She started her own golf clothing business for teenage girls. She is 14 years old

Four years ago, 10-year-old Kate Korngold walked into another golf pro shop and found herself disappointed again.

Where was the “teenagers” section? Stuck searching for khaki pants and collared shirts at the Gap, Kate was forced to wear clothes that may have been the required golf attire, but were not items conducive to playing golf. Most of the golfing tweens and teens Kate spoke with faced the same clothing dilemma. The shirts came loose when trying to bend over to read a putt, the skorts weren't stretchy enough for hitting a bunker shot, and the sleeves were too tight at the shoulders but too boxy if you took a larger size. Plus, the clothes just weren't stylish.

“I would see my brother go to golf stores and have a whole section for him and my mom or dad go to a golf store and see there was a whole section for them,” Kate said. “It really frustrated me because I felt like I didn't really have a place in golf even though we [girls] are a growing demographic in sports.

When Kate was 4, her father took her to the stand and she was hooked. The 14-year-old, with a sober and patient nature, turned to golf because of the calm aroma of the sport. She also quickly discovered that she possessed a natural ability. Kate plays competitively on the MET PGA Junior Tour in New York and one of her goals this summer is to break 80.

However, his first goal in golf was not related to a golf score but simply finding comfortable golf pants to play with.

“When it's 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 said, 'Can you please look for golf pants on the Internet?' They searched and found nothing. »

This got Kate thinking: Why not create my own golf clothing?

“My husband and I initially said no to the idea,” said Kate's mother Kristy. It was 2019, when Kate was 10 years old. “We told him not to worry. One of these big brands is going to understand that girls need golf clothing. We agreed to wait a year and she came back and said there was still no golf clothing for teenage girls. And so we said, let's wait another year.

They did, but they couldn't hold on any longer. With her parents' blessing, Kate officially began designing in 2022. Featherie was officially launched in 2023.

She painstakingly examined every aspect of Kate's affairs, including her name. “A feather ball or feather ball is what they call 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 hope to revolutionize golf and in a way that can help girls.”

Kate, who was in seventh grade when she started Featherie, never seemed intimidated by what it meant to start a business. Between choosing her own fabrics, building a team, and drawing sketches, Kate was able to create the golf clothing line of her dreams because she had already experienced the nagging discomforts of golf clothing she didn't like.

“Featherie’s clothes have little details like t-shirt clips on the back of the pants and under the skort,” Kate said. “Zipped sleeves on the vest, so if you have an early start when it's cold in the morning but it's warmer in the afternoon, you can just take them off and put them in your golf bag or a small secret pocket on the vest. jacket itself. There are auto-lock zippers on the collar of the shirts so they don't zip up while you're swinging. The armholes are big enough that you can swing, but not too big that you can see your underwear, and we've made the back of the polo slightly longer so that when you bend over, your shirt doesn't ride up on your back. The fabric is also durable and has UV protection.

Kate's knowledge and drive may be impressive, but make no mistake: 14 is too young to run your own business.

“It wasn’t a project I wanted to take on,” Kristy said. “I told Kate, 'If you do this, it'll be your baby.' And so all of our calls happen after school, which is not always easy in the business world. But she took ownership of the situation, and I give her credit for that, because it's not easy balancing school, your own golf course and Featherie.

Kate's school — she's now in eighth grade — starts 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., at which time she returns home to make work calls and do homework. On weekends, she plays golf.

She reached another milestone in January, when she was able to present Featherie at the PGA Show – and received overwhelming support from her peers. Kate also has personal golf goals – she would love to play in college – but her current goals are much more ambitious.

“I also hope that we spread the message that girls matter, especially in golf, and that we deserve a seat at the table,” she said. “We are here to say something needs to be done.”

Emilia Migliaccio is an amateur golfer who played at Wake Forest University from 2017 to 2021 and for a fifth year in 2023. She was a four-time All-American and won five times at the university, including the ACC Championship in 2019. In 2023, Emilia helped win the first national team championship title for Wake Forest. She also competed on two Curtis Cup teams and four major championships, including three U.S. Women's Opens. Emilia also freelances for NBC Sports and PGA Tour Entertainment as an on-course analyst and reporter.