be perfect on our new Habanero Performance Rope Cap? In addition to the sporty rope design, the Habanero is a spicy way to wear a more structured hat. Embroidered Golf Hats Your Best (Canine) Friend The dog days of summer are here, which means it’s time for you and your pup to explore while wearing your new favorite trucker hat. Imperial already has quite the Canine Collection, but we’ve added more breeds this summer, like Pitbulls, dachshunds and Pugs. Embroider Fido’s breed on whichever hat suits your eye, and you’ll have Fido with you wherever you go this summer (whether you hired a dog sitter or not). Your golf cap designs are endless, just like your summer plans. Now that we’ve added all these new golf hat styles, icons and even colors to our timeless Performance hats and Wrightson rope caps, you can build your dream summer hat. You can design a golf bucket hat with our Moon Man icon (yes, astronauts can bomb their drives while on the moon) or a mesh back hat with a patch of a bear surfing on a longboard; a custom golf hat with all the fixings, like a golf cart, golf shoes or a rangefinder, or a Tour Visor® with an island green or windy round logo. The possibilities are truly endless.

Playing golf and networking go hand-in-hand... It’s undeniable how integrated the game is with the world of business. Golf can be an invaluable tool for forging relationships with peers, clients, vendors and suppliers. For women especially, golf can contribute to their professional success through relationship-building, but also by helping them to feel more assertive and comfortable taking risks. Since the 1990’s, business executive and retired golf professiona Jane Blalock has served over 45,000 women through the KPMG Women’s PGA Clinics. Imperial recently caught up with the 27-time LPGA Tour champion in an interview detailing the inspiration behind these clinics, and her mission to make the game more approachable and accessible for female executives. Titled-sponsored by the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and implemented in partnership with the PGA of America, this nationwide series of full day Clinics is led by PGA/LPGA Certified Coaches and provides best in class fundamentals and on-course instruction to executive women, entrepreneurs, leaders and influencers in a dozen major U.S. markets annually. With Blalock at the helm and still hosting numerous Clinic sites in person, this unique program designed to advance women through the game of golf shows no signs of letting up. Imperial’s relationship with the KPMG Women’s PGA Clinics started back in 2019 when we teamed up to create a curated collection of ladies headwear bearing the Clinic’s embroidered logo. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Golf Clinics Collection is an assortment of small fit hats and visors for women including performance fabric, mesh back styles and visors offered in a variety of colors. and in a junior size. Designed to help you perform your best in the moment, the combination of lightweight breathable fabrics and sun protection qualities will have you focusing on your next shot instead of battling the heat. 5 Questions with Jane Blalock • Why did you start the golf clinics for women? What was/is your vision for the program? While in the financial business with Merrill Lynch after leaving LPGA, I participated in numerous golf events for networking and relationship development. Typically, I was the only woman in the mix – and these were valuable interactions. I set out to encourage women to join in , to be a part of the business and social conversations taking place on the golf course. I created the Clinic program so women could learn the game, understand the language and etiquette around it and build enough confidence to participate in company outings or invite a client to play. Today, we’re proud to see many women attending with clients and customers and using the day to foster and strengthen relationships while learning the game and improving their skills together. Our current national partners definitely see the value in engaging their female associates; many have been participating for years. • In your opinion, what is the best part of the Clinic day? Personally, I think the best part of the day is the après golf networking segment. During that final hour, after everyone has spent the day working on their games and playing out on the course with their PGA/LPGA coaches, we receive so many thank you’s andpromises to no longer remain on the sidelines when it comes to golf. It’s rewarding – and empowering – to see the shift from somewhat timid and uncertain first thing in the morning to confident and fully capable by the end of the day. It says a lot about the program, our instructors and frankly, the women who participate. You can really feel the energy at the end of the day, and it’s inspiring. • How does your career as a professional golfer influence what you share with Clinic attendees? Given all of the events and pro-am tournaments in which I played alongside the other gender for many years, I am able to convince our Clinic participants thatthey don’t have to worry about being any good , as their male counterparts are not. I’ve seen a lot of men hit poor shots and it’s no big deal – they just move on to the next one. • What should I practice most if I want to impress my co-workers and clients on the golf course? Newer players should make an effort to understand the etiquette and play efficiently, which means know how to get around the golf course, where to stand, how to behave when others are hitting and so on. Pay attention to your pace of play – don’t hold others up looking for lost balls or hitting a lot of shots on one hole. Regardless of your skill level, be gracious and respectful – it will be remembered. It’s also a good idea to save the business chatter for the 19th hole. • Why should I attend a KPMG Women’s PGA Clinic? Take it from past attendees – it’s a game changer. You can know absolutely nothing about golf and leave the day with the same level of confidence as a decent player. You can be a great player and leave the day understanding what you need to do to get even better. You might close a business deal. You will definitely make new friends. It’s about golf, of course, but what you take away from the day in terms of relationship-building and making new connections is priceless. I think a lot of people are craving in-person engagement now more than ever – golf is a safe, social, and outdoor activity you can enjoy for a lifetime. There’s no better time than now to jump start or elevate your golf game and participate in a KPMG Women’s PGA Clinic .