Most musicians select which cities to visit on tour based on a variety of logistical factors: fan concentration, venue size, booking availability, the list goes on. Nick Jonas approaches things a bit differently.
“We try to route our tours so we can play great golf courses,” said the youngest of the three Jonas brothers on Tuesday. “That sounds like a joke, but it’s actually not.”
Jonas is a golf nerd at heart, whether his fans know it or not. The singer grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey, where a family friend who was a ranger at a local golf course let Jonas and his brothers hit balls every so often. A hobby quickly turned into a sport that Jonas credits for improving both his mental and emotional health.
Jonas’ golf backstory explains both his nationwide tour routing and his recent collaboration with golf equipment and apparel company PXG. Jonas has teamed up with Renee Parsons—the Executive Creative Director of PXG apparel and wife of PXG founder Bob Parsons—for his very own golf clothing and accessories collection. Jonas is a member at Scottsdale National Golf Club, a slice of golf heaven in Scottsdale, Arizona, owned by Bob and Renee, where the partnership first started to materialize.
Jonas poses with Renee Parsons, Ray Maté, and panel host Courtney Kenefick of Hypebeast.
“It’s been inspiring to witness Nick’s love for the game,” said Parsons. “He’ll come to the club and play like 54 holes in a day. It’s so crazy. And one time Nick and his brothers were staying at Scottsdale National when they were playing concerts all over the West. They would play all this golf, and then get on a plane and go play a concert.”
If anything, the singer’s PXG collaboration is a physical embodiment of his golf obsession with a cool, modern twist to each piece. There are 15 items of clothing and nine accessories in Jonas’ collection, including shirts, socks, pants and even tote bags, fanny packs and a pair of “apres golf” slides. The slip-on sandals are PXG’s first shoe product, and they feature a clear sole with visible golf spikes embedded into the design.
On Tuesday, Jonas and Parsons hosted an experiential pop-up in SoHo to celebrate the launch of the line. The PXG x NJ capsule was on display, and Parsons, Jonas, and Hypegolf Senior Editor Ray Maté spoke on a panel about the release.
We sat down with Jonas at the event to talk all things PXG, music, favorite courses and more.
How did your collaboration with PXG come about in the first place?
I joined Scottsdale National, the golf club that Bob Parsons and Renee Parsons started a couple of years ago, and got to know them and the team at PXG pretty well. I really fell in love with what they built. And obviously I’ve been playing their clubs for a long time as well. I just thought it would be cool as a non-golfer, as someone who has really come to love this game, but who knows they will never be professional, to do something where I can bring my love for fashion and golf to the table. They were down to go on that ride, and the design process was so gratifying. Getting to work with PXG and knowing that everything they do is the best in class. I was just trying to bring my love for classic silhouettes and the golf look but with a modern edge that they do very well. Couldn’t be more proud to be launching this now.
Guests explore the PXG Clubhouse pop-up in SoHo, New York.
What are you most excited to show people about the collection?
The fun of this is that a lot of the pieces are unisex, the slides, the bags, and some of the clothing as well. Specifically the bags, I’m really excited for people to see them and feel the quality of the materials that we used. Also they’re sustainable. It was really exciting to work with a team that does what they do so well, and it made my job of adding my little touches really easy. I’m thrilled for people to finally get their hands on it.
Scottsdale National has a unique vibe—it’s known for being ultra-relaxed and modern. How did the club help influence the collection?
It’s my favorite place in the world. PXG and Scottsdale National do a really good job of breaking stereotypes and shaking up some of those, let’s say crusty golf norms, with their approach. It’s really representative of their whole thing.
It seems like there are a lot of musicians who have been enjoying the game of golf recently. Why do you think that is?
I think you’re right about that for sure. I think the connection is that when you’re on tour you have the whole day to figure out what you’re going to do. And when you’re traveling it’s just great to pick off different courses and go play. It’s a great way to be outside, get some exercise in, and play a great game. I have a lot of friends who are touring musicians and they love to play. When we tour, we kind of build our routing around places where we can play. It makes perfect sense. Between Nashville and LA, I think we have to do an East coast vs. West coast professional musician tournament. That would be fun.
What are some of your favorite courses you’ve gotten to play?
Scottsdale National of course, I love it there. I played Augusta National on the Monday after the Masters last year, which was pretty fun. Actually, that’s the understatement of the century. It was really amazing. I was nervous as hell. Not because of any stakes of any kind, just the history. I’ve been to the tournament a bunch of times just to watch as a patron and that’s pretty special. Liberty National here in New York is awesome. My brother is a member at a place in New Jersey called Hamilton Farms, which is a very tough course.
So are you the most passionate golfer among your brothers?
Kevin is really into it as well. And Joe is into it too, but Joe is sort of more down for just the hang of it. He doesn’t take it seriously. Kevin and I take it seriously. We hold handicaps. I’m single digit at the moment but it’s bound to go up at some point.
What are your thoughts on how the game of golf is evolving and modernizing?
It’s an amazing time for golf. The accessibility to the game is available to so many people. Even things like Topgolf—the game has been democratized in a sense. It’s a game for everyone and it should be that way. I love seeing that. It’s been a really helpful thing in my life from a mental and emotional standpoint. To be able to do this collaboration with PXG is really special. It helps you see how the game is growing in the way that it is. People are getting introduced to professional golf in new and exciting ways. I hope it continues.
Do you like peace and quiet on the course or do you listen to music?
I listen to music when I play. I have a couple of playlists that I bounce back and forth between. Here’s my system. If I play a full day of golf, which happens at Scottsdale often. I’ll start the day with Django Reinhardt gypsy jazz guitar to warm it up. Halfway through the day, I move to country music. And then towards the end of the day, once I’ve had a few tequilas or whatnot, I go into a Calvin Harris world. So that’s sort of my trajectory. I usually just go to those three artists—for country music it’s Brad Paisley—and I’ll hit the Spotify radio of that artist and it picks it for me so I can focus on my shot.
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