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I WOULD SAY MY WHOLE LIFE PRETTY much revolves around the sport of golf," admits Arielle Solheim. It's not an overstatement. Her grandfather, Karsten Solheim, was the founder of golf brand Ping and was inducted posthumously into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001 as a visionary innovator of the sport. Not surprisingly, she says, "My whole family works for the company." It would seem only natural that Solheim, too, would continue in that legacy. But it took a chance encounter with fashion industry-savvy Julia Roper at a Napa Valley dinner in 2021 to put Solheim's golf DNA into action off the course and in business. "We just totally hit it off," says Roper of their meeting. As they chatted, Solheim shared a business idea she'd formed as she watched golf 's popularity surge during the pandemic. "She told me that night about this idea that she had for a women's golf clothing line, and I really saw the opportunity there because I actually had that exact problem at one point where I was going to play golf: I literally had nothing to wear. I ended up going to a 'big box' sports superstore, and there was just nothing fashionable," recalls Roper. e encounter turned out to be more than fast friendship; it was serendipitous. Roper had attended fashion school, worked in the fashion industry in L.A., and had even previously started her own activewear line. Between her industry savvy and Solheim's deep golf background, the two believed they knew exactly how to fill the gap they saw, where stylish golf clothing designed for women — not just men's clothing re-tailored for women — was nonexistent in the market. "It's a sport that's always leaned towards men, especially with fashion options, so there's just a real opportunity to make it more appealing to women," says Solheim, a San Diego resident and University of San Diego alumna. Still, they wanted to ensure PHOTO BY FELICIA LASALA SCHMIDT Swing and a Hit Local women's golf line puts ladies first Focus business BY DEANNA MURPHY "We did want to tie in some traditional aspects of golf, but I would say everything's also definitely pushing the boundaries," says Goldie Byrd co-founder Arielle Solheim ranchandcoast.com 36 JANUARY 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE