Cool W

hen pro-golfer Arnold Palmer said that “concentration comes out of a combination of confidence and hunger,” he was talking about golf, but the axiom can be applied to other aspects of life -- and golf -- as two El Pasoans are changing the course of local sports apparel by integrating teamwork and the community into their endeavors.

Desert People Golf is a local apparel brand inspired by El Paso’s unique Southwest lifestyle, which celebrates the region’s multiculturalism that is influenced by life on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. The brand was created in 2022 by Joel Martinez and Giovanni Peraza in an effort to provide locals with sartorial options for expressing El Paso pride and practicing safe sun on the golf course.

“We’re just two average golfers who play the game and love our city,” says Martinez. “We thought it would be nice to have a really cool hat to wear on the course.”

According to Martinez, he and Peraza first recognized an opportunity to launch their own brand after many afternoons spent at kids’ birthday parties that followed mornings on the course and noticed that many of the other dads were also dressed in big brand golf apparel.

Peraza suggested starting a local apparel company even though both he and Martinez had day jobs.

“I was like, ‘Look, you have your full time job. I have a full time job. It’s gonna be tough. But you know what? let’s give it a shot,’” Martinez says.

Peraza began work on the logistics while Martinez utilized his skill as a graphic designer to tell the story of the region.

“Everything that we share here is just such a unique experience that we wanted to tell this story through our hats and for the designs; most are inspired by the game of golf,” says Martinez of the collection that’s designed to pay homage to his and Peraza’s home.

The snapbacks are available for purchase online or in person at Perfect Swing 4 U and come in a variety of options that include five panel, netback, or a water-resistant mesh back. A few of the styles in the collection feature PVC patches that showcase local landmarks and symbols of the Sun City, while others boast a 3D embroidered logo with a printed pattern inspired by the desert on the panels and beneath the brim that are emblematic of the Borderland.

The Desert People Golf monogram logo on each hat portrays an aerial view of a golf course inside a circle divided into three parts to represent the region’s tri-state border.

“If you play golf close to the U.S.-Mexico border, you’re going to have a very different experience playing golf here and we want to celebrate that,” says Martinez.

The hats’ designs incorporate local iconic structures, like the Asarco smokestacks and the late lagartos who lived downtown with desert shades that are reflective of the local landscape.

“Desert People Golf is more than just apparel,” says Martinez, “it’s a lifestyle.”

More than anything, Martinez says the hat collection embraces and appreciates the culture of El Paso and the comfort of returning to the community, even if it’s after a vacation.

Martinez describes his family’s love of travel and his curiosity to play different courses in different locales, but says the experience always amplifies his love of El Paso.

“I always come back to El Paso and appreciate that we have some unique golf courses that we should celebrate,” he says of local courses. “When you play golf in El Paso, you’re surrounded by the mountains and some courses are literally right next to the Border Highway.”

Martinez muses that at courses like the one at Ascarate, golfers could -- in theory -- hit a golf ball across the other side of the border into Juarez.

“We obviously don’t recommend it and I’ve never tried it,” he laughs, “but the point is it’s that close that you could do it.”