It’s time to start minding the gap—specifically the one where a fast-growing market is quietly being left out. Join us as we sit down with the remarkable mother-daughter founding team behind Featherie, a golf apparel company, to talk about spotting an overlooked opportunity in a male-dominated industry. Founder Kate Korngold, a high school sophomore, and her mom and ops person, Kristy Korngold, share the journey of building a brand that refuses to “shrink it and pink it” for female golfers. They explore how trusting lived experience as market insight, embracing intergenerational leadership, and having the courage to build something new expands choice, belonging, and possibility for the women and girls who come next.
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Changing The Game: Filling A Market Gap For Women And Girls, One Bold Swing At A Time With Featherie Founder, Kate Korngold, And Right Hand Mom, Kristy, Mind A Gap And Win
We’re going to take a look at gaps. We’re going to start minding those gaps, primarily between who a market claims to serve and who it quietly leaves out. We’re going to do so by sitting down with the founder, Kate Korngold, who is a sophomore in high school, of Featherie, a golf apparel company that is finally taking time to address the need of a very fast growing market, women and teen girls, who previously were dealing with clothes that were never built for them, as is the case with so many things for women. It’s adapted as an afterthought.
On this Women Advancing episode, I’m joined by this remarkable mother-daughter founding team to talk about spotting an overlooked opportunity, trusting lived experience as real market insight, and then having the courage to step onto the course when the industry wasn’t exactly set up for you. We explore what it means to build a brand across generations, how confidence and comfort can change performance, and why recognizing such a gap, refusing to shrink around it, and choosing to build something that expands choice, belonging, and possibility for the women and girls who come next is in fact an act of leadership and how by doing so, others around you, including large brands, will come and borrow your ideas.
There are a lot of life lessons as well, as to what goes on when one is building a company. If you’ve ever noticed something missing and wondered whether you were brave enough to build it for yourself, please tune in to this episode. Kate will give you such inspiration. Spoiler alert, yes, that’s right. The answer is yes. This conversation is for you. Stay to the end, tune in to my KB Takeaways, and let me know what else you’d love to hear.
The Gap: How A Teen Golfer Discovered A Missed Market Opportunity
We are in for such a treat. I am joined by founder Kate Korngold and her right hand, I won’t say co-founder, but ops person, her mom, Kristy Korngold. If you can imagine starting a company with your mom, that’s pretty cool right there. Their company is Featherie. We’re going to talk a little bit about spotting gaps, intergenerational leadership, and so much more. Let’s jump in. Kristy and Kate, welcome to Women Advancing.
Thank you for having us.
Thank you so much, Kate, for having us.
It’s my pleasure. I want to dive right in. So often, we’ve all heard about mind the gap, and people have spotted gaps, but you did, Kate, and at such a young age. I’d love for you to share a little bit about the story of what you heard, saw, or experienced personally that convinced you that “There’s a gap here, and I should do something about it.”
I’ve been playing golf since I was four years old. When I became a teen, I realized that there were no golf clothes made for teen girls. After playing for a while, I would play with my parents and my family. Afterwards, we would go into the pro shop to get either a hat or some clothes. My dad would be able to find something to buy in the men’s section. My brother could find something to buy in the boys’ section. Even my little sister had something to buy in the little girls’ section, but there was nothing made for teen girls who had already grown out of the kids’ section, but weren’t quite ready to wear clothes from the women’s section.
I went to my parents with this problem. At first, they didn’t believe me because they didn’t think it was possible that there was a full group that was left out in golf clothes. Eventually, we all realized that it was a true problem. We waited for a while for a bigger brand to come out with teen girl golf clothes. It never happened. After a while, after a lot of waiting, we took this idea and met with a designer. I designed all the golf clothes. I learned about manufacturing, fabrics, colors, and a lot of behind-the-scenes logistics. We brought it to a trade show in 2023. It’s been great ever since.
The thing that I am blown away by is that, of all the sectors or segments, stakeholder groups, markets, audience, to miss teen girls who are all about fashion, all about trends, which means, honestly, you could have such an instantaneous, constant design flow. Every year, there are new models. It’s almost like disposable wear in a way. I’m just saying. What a swing and a whiff and a miss.
To your point, 37% of junior golfers are females, and 38% of beginner golfers are females. That number continues to grow and started growing during COVID. COVID was a time when people wanted to be outside and tried to find ways not to be indoors. For numbers to be that high and to be forgotten about doesn’t make sense.
The Decision: Why Big Brands Missed The Boat And Featherie Launched
To grow into adult female golfers with a sense of style, practicality, and efficiency, the same thing is there. I bet that market is growing as more and more young girls are stepping into becoming young women who are leaders, because we all know about the magic of the golf course. Despite that, there are lessons that one learns, skills, patience, focus, and fighting the negative chatter in your head when you miss. Kristy, what did you think when Kate came to you? We’ve all had our kids come and say, “I think.” You’re like, “Wait a second.”
When she first came to my husband and me with the idea, we said to her, “Don’t worry. One of these big brands is going to figure out that there’s this void. They’ll take care of it.” We waited a year. Kate came back and said, “No one has fixed this.” We said, “No, don’t worry. We’ll wait another year.” Finally, after two and a half years, John and I looked at each other and said, “This is a parenting moment. We either give her the green light and support her, or she’ll turn around in 40 years and tell us that she could have been the next big sports brand out there.” We decided to try to figure this out.
Neither my husband nor I have a background in fashion, and Kate did not. We had to start from scratch. As Kate said, figure out what fabrics are. What are fabric mills, manufacturing, a logistics company, and a 3PL? There’s so much that goes into it behind the scenes. The biggest thing, too, is the way you market these clothes for younger kids is through social media. I have three children. None of them were allowed to have social media prior to this. That was a huge learning experience for us.
What a sector to take on, retail. Everyone has their systems, but that has systems upon systems, upon systems, upon procedures, upon policies, because especially as you start, your brand starts scaling and being distributed across state lines and potentially, knock on wood, country lines. That’s a whole other magnitude, import, export, all sorts of things. That’s an MBA right here and now.
It is. Not having a business background, every day is something new. We’re learning something new.
You’re on the cutting edge because I’m sure it’s all changed so much. So often, when one is starting something, you go back, and people will tell you to get advice from others. Some of it’s still relevant, I’m sure, but to your point, there’s a lot that isn’t. The social marketing piece in particular, I want to touch upon that in a little minute, but I’m dying to know. It’s probably something that I should know. What does the name mean? What is it referred to? Is it a term?
Feathery is the first high-performance golf ball. It revolutionized the game of golf because golf balls were able to fly a lot further. They’re filled with goose feathers. We thought that it fit perfectly with the brands because it revolutionized the game of golf. I was hoping to, in some way, revolutionize the game of golf for women and for girls as well.
It is great. You’re revolutionizing it through fashion. When they step onto the green, they are feeling good, strong, confident, and a boss lady.
It is giving the woman confidence and revolutionizing the whole area for women and girls.
Featherie’s Innovation: Tee Holders And Zip-Off Sleeves For Golfers
Speaking of revolutionizing, you talked a bit about your design. You designed it. There are specific things. Share a little bit. What are some of the features that you came up with that are unique that others hadn’t seen, just like they missed this whole market?
Being a golfer, I knew exactly what I wanted to put into the clothes to make them the most high-performance and functional for the girls and women who would be wearing the clothes. For example, on our skorts and our pants, we have tee holders built in under the skirt and then on the back of the pants. When you have to store tees instead of putting them in your pocket, where they might stab you while you’re swinging, there’s a perfect little spot that’s dedicated to the tees.
Another feature is our zip-off sleeves on our jacket. If you have an early morning tea time and it’s cold out, but then it gets warmer throughout the day, you can zip off the sleeves and put them into the pockets on the inside. Little details like that differentiate Featherie as it was designed by a golfer. I knew exactly what needed to be in the pieces to make them the most high-performance for the girls.
I love both those pieces, but the zip-off sleeves are so brilliant because so often, golf courses are near bodies of water. We all know that it can get foggy. I’m thinking of a few courses in the Bay Area, in particular, where that is so smart and wise. Did you learn anything else from doing this? Did other brands all of a sudden pick up and go, “Wait, that’s a pretty cool thing?”
It was interesting to see at the first trade show that we went to, the number of people who were coming over from other brands who were looking at the pieces. We have seen some of the things that Kate has put into her designs now on other brands’ pieces, which was alarming to Kate initially. It’s been a good lesson for her because copying is the best form of flattery. It was a good idea. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be using it on their pieces. Maybe a hard life lesson to learn, but you’re not going to stop it. You’re not going to prevent it from happening. Take it as a compliment.
Copying is the best form of flattery. It was a good idea. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be using it on their pieces. Share on XThe other thing, eventually down the line, that you can do is you can become known for your innovation, especially in your ability to read the minds and the needs of a very specific and incredibly important growing market. You are instantly a thought leader. There are all sorts of opportunities for you there to also further grow, which is fantastic, because then you can serve as such an inspiration to women of all ages, but especially your age group, who, so often, many adults overlook. There are a lot of assumptions that are put into play.
Especially in golf. It’s interesting. It even happened to us on the golf course, where there were some men playing golf who assumed that Kate would be slow and didn’t allow her to play in front of them. Kate ended up having to wait for them, and behind every hole, which showed them that their assumptions were incorrect. It happens a lot in golf. People still aren’t giving women the respect that they deserve on the course.
Defying “Shrink It And Pink It”: Challenging Golf Apparel Stereotypes
What were some of the other big surprises about entering a market like this, where women’s and girls’ accessories often default to stereotypes?
It was surprising that in the first trade show, men were coming by and going, “These clothes make sense as to why you need certain things.” When these women’s clothes have been historically designed by men, they haven’t put a lot of thought into what women need in their clothes. There were a lot of assumptions made about what women needed in their clothing on the golf course. It has now changed because she knows what a woman needs.
I’m curious. Wasn’t there some saying, “Shrink it and pink it?”
Yes. What you unfortunately historically have seen in women’s golf clothes is an assumption that we want something that’s uber feminine on the course. We learned early on in this process from different pro shops, buyers, and merchandisers that there’s a saying in the golf world. That is, “Shrink it and pink it,” for female golfers, which is awful.
In golf, people still aren’t giving women the respect that they deserve on the course. Share on XIn any industry, any sector, it would be. It sums it up.
Kate’s designs are classic and clean, with no prints. They are sophisticated colors that are not typically seen on the golf course, necessarily.
They fit well. They’re not the shrink it and pink it. They’re special for women and girls, changing women’s golf clothes.
What’s your inspiration for colors? You know how every year they have, “These are the colors for 2026.” Do you pay attention to that, or do you just say, “I like that color. That could be cool with this?”
For all the Featherie colors, they’re all mix and match. They all go with each other. They’re all staple pieces. The collections can go together. For our first collection, the colors were white, light pink, light blue, and navy. Those all mix well together. In terms of picking colors for our pieces, colors that go well, colors that can go with a lot of different pieces, a lot of different other things.
The idea is not to get stuck with one top that matches one skirt, but to have pieces that are more versatile. It’s a g- to skirt that you can grab out of your closet, and you can throw on any top with it. They are pieces that you can use year after year that aren’t trendy and will last you more than one or two seasons.
Building A Brand Across Generations: The Mother-Daughter Duo Dynamic
I was going to say, which completely plays into all of the mindset of your audience, the older sector of it, but then also the young and the up-and-coming. How does being a mother-daughter duo shape your decision-making and your ability to take risks? Is one more risk-oriented than the other? What’s a day in the life of that vibe like?
It has been the most amazing opportunity to be able to work with my mom throughout this process. We’ve definitely grown together. We’ve learned a lot together. A cool thing about being a mother-daughter duo is that we’re always throwing ideas at each other, no matter what time of day. Being able to do that, we think a lot about designs, colors, and all that stuff, even when we’re not in the office. That’s something cool about being able to work with my mom.
Kate has complete control over. She’s the creative director. She doesn’t design anything that she won’t put on her body. We agree on most things, but there are times when I’ll suggest something, and she’ll say, “I’m not going to wear that.” There are times when I have to step in as a mom and say, “That skirt might be a little short.”
“We don’t need a crop top.”
That’s right. As Kate said, this has been such a great experience. We’ve both learned so much about each other through this process. Every day, we are learning how this business works and everything that goes on behind the scenes, and learning that together. There are so many times that we get off a call and we look at each other and say, “What were they talking about?” We dig in together to figure out, “What did it mean when they were referring to this, or what did we need to learn about what it meant when they were talking about this?” It has been a fun journey to take together.
If no other big companies are going to come out with it, then why not you? Share on XOne of the things that would be cool and fun to witness with that is how, to your point, you come away from the same conversation and how each of you heard or saw something a little unique. I’m sure a lot of it is the same, but interesting that each of you has those eyes in the back of your head where you can catch each other’s blind spots, which is probably amazing.
With that, though, because you are together, being mom and daughter, and you’re running around and seeing all these things, what have you learned about blending family and business? How do you set up those boundaries? We all know it’s hard enough to put a boundary just with yourself. You have 40% of your family involved. How do you work on that, or how do you set that up? Do you have some setup of either rules, cues, keywords, or safety words to tell the family to use aside from maybe an eye roll?
You are absolutely right. This startup is all-consuming. If we don’t set boundaries, it does. It’s all we think about and talk about 24 hours a day together. This is Kate’s passion. It has become my passion as well. We have to be careful because we do have three other family members who don’t constantly want to talk about Featherie at the dinner table. We do have to make sure that when we’re at dinner, when we’re together with our family, we are not constantly talking Featherie, although they’re as excited and full of some great ideas as well. We do need to set boundaries.
I don’t think we’ve learned yet where to set that boundary because we’re a new company. We’re still trying to figure it out.
I’m feeling that all out. Of all of that, what would each of you say? Kate, what have you learned? What’s a leadership or a life lesson that you’ve learned from your mom? Kristy, what about you? What have you learned from Kate?
One of the biggest things was when I was first going to start the company, when my parents, especially my mom, told me, “If not you, then who?” They are telling me that if no other big companies are going to come out with it, then why not me? I’ll definitely take that lesson with me in the future, and as I continue to grow as a person. That was a very valuable lesson for me.
Kate is naturally an introvert. She did not start Featherie for the spotlight. She started Featherie because she found a void in the market. There was a problem that wasn’t being addressed. She decided to take it upon herself and solve that. Because she’s an introvert, it has been hard for her to put herself out there, starting with putting this idea that she had. What if people don’t like it? What if people come back and say, “No, I don’t think it’s necessary?”
She is doing interviews, doing shows like this one, going to a trade show, and having to talk to thousands of people. I have learned that even in an uncomfortable situation, you put yourself out there and take that risk and do it. There have been times when I have found myself in an uncomfortable situation and have thought, “If Kate can do it, I can do it, too.” I’m incredibly proud of how Kate, as a person, has grown.
That is a very cool thing. You, in essence, are channeling your inner Kate. What would Kate do? How would she play this? This intergenerational learning is something I’ve been thinking about and beginning to dig into deeper and deeper. It’s a theme that I want to work on throughout this season of Women Advancing because it’s so important. It can make everybody’s lives so much easier when we realize everyone has something to teach us. It makes us all better communicators. It makes us all better leaders and better followers.
No matter what age, you can always learn something from someone else. I call Kate my IT department because technology is not my thing. She’s always the one who helps with spreadsheets, Excel, and PowerPoint.
I do that with my daughters. Nothing pleases me more than when I surprise them. “Look at you.” I’m like, “Yes, I know. Get back.”
It’s like a Saturday Night Live skit where I’m like, “Kate, I don’t know how to do this.” She comes in. “Mom, it wasn’t that hard.”
The Teen CEO Challenge: Balancing A Growing Startup And High School
I want to make a soundtrack of all those mother-daughter things like that. The “Mom,” which was when the eyes rolled. I feel you on that for sure. Kate, to that end, the entrepreneur’s reality. It’s all great. Things are growing. That’s wonderful. Every founder encounters friction. What’s top for you? What’s challenged you most? How do you move through those doubts that your mom spoke of?
One of the biggest challenges for me, especially as a tenth grader, is balancing school and Featherie at the same time. It has taken a while for me to find that groove to find that space where I can do my homework at night, but then also be able to hop on a call right after when I get home from school. That’s definitely been one of the biggest challenges of being a teen entrepreneur. Especially with my mom’s help and my parents’ help, it has been good so far.
No matter what age, you can always learn something from someone else. Share on XBecause of that balance thing, thank God, you’re learning how to do that now. That’s going to be a gift that keeps on giving throughout your life, my friend, and across many different simultaneous situations. The extraordinary amount of vulnerability you have displayed, especially at an age where you’re also still figuring out who you are, what you are, and what makes you tick, thank you for that.
There are a lot of us on my end of the spectrum who will also channel our inner Kate and realize, “I got to step it up and step out so that we make more space for folks like you to do exactly what you’re doing.” If Featherie becomes what you dream it could be, what does that look like? I know it may seem silly to ask that now, but I’m a big believer. We had the solstice. I’m a juju player. I got to plant those seeds, baby. Manifest now. What would it look like, Kate?
It is getting Featherie into more people’s hands and more people’s closets, being seen Featherie out on the course, but also creating this community of women and girls on the course, and growing the popularity of women and golf. It is continuing to grow this community and continuing to make golf seem less of a male-dominated sport and more of a sport where women and girls can go out, have fun, spend time with their friends, and spend time with their family, changing the whole space and making it more woman and girl-friendly.
Advice & Manifestation: The Future Vision For Featherie
It will be interesting to see. I love that vision. One of my first bosses was an amazing woman, Janet Hare, an extraordinary golfer. She could hit from the men’s tees and outdo everybody. She was so great. Her family was very senior-level in the time media enterprise, her brother, Jack, and her other sisters. Nothing would make her happier than to see exactly that and have more and more, so that it’s a collaborative thing. Who knows, one day, there will only be a tee? Knowing what you know now, Kristy, what would you tell your younger self, and Kate, what advice are you going to give your older self now?
Don’t take no for an answer. Use it as almost a motivation to continue going. There are going to be people who will stop you along the way and say, “Your idea is not good. There’s no space for teen girl golf clothes and women’s golf clothes.” In reality, you have to take that and use it as a motivation to continue going.
I would probably say something similar. Don’t take no for an answer. I would also tell my younger self that female entrepreneurs, the female community, are incredible. The support that you will get from females going forward is a gift. That has been a gift in this process. Females lift you. They support you in many different ways, even in this way, Kate, honestly, by hosting a show like this for female entrepreneurs. Take that chance and know that you are going to have a community that supports you, stands behind you, and uplifts you.
It is wonderful. What advice, Kate, would you give to other folks your age and older, too, maybe, because I know there’s so much innovative thinking that takes place? What advice would you give them in terms of potentially founding companies in the future?
Follow your dreams. Take your idea and do something with it. They’re all good ideas. It’s possible to make something good out of it. Follow your dreams for sure.
Thank you both so much. I appreciate you making the time and helping us kick off the new season of Women Advancing. For those of you who are going to be out in Orlando, you can see the Featherie duo there. Don’t be a stranger and go check them out. We’re going to have the link to your website as well. I’m going to have to go check it out myself.
We would love to see you at the PGA Show in January. Thank you so much for having us. I appreciate it. It was great talking with you.
My pleasure. Best of everything to you. May 2026 be bigger and more extraordinary than you think.
Thank you so much.
Until next time.
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KB Takeaways: Final Lessons An Entrepreneurship And Leadership
That is a pretty inspirational conversation, if I do say so myself, on two fronts. One, you’re fourteen. You get this idea, and then you go for it, especially when you’re an introvert. I know so many of us, it’s hard. It’s hard for me. I’ve got a big mouth. For someone like Kate, who has her mother described as more introverted, good for her to overcome and allow herself to be so vulnerable and out there because she has such faith and belief in her idea. Kudos to Kristy and Dad John for supporting Kate. This is so perfect for the intergenerational work that I’m going to be doing a bit more of throughout the 2026 episodes.
How we’re going to lift each other is seeding that perpetual curiosity, making space, and then taking space. For my KB Takeaways, first and foremost, if not you, then who? That’s right. Get out there, jump in, take it, and do it. Know that you’re going to have some bumps along the way, but also pearl number two from the words and lips of Kate is that those noes are going to get you closer to your yeses. It means leading you away from an idea that wasn’t going to work. Three, from Kristy, I appreciated, don’t take no for an answer. Get back in that ring and take that chance. Don’t be afraid. It’s so much easier said than done.
So many of these takeaways and KB Takeaways throughout all the different episodes sound somewhat obvious, but they are hard to practice. Honestly, that’s why oftentimes I repeat again and again and again, because until we get more of us up there and out there in the world, we need to be reminded of this all the time. With that, thank you for joining me on Women Advancing. I look forward to continuing the conversation.
Important Links
About Kate Korngold
Kate Korngold is a 15-year-old competitive golfer and is the founder of Featherie, a performance golf apparel line focused on female golfers.
Kate grew up in New York and launched Featherie in 2023 in response to her frustration with the lack of apparel options for teen girls who did not want to sacrifice performance for style or sustainability.
More than the performance apparel itself, Featherie was designed with the goal of ensuring that girls and women are no longer an afterthought in the golf industry. When she’s not on the golf course or designing Featherie’s next apparel line, Kate enjoys playing tennis, skiing, photography and baking.