February 18, 2025
There’s a shared community connection that really resonates with me, my situation and background. A working mom that wears a lot of hats, yet strives to hold on to this joy for the game, the destinations it takes you, and the people you meet. Bellerive offers just that.
I was at a bit of a crossroads in terms of juggling career and family. I remember my serial entrepreneur father sat me down and asked about my goals and what I really wanted to do. It really got me thinking about the things in my life that gave me joy and energy and all these super simple questions that were really, I think, heartfelt and deep questions that you don’t always stop and think about.
At the time, I was also playing golf a bit more, especially for business networking. I couldn’t stand that I never felt put together, polished and sophisticated. On top of that I didn’t have time for outfit changes between a work meeting and running out to the course.
Deep down, since I was a little girl, I wanted to start a clothing line. I never knew what it would be, but I wanted to start one. And so all of these things kind of came together at the same time in my life. And I had these ideas to bring a childhood passion to what I thought was a real need in the marketplace. To create something that was very sophisticated and polished and age-appropriate and all the things that I just couldn’t find.
When I think about a new design, I circle back to what I would want to wear and what I want to style and what’s missing in our A. PUTNAM lineup. From there, I look at so many different aspects of that design. Fabric is one of the most important elements of that, and it has to have that element of comfort, but then visibly not scream performance. And then taking an item and making it more functional and versatile.
I think we have a good feel for what our customers are looking for, and so it’s making sure these designs fit their needs. And so I’ve developed a bit of a checklist that really dials us into products that fit our brand.
I would never want to design a line of clothes that I could only wear four times a year when I can golf. So as a result, our products are designed to be really versatile. And I just love that our customers are saying, ‘I can wear this to work, I can wear this into the clubhouse for dinner.’ And that’s where we want to be.
The biggest difference is that we want to be the brand that leans more sophisticated, more polished.
When we say versatility, it means pieces that can be worn out to dinner or to a board meeting.
I think it’s so different from the trend of versatile athleisure clothing, in which you can play golf, but it’s a better fit for running errands, having coffee, heading to the gym. There’s a little bit more of a casualness around that trend.
We’re on the other end of that spectrum and we want to be that elevated look for women. That’s something our customers have said is really important to them. Whether they’re businesswomen, broadcast journalists or others who are just as comfortable at the office as they are on the course. They want to look sophisticated, especially if they’re anywhere near a golf course.
A word that’s really important to us and our brand and everybody involved in A. PUTNAM is ‘authenticity.’ We are committed to being true to ourselves. When we’re just being ourselves and showing people the life that we live, that we juggle and manage, I think it’s so relatable. And I think there’s so much power in that – especially when you’re building a brand.
A huge part of that goes beyond the clothes. I think there’s such an energy that our team gets from partnering with like-minded women. Specifically highlighting and supporting strong women that have a voice we relate to. A good portion of our community are not golfers and we’re supporting them in their career and personal lives. It’s so incredible for us to just say, we love what you’re doing and we’re behind you. What do you need? Let us support you in the journey you’re on. And that’s so important to our community building. It’s pure magic.
It’s not one story so much as these constant moments where I encounter customers who just get it. When they say “there’s nothing like this” or “this is something I’d wear to work or out for dinner” or “this makes me feel so confident and sophisticated. These are not ways that women have traditionally described golf clothes, and it reinforces that we’re providing something that women really want – celebrating tradition, beauty and elegance with fashion and style that fits their needs.
Golf has always meant family to me. I can blame that on my dad. I was about 6-years-old. There was a junior league at Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati and he signed up me and my brothers.
My dad really wanted me to have a basic understanding of how to play because he thought it was connective tissue for the family, but also valuable in the business world.
For a while I didn’t play very much, but I was reintroduced to it by playing with my husband, and now my boys are playing so it’s really come full circle.
Northern Italy. More specifically, my childhood summers there. My family has owned a house near Torino for years, and I spent summers traveling Europe and admiring the fashion and beauty of these destinations.
This is so central to our brand. The inspiration behind A. PUTNAM was this selfish need for women’s golf clothes that suited my aesthetic and my lifestyle. To say my life is busy is an understatement. At the time, as a mom of 5 boys under 9 years old, I was running them all over creation while having a full-time career that had me traveling across the world. In the midst of work and kids, I was attempting to play more golf with my husband and boys. I always struggled with what to wear that took me from each one of those roles and those personalities that I was navigating in an eight-hour span. On top of that, when I golfed for work and networking, I never felt like I was dressed appropriately in those settings.
I remember from my entrepreneurship classes about solving problems. How people come up with these wonderful ideas that solve a personal problem. That’s exactly what this was and it transformed into a line of clothing that’s serving women like myself.
Every day, every week, there is something new we either learn or some new relationship that we develop. I think that there are a lot of opportunities coming up in the next year, whether it’s to partner and support a group of women or find ourselves in a specific niche on the fringes of golf. There is a whole market of women in this sport that are looking for what we’re providing, and I think that’s where we’ll find a lot of opportunity and growth.
I always remind myself and others that these are clothes. They’re not changing lives. But they are defining the way you feel and want to be seen. A.PUTNAM offers elegant, sophisticated pieces to take with you during travel, golf and networking. The BLRV female member is doing all these things and more. I’m excited that these connections are so effortless.
It is a juggle, there is no way around it. With five boys from 4 to 11, playing every sport under the sun, a husband that travels for work as well – it’s logistics and supply chain management at its finest. While never a well oiled machine, I love that I get to enjoy both family and growing a business. It’s a lot of give and take, and certainly stressful at times when both are pulling on you at once and in opposite directions. However, they both give me this mental break from one another, and it’s that balance and beauty of having both worlds that I love. I’m a very calm and stress-free person in general, so the noise, energy and chaos just seems to fuel me.
It’s all rooted in family – especially our name and logo.
I worked with a marketing company on all of these logos and names, sorted through many Scottish-rooted words and other things. But I just never felt like anything really captured what I was trying to convey. So I went with my namesake.
The Putnam family crest depicts a crane adorned with a crown. Our logo is an abstract crane, which is symbolic of grace and strength. The crown atop the crane is a roman numeral five, a nod to my five boys.
Follow what you love.
I graduated from Syracuse as an entrepreneurship major and knew I wanted to own my own business at some point. At one point in my career, I left a corporate job and helped my friends start a popsicle business. A month in, the nature of a startup kicked in and I was working for sweat equity and didn’t have a stable income. I wanted to stay involved, but saying goodbye to a salary wasn’t really an option. That’s when I started my own supply chain consulting business – to pick up some side jobs to supplement what was lost into the popsicle business. It wasn’t long before one of those consulting gigs turned into a full-time job.
It definitely taught me a few things. The hustle, the mental positivity, the toughness that you really need to have in starting something new on your own. That really helped me take that leap to start A. PUTNAM That confidence. That sense of, ‘what’s the worst that’s going to happen?’ I think many entrepreneurs are really risk averse, positive and patient.
I think my favorite golf course is still out there. But I just had the opportunity to play Kiawah’s River Course and Cassique, both unique and challenging in their own rite.
Italy has a soft spot in my heart
Our button-up. From my first collection. I love a minimalist wardrobe where you have really important pieces that you purchase that should and can be worn in so many different ways. Every woman should have a really good white button-up in their closet. From the very beginning, I kind of sought to make a really good one – that could also be functional on the course.
Dirty Martini
It’s so fulfilling to see women wearing our pieces that are, themselves, navigating the same challenges – running errands, hitting the course, taking a meeting, then washing dishes, because it is exactly what I envisioned these pieces doing.
The people. Networking with like-minded members and the opportunity to plan travel around these incredible destinations and courses that we’d otherwise not be able to visit.
