Highpoint, North Carolina, is sometimes referred to as the “Furniture Capital of the World,” but the town’s expert leather workers are now applying their skills to a completely different type of product: handmade golf club covers.

“There’s no better way to make a quality leather product than to make it right here in North Carolina,” says Charlie Burgwyn, co-founder and president of Stitch. “Every bit – from the cutting to putting on the numbers to the stripes – it’s all handmade, hand-sewn. Details make us different.”

As a former PGA professional and sales representative for Callaway Golf Apparel, Charlie saw a need as golf bags started to shrink and clubs and club head covers started to increase in size, but the larger club covers made everything too bulky to fit inside one bag.

Besides creating more compact head covers, there’s plenty more that separates Stitch from the typical gear. Most notably are Stitch’s designs that draw inspiration from historical pieces, like old cars and sailboats. A few years ago, Charlie was on a business trip in the Hamptons and went to The Bridge, a racetrack-turned-golf club. The day he visited, he saw a vintage Porsche – the kind James Dean or Steve McQueen would have driven – and the idea for their Racer Collection was born.

“We design products with a purpose. Stitch creates nostalgic pieces that allow us to create modern, functional products,” says Charlie. It seems the nostalgic elements in their covers have proved to be popular; its second best seller is made out of the same leather used to craft baseball gloves.

Another appealing, distinguishing factor for the brand is their lower costs. Handmade leather club covers can be expensive, but Stitch has found a way to yield 85 percent or more from an average-sized hide and passes on the savings to their customers.

Stitch covers retail for $29.99 to $54.99 and are available for purchase at www.stitchgolf.com.

After a sever drought and a seemingly endless string of 100-degree days, the outdoors of Middle Tennessee hasn’t been the most hospitable place of late for those who prefer not to slow-roast themselves.

But a man should never let himself languish under self-imposed house arrest as the summer wanes. You belong outside.

With that in mind, we caught up with Keeley Puncochar, director of Nashville’s Team Green Adventures(whose annual memberships are on sale for just $16 this month versus the usual $35), to get her thoughts on the best regional outdoor adventures that still allow you to beat the heat.

White water rafting
“If you’re looking for an outdoor adventure right now, I would recommend white water rafting with Ocoee Adventure Center. They run one of the coolest rafting trips on the Ocoee River near Ducktown, TN. If you catch the first run of the morning, you’ll go out on the river when they release the dam. You’ll be right out in front as the water rushes over the barren river bed.”

Swim holes
“If you hike the Fiery Gizzard Trail, there are many swimming holes available at both ends of the 14-mile trail. My personal favorite along that particular trail is at the Foster Falls terminus. If you’re a rock climber, you can skip out on the hiking and spend a day climbing the bluffs at Foster Falls Climbing Area, then take a dip in the hole. Some common swimming holes might actually be swimming-prohibited areas so know your facts before you strip down to your swimming trunks.”

Cycling
“Any of the greenways that follow the river are going to be a cooler bike ride than the roads. The coolness from the river sweeps over the greenways, whereas the roads just radiate the heat. My personal favorites are the Shelby Bottoms and Stones River greenways, which connect via a pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River at Two Rivers Park.”

Caving
“Caving is historically my go-to activity for both summer and winter time. Caves remain the same temperature all year round, and Middle Tennessee is sitting right on top of a hot bed of caves. Unfortunately, many caves are closed to public use because of the white-nose syndrome outbreak (a fungus that is killing cave-dwelling bats). Team Green’s favorite two commercial caves do still offer Wild Cave Tours, fortunately. Check out Mammoth Cave in Mammoth, KY, and Cumberland Caverns near McMinnville, TN.”

Hang gliding
“If what you’re looking for is a chance to spend some time in the air, I can recommend Lookout Mountain Flight Park in Rising Fawn, GA. The 2,000- or 4,000-foot tandem flight can be as laid back, or as adventurous, as you request. The air is of course much cooler up there, with a nice breeze in your face, and you aren’t just along for the ride. Hang gliding is an ‘instructional course,’ so even on the intro tandem flights, you get a chance to steer the glider and learn about the sport. If you really get into it, you can go through the certification process and really get some air.”

Canoe/kayak/raft
“Check out Southeastern Expeditions to raft the Chattooga River in North Carolina. They offer an overnight rafting trip that includes meals, camping gear, rafting gear and guide. As for kayaking, the Harpeth River is an easygoing, convenient float for the Nashville area. Both Canoe Music City and Foggy Bottom Canoe are great outfitters to use near the Narrows of the Harpeth in Kingston Springs. There also is a new outfitter in Franklin called Paddle Dog Adventures. Another option is the Caney River.”

While we take pride in all the recent national attention on Nashville as the latest it city, the growth, change and attention typically come with downsides — often environmental. Which is why Thomas Solinksy founded the tree-planting organization SoundForest – to harness our city’s energy and the desire of its citizens to do good in an effort to make sure our rise is a sustainable one.

To date, SoundForest already is responsible for planting 10,000 trees, and has expanded its efforts to include a major focus on promoting bicycling that has involved the construction and installation of some metal bike racks you may have seen around the 12 South neighborhood.

We spoke with Solinksy to learn more about the organization:

Where did the idea for SoundForest come from?
“We started SoundForest as a nonprofit focused on promoting sustainability. We wanted to partner with businesses, local government, communities and individuals to give them options to do something good for the planet. Planting trees was our main priority at first. We simultaneously had a focus on promoting the bicycle as an alternative mode of transportation.”

What does SoundForest do?
“We raise awareness about sustainability, promote the idea of planting trees and also do the planting of trees. We do waste management programs at large events including composting and recycling. We do a lot of bicycle advocacy with our new program, The Nashville Bicycle Alliance. And we promote buying local.”

Why is it vital to have an organization like SoundForest in Nashville?
“Most companies don’t have positions called Sustainability Director. We want to partner with companies and become this portion of their business. We can offer many ideas and programs that will help businesses do good things for the planet. As far as the government is concerned, there are no positions or programs that allow students to plant trees on school campuses or create tree nurseries. SoundForest is doing things that take a huge amount of effort to pull off. We say, “Wanna help the planet? Help Plant it. Wanna help the Planet even more? Ride your bicycle.”

What are Nashville’s largest environmental concerns?
“My biggest concern for Nashville is energy consumption. Homes and cars suck it up. A small solution: a single tree can shade an air conditioning unit and allow it to run more efficiently and save 10 percent. If your home has an energy bill of $150 a month, for six months of the year, that is $900. Reduce that by 10% and it saves $90. Multiply that by 50,000 homes and that would be a saving of $4,500,000 in six months. That’s a lot of coal.”

“Next is cars. Nashville drivers travel an average of about 36 miles per day by car. This makes us one of the worst commuting cities in the nation. This creates millions of particles of unwanted pollution in the air we breathe. Nashville must become a more bicycle-friendly city. We need people to convert to the bicycle, and people driving cars should respect those that are riding their bicycles.”

How can someone help and get involved?
“Plant trees and ride bicycles. Or contact us. We can provide guidance, suggestions and consult people to help make their experience the best it can be. If they want to get involved with us, a simple email to info@soundforest.org would be great.”