Four years ago, 10-year-old Kate Korngold walked into yet another golf pro shop and found herself again disappointed.
Where was the “teen girls” section? Stuck trying to find khaki pants and collared shirts at Gap, Kate was forced to wear clothes that may have matched the required golf attire but were not items conducive to playing golf. Most pre-teen and teenage girls who played golf that Kate spoke with struggled with the same clothing dilemma. Shirts would come untucked when trying to bend down to read a putt, skorts weren’t stretchy enough to hit a bunker shot and sleeves would be too tight in the shoulders but too boxy if you sized up. Plus, the clothes were just not stylish.
“I would see my brother go into golf shops and have a whole section for himself and my mom or my dad go into a golf shop and see that there’s a whole section for them,” Kate said. “It made me really frustrated because I felt like I didn’t really have a place in golf even though we [girls] are such a growing demographic in sports.”
When Kate was 4, her father took her to the range and she was hooked. The 14-year-old, who is subdued and patient by nature, gravitated toward golf because of the sport’s calm aroma. She also quickly discovered she had a natural ability. Kate plays competitively on the MET PGA Junior Tour in the New York and one of her goals this summer is to break 80.
Her first goal in golf, however, was not related to a golf score but simply to find comfortable golf pants to play in.
“When it gets cold, I have to wear these Capris that don’t cover my ankles and are uncomfortable,” Kate said. “So I went to my mom and dad and I told them, ‘Can you please look on the internet for golf pants?’ They looked and couldn’t find anything.”
That got Kate thinking: Why don’t I just create my own golf clothing?
“My husband and I initially declined the idea,” said Kristy, Kate’s mother. This was back in 2019 when Kate was 10 years old. “We told her not to worry. One of these big brands is going to figure out that girls need golf clothes. We agreed to wait one year and she came back and said there’s still no golf clothes for teen girls. And so we said let’s wait another year.”
They did, but they couldn’t hold off any longer. With her parents’ blessing, Kate began formally sketching designs in 2022. Featherie was officially launched in 2023.
Every aspect of Kate’s business she thoroughly vetted, including its name. “A feather ball or feathery is what they called the first high-performance golf ball and it basically revolutionized the game of golf,” she said. “So I thought it was a perfect name for the company because I’m hoping to revolutionize golf and in a way that can help girls.”
Kate, who was in seventh grade when she launched Featherie, never seemed intimidated about what it meant to start a business. Between choosing her own fabrics to building a team and drawing sketches, Kate knew how to create the golf clothing line of her dreams because she had already lived through the nagging discomforts of golf clothes she disliked.
“Featherie’s clothes have little details like tee holders on the back of the pants and under the skort,” Kate said. “Zip-off sleeves on the vest so if you have an early tee time when it’s cold in the morning but gets warmer in the afternoon, you can just zip them off and either put them in your golf bag or a little secret pocket on the jacket itself. There are auto locking zippers on the collar of the shirts so they don’t zip down while you’re swinging. The armholes are big enough that you can swing, but not too big that you can see your undergarments, and we made the back of the polo slightly longer so that when you bend down, your shirt doesn’t rise up on your back. The fabric is also sustainable and comes with UV protection.”
Kate’s knowledge and drive might be impressive, but don’t be fooled that 14 is too young to be the leader of her own business.
“This was not a project that I wanted to take on,” Kristy said. “I said to Kate, ‘If you’re going to do this, it’s going to be your baby.’ And so all of our calls happen after school, which is not always easy in the business world. But she’s taken ownership, and I give her credit because it’s not easy to balance school, her own golf and Featherie.”
Kate’s school — she’s in eighth grade now — begins at 7:45 a.m., and during her gym class she’s allowed to practice on the golf simulators across the street. School ends around 4 p.m., which is when she returns home to make work calls and do homework. On the weekends, she plays golf.
She earned another milestone in January, when she got to showcase Featherie at the PGA Show — and received an overwhelming amount of support from her peers. Kate has personal goals in golf, too – she would love to play in college – but her current goals are much more grand.
“I also hope that we spread the message that girls matter, especially in golf, that we deserve a seat at the table,” she said. “We’re here to say something should be done.”
Emilia Migliaccio is an amateur golfer who played at Wake Forest University from 2017-2021 and for a fifth year in 2023. She was a four-time All-American and won five times in college, including the ACC Championship in 2019. In 2023, Emilia helped bring home the first team national championship title for Wake Forest. She’s also competed on two Curtis Cup teams and in four major championships, including three U.S. Women’s Opens. Emilia also freelances for NBC Sports and PGA Tour Entertainment as an analyst and on-course reporter.