PGA Show Offerings for

Sustainable Performance Fabrics

By Kathlyn Swantko

Over 1,000 golf companies and 31,000+ golf industry attendees from 89 countries came together for the 2024 PGA Show in Orlando, Florida.  The show is the longest running golf show and the largest marketplace for the latest golf technology, equipment, and apparel.  This year’s show included over 20 textile companies showcasing their latest textile innovations to enhance the golf experience, as well as for tennis and pickleball players.

Although a relatively new but growing group at the PGA Show, textile exhibitors emphasized how they are working to develop high-performance eco-friendly fabrics for the golf market, which places sustainability at the forefront.  Some of these innovative textiles are highlighted below. 

Under Armour & Celanese:  One of the most exciting new sustainable fiber developments was an alternative to the use of elastane/spandex.  Under Armour and Celanese introduced Neolast™, a new elastoester polymer fiber, an advancement that takes a crucial step in addressing the previously unsolved challenge of recycling blended stretch fabrics, made from elastane spandex.  As an innovative solvent-free stretch technology, Neolast™ fiber unlocks the recycling potential, and enhances the framework for future recycling systems. 

“This new Neolast™ fiber represents a transformative innovation for Under Armour and the textile industry, embodying our commitment to build better products for our consumers and the planet,” said Kyle Blakely, Senior Vice President of Innovation at Under Armour. "Through performance-driven sustainability and innovation, we look forward to helping athletes play at the top of their game, as we work with Celanese to realize the new fiber’s potential in forging a path toward circularity.”

Neolast™ production process is also more precise than that of elastane.  Yarn spinners can more easily gauge the stretch power-levels up or down, based on fiber engineering to meet a wide variety of knit, woven, and nonwoven applications.  The technology provides elite-level performance qualities like stretch, durability, moisture-management, and comfort. 

Coolcore:  With apparel consumption expected to triple by 2050, Coolcore is taking a firm stance on sustainability.  Coolcore’s mission is to reduce textiles’ global impact on the planet.  Ongoing innovations include its chemical-free performance for both warm- and cold-weather applications.

At this year’s show, Coolcore featured its multi-weight thermoregulation fabric collection, made from recycled materials without the use of harmful chemicals, ideal for a broad range of golf apparel applications.  Coolcore® technology provides moisture-wicking/-transportation qualities, along with regulated evaporation benefits for year-round comfort. Available in a variety of knit and woven constructions, the fabrics are lightweight with 4-way stretch, are durable, drapeable, quick-drying, and sustainable.  Coolcore’s team maintains testing standards, assuring the development of sustainably-driven fabrics that provide comfortable, dependable apparel products.

Eclat Textile Co., Ltd:  Following innovative, sustainable design, and athletic/fashion trends, Eclat continually explores the limits of activewear materials and sustainable fabric collections. Eclat innovates for athletic culture and lifestyle through tests focused on the wearers’ precision, speed, and product performance.  The company’s team works closely with its customers on new developments and ideas, including production-ready designs, sampling, and testing to ensure high-quality comfortable garments. 

At the PGA Show, Eclat featured its new Double-Dyed Fabric Collection of polyester/spandex jersey heather fabrics. Since polyester and spandex yarns require different dyeing, Eclat’s double-dyeing process achieves beautiful heather coloring for its inter-knit fabrics. This yarn dye process offers a textured look in a variety of combinations, so the colors can be either tonal or contrasted.

Depending on customer request, the company’s polyester yarns can utilize either virgin poly or the recycled fibers. The fabric is finished using Eclat’s double-sided moss finish, created through its proprietary specialty machine, producing the very soft finish.  As part of its sustainable practices, Eclat evaluates the feasibility of various water-saving technologies in all its facilities.  All Eclat’s fabrics are BlueSign® certified.    

Jason Mills – As a manufacturer of golf impact screen fabrics, Jason Mills develops high-quality polyester and nylon knit mesh fabrics for this technical application. The fabric must withstand the high-speeds and the rotation of golf balls hitting the screens repeatedly without tearing or wearing out. The company combines its technical expertise, careful material selection, and advanced sustainable processes to ensure its fabrics meet the highest quality standards for its golf simulation materials.  Since polyester is lightweight, strong and durable over time, this fabric is the most ideal and is the most widely used choice for impact screen applications. 

At this year’s PGA Show, Jason Mills showcased its new side curtain tricot knit material for golf simulator environments.  Made in the USA of 100% solution-dyed polyester, this high-density tricot knit provides a barrier that can endure the impact of golf balls.  “When used as a rear impact screen (protective screen placed behind the main impact screen), there will be no dye transfer from the rear screen to the front screen, which is a common problem with standard, piece-dyed goods,” explains Michael Lavroff, CEO/president of Jason Mills. “When used as a side curtain, any errant shots will have no black transfer to the ball, and ultimately on the screen itself.” 

Solution-dyed polyester yarn produces long-term fabric durability and offers a tight, clean, flat fabric that is less prone to tearing.  This sustainable dyeing process also confines the color within the yarn itself, and uses less water and energy compared to other coloring processes.

M.I.T.I. S.p.A.:  Creating quality and innovative performance fabrics, along with a respect for the environment, has established M.I.T.I. S.p.A. as a leading Italian fabric manufacturer.  At the PGA Show, the company showcased its NaturalMatch™ wool technology, which matches the best properties of merino wool on the inside with the performance of nylon on the outside.  The result is aimed to unify the best options of wool in combination with high performing manmade fibers.  NaturalMatch technology offers the quality of synthetic fibers, such as high elasticity and durability, along with natural soft touch breathability, and the wicking properties of 100% extra-fine merino virgin wool, which are ideal for golf apparel applications.

The company’s ECO-technology helps in reducing the impact of CO2 emissions during production.  Its EcoSoul technology combines the use of 100% recycled polyester with virgin elastane, using the most environmentally-friendly dyeing and finishing processes with no compromise on the fabrics’ performance.

Tiara Textile Co., LTD:  As a manufacturer of woven fabrics, Tiara Textile Co. LTD. featured its latest biodegradable technology for performance woven fabric applications.  The company showcased its woven fabrics that are 100% Bio-degradable; provide effective recycling; are non-toxic; and are ISO accredited. 

Tiara Textiles’ products bring recycled yarn to the next level.  The company provides green energy manufacturing techniques in both its weaving and dyeing facilities. Its 100% recycled yarns offer nylon and polyester woven fabrics, recycled from old fishing nets, oyster shells, PET bottles, etc.  The company’s solution-dyed procedure adds the color to the polymer during the melt-spinning process, which reduces industrial waste water, while maintaining colorfast performance.

The performance qualities for Tiara Textile’s offers the golf market all-season fabrics that are lightweight with a natural feel.  The fabrics maintain a breathable comfort stretch with moisture management qualities, are windproof/water repellent, and quick-drying, ideal for all types of weather.