Kentwool's toehold in market leads to industry footprint
When leaders of the Pickens-based manufacturer Kentwool launched sales of their new high-performance golf socks, they had to chase golfers down to get them to try a pair.
That was more than a year ago. Today, executives say it seems they are the ones being chased by people wanting the socks.
The company marketed the socks as “the world's best” during the launch.
But Mark Kent, president and chief executive officer of Kentwool, said the product's success has “exceeded expectations.”
“We just finished our first quarter and we're happy to say our sales were up 445 percent over last year,” Kent said. “To watch the numbers come in each month and see how they keep going in that upward direction is really pleasing.”
Karl Stefka, head golf professional at Greenville Country Club's Riverside Course, said when Kent approached them about the sock and his idea behind it, “we definitely had our questions and concerns.” But he said they decided to carry the sock in their pro shop.
“As soon as word got out about the sock, about how comfortable it was and how well it wore, they basically started selling themselves,” he said.
Kent said his company now has just a small group in the Greenville office dedicated to the golf socks and a couple people in Pickens working on it.
“But if things keep going at the pace it's going, we're going to have to find some more people to answer the phone for our customer service and to fill orders,” he said.
Those are just a few of the many good problems company leaders say they are having with the golf sock.
Kent said the idea originated in May 2007. On his third day of playing in the BMW Charity Pro Am Tournament, Kent experienced feet that were cut and blistered.
“I turned to my caddy, who is a colleague of mine, and said, ‘Why doesn't anybody make a great golf sock?' Literally, he stopped and said, ‘Why don't you make it,'” he said. “That's when the light bulb went off.”
Kent, his staff, and a team of engineers and designers, began work on the project in 2008. A year later, they had what they considered a “good sock.”
Infused in the sock's design is a blend of Kentwool's Windspun, a super-fine merino wool yarn. The sock also contains a micro-climate feature with moisture management and wicker properties to reduce abrasions and muscle fatigue under the most rugged playing conditions.
Before the socks were sold commercially, the company wanted to get them on the feet of professional golfers. LPGA pro Kristy McPherson was the first to help promote the new product.
Kent said he contacted McPherson one day, told her about the design for the golf sock and asked if she would be interested in wear testing it for the company. After meeting her for lunch one day, he put the socks on her feet.
“She tells the story that ‘I was sitting here in the parking lot on the back of a truck with my feet up with this crazy guy from South Carolina putting socks on my feet,'” Kent said.
“But as she goes on to tell the story later, she said, ‘Boy, these are really good.' She goes on to play in the Kraft Nabisco and finishes second. She calls me back and says the ‘socks are great.' So that kind of started it.”
Kent, along Gil Patrick, Kentwool's director of golf development, and Kent Barber, the company's sales associate, decided to set up a booth at the BMW Charity Pro Am in 2009 and gave away socks to every professional and amateur that participated in the tournament to get more feedback.
The men said they were amazed at how many people loved the product.
Kentwool leaders believe the golf sock has created its own niche in the market. Before, golf socks were really just an avenue to put a logo on for that company, Barber said.
Now, one of the challenges Kentwool faces is how to make the product even better and more versatile.
“We kept thinking about in our head people that could be doctors, nurses, teachers, anybody who's on their feet over 8 to 10 hours a day could benefit from this product,” Kent said.
“We designed it to reduce foot stress fatigue and optimize the efficiency of the muscle in the foot so it performs at a higher rate than any other sock,” Kent said. “If your muscles are performing at the highest efficiency then they're reducing lactic acid which causes stress and fatigue in muscles.
“So did we over design the product? There's no question it's got more whistles and bells than you can shake a stick at,” he said.
