The Prosser Bio
Dickie Prosser has over 35 years of industry expertise and seventeen of those proudly on the front line of Lyle & Scott. Dickie is a passionate ambassador of the golf industry and a lover of the game. In fact, anything golf, Dickie will probably have the answer. If he doesn’t have the answer, be ready for a conversation anyway.
His relationship with the Lyle & Scott eagle is very deep. Many times, he would wear the knitwear that was produced in Hawick, Scotland that his father got him from his golf club to play golf or to go to soccer matches. He was immensely proud to wear the famous eagle in the ’80s and still is to this day.
The Prosser Story
I was introduced to golf by my father when I was about ten years old, and this is where I first saw a Lyle & Scott lambswool jumper in the local pro shop.
It blew me away as I remembered seeing older guys wearing the golden eagle while watching my beloved football team (West Ham United) on the terraces and playing golf. I wanted that jumper for my 11th birthday, I got it.
And this was the start of my love for golf, fashion, and football - which is soccer for me.
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You wake up in the morning - what's the driving passion?
To continue to spread the word of Lyle & Scott’s great history in the golfing world.
We have dressed the best players on the planet, winners of the biggest majors, and I am driven to see that happen again.
What differentiates Lyle & Scott from your competition?
Next year is our 150th birthday and our history in golf is second to none. We became the innovators of golf in the 1960s which made us the brand we are today.
Our archive of products and documents in Hawick, the town of our foundation in the Scottish borders, means our design team can tap into any year to create a golf collection. Not many golf brands can do that, no matter how hard they try to.
What kind of impact did the global pandemic have on your sales efforts and how do you see the company faring in '23?
Quickly we found that we became stronger as a company from the global pandemic, with the need to group together and react to the change and uncertainty that impacted everyone differently.
In the UK all golf courses closed but in other markets this was not the case, which allowed us to grow internationally despite the challenges and capitalize on golf’s growth in the sports market.
For a few years we have been researching and starting to invest in the US market, in 2023 this will be key to sustain our momentum with international growth.
Related: Joe Earley interview
When people think of the name Lyle & Scott, what one word do you want them to say?
With a history like ours, it’s difficult to sum up in one word. As a brand we talk about: British, heritage, knitwear, fashion, football and golf defining who we are and who we have been.
They all have such significance it is difficult to choose just one.
Who is your customer?
We have a saying that we sell to 16 through to 60-year-olds. Our older customer has a relationship with our brand due to the history that we have created in sports, wearing Lyle & Scott on the golf course or going to football matches, sorry soccer matches.
We represent value and style to a younger customer and have spent the last 20 years blurring the lines between golf, heritage and fashion. Our Vintage range was designed to bring Heritage sportswear brands, like us, to a new consumer looking for a brand that fits their lifestyle.
What steps are you now taking to attract Millennials as the next generation of consumers?
When I was at Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open in 2019, I was amazed by the Millennials' attitude to golf apparel and the game itself. It blew my mind and I wanted to bring that back to Europe.
By bringing lifestyle into our collections, we have ranges that are made to be worn on and off the course, for the younger consumer, and it’s complementary to where golf clothing is now.
But the main thing now is how do we communicate to them. We identified that content creators are the future, and last year we signed Rick Shiels, a Youtuber with 2.5 million subscribers mostly based in the U.S.
Rick gives us commerciality and visibility every day on his socials, and amazing content that he creates allowing us to attract the millennials into Lyle & Scott Golf.
Many companies tout the importance of customer service. Define the term and the approach you follow.
I work closely with my colleagues and the most important part of our partnership is the relationship we have with our customers, whoever it is and whatever the size of their business we will give them our due care and attention.
Our embroidery team have over 45 years of experience and every job they do is all about making the customer feel special.
If you could change one thing in golf unilaterally - what would it be and why?
Embracing the future, allowing the golfing community to move forward together. Let’s make the greatest game modern and fresh to a new consumer, but respect the game, the course, the rules, one's playing partners, but wear what you want, especially Lyle & Scott.
The biggest challenges short and long facing the company are what? And what strategies are you implementing in dealing with both?
We are opening in the United States, with all the challenges that will come with that. The difference is, we have a great team who have the same passion on making Lyle & Scott Golf great in the U.S.
We’ve made some positive decisions on the fit of our product and that has gone down well with our partners not just in the United States but all over the world.
Best advice you ever received - what was it and who was it from?
Work hard, stay humble. This was said to me by the owner of Lyle & Scott, Sue Watson, remarkable lady and a great golfer.
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Photos courtesy: Lyle & Scott
