Khaki Crusader : Kc

John O'Donnell @ Johnnie-O

Without a doubt, John O'Donnell is one of the most popular guys in golf. Seriously. Try to schedule a round … forget it, even a cup of coffee …. with "Johnnie-O" and it's not easy. An accomplished amateur golfer (he played at UCLA in two U.S. Amateur Championships and still competes today), he founded Johnnie-O in 2005 with a simple series of polos fashioned after those he had made for a buddies golf trip.

The fraternity of golf runs through O'Donnell's line. Based in Los Angeles, O'Donnell's philosophy is he wants to make items – like polos, rainshorts and accessories for men, women and kids all decorated with a signature surfer and his long board logo – that he and his friends want to wear. And what a group of friends he has to champion the brand, including: his brother, actor, Chris; Adrian Grenier of HBO's Entourage; New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and Fred Couples, U.S. Team captain for the Presidents Cup, who hand-picked Johnnie-O polos to be included in the team's gift bags.

There's a reason why O'Donnell is so well-liked, he's fun to be around. We caught up with O'Donnell for a few minutes last month at the PGA Merchandise Show. – Annmarie Dodd

Q: You're championing "West Coast Preppy"...what makes that look? Paint a picture for us.

J.O.: West coast preppy combines the traditional preppy pieces that you often find on the East Coast with the more relaxed attitude that you may find in West Coast pieces. Imagine putting Polo and Quiksilver in a blender.

Q: How is this different from the prep look in your hometown, Chicago?

J.O.: The prep look that we are all accustomed to tends to be a little more buttoned-up. In addition to that, it's amazing how much our surfer logo conveys such a different feel, or message, than the standard horse, whale, alligator, shrimp, kite, crab, sailboat, etc.

Q: You've gone from one basic cotton polo style to so much more … do you consider your line a collection now, or just still as a series of items you and your friends want to wear?

J.O.: I still consider us a collection of just really great pieces. Does that make sense? I guess it could be considered an actual line if you combined all of the men's, women's, and kids' stuff. But, to call our women's or kids' pieces a line, might be a little misleading as the number of pieces are still fairly limited.

Q: What do you wear to play golf these days?

J.O.: I wear a lot of different lines when I play golf. I've never been married to a particular line. I will wear Fairway & Greene, Polo Golf, Nike Golf, Johnnie-O, or maybe a random shirt that I don't even know the brand name, but thought it was good looking.