Jake Knapp is part of the new generation of golfers helping to promote the Original Penguin brand. Courtesy Original Penguin
Pete the Penguin is turning 70 this year, and so are the golf shirts that the bird first adorned in 1955. It is a significant milestone when one considers how revolutionary those tops were from both a style and technology standpoint, with their three-button plackets and use of an “action gusset” to allow for unrestricted movements during the swing, and how popular they became. They were also the first shirts of that sort ever to employ a logo, with theirs embroidered on the chest pockets.
All these years later, the penguin and the garments that feature him still have plenty of appeal. Among men and women who remember when PGA Tour stars such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Jackie Burke wore them along with celebrities like Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Clint Eastwood.
Millennials and Zoomers have become fans, too, with many first noticing the brand after Aussie Cam Smith started wearing Original Penguin in 2018....