The Lighter Side, Volume One: Golf Fashion

With apologies to Billy Crystal, one of the saving graces of being a recreational golfer is that, even if you didn’t play well, you can certainly look marvelous.

Thrash TalkIt is often said that one of the most alluring facets of recreational golf is the close connection we have to the professional game, something unique in comparison to other spectator sports. We can play the same courses, use the same equipment, and, thanks to the handicap system, even play against our idols if the opportunity ever arises.

But there is yet another way in which we can emulate our professional heroes: we can dress like them, too! Not sure you can? Well, I happen to have spent more than my fair share of time thinking about golf fashion (probably to the detriment of my swing), and so if you’re not Marty Hackel or one of the cast of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” you may learn a thing or two from what I have to say about golf’s sartorial side.

Fashion has always been a big part of golf. Photographs of early U.S. and British Open championships show golfers in three-piece tweed suits. Bobby Jones wore tailored shirts, ties, and dress-quality shoes, and Ben Hogan took it a step further with custom, tailor-made shirts, hats, trousers, and shoes, made of the finest materials by overseas craftsmen. The Hawk would never be caught on a golf course without having the entire ensemble creased, pressed, and spit polished.

How about Doug Sanders, who brought “flamboyant” out of La Cage Aux Folles and into the Old Course? Or the seventies… ah, the bell bottoms, double-knit polyester, plaids, and the cross-pollenated golf shirts (remember those abominations with polo buttons, pockets, and dress collars?). I could go on and on (the cotton, khaki era of the late eighties/early nineties set new heights in boredom), but you get the idea. Without the team uniforms, city affiliations, and animal nicknames of other sports, golfers have always been free to show their style in clothing.

Modern Fashion
Modern golf fashion is a fusion of new and old. On the one hand, we have a return to prominence of non-natural fibers, although admittedly today they look much more natural than their 1970’s ancestors. The so-called “tech” fabrics so common in shirts and to some degree trousers are really various evolutions of the old double knits of the seventies. I remember joking about a girl who wore polyester to our junior prom that you could spill a glass of wine on the bodice of her dress and it would run right off onto the floor, like water off a freshly waxed car. Today, this same principle keeps us far more comfortable golfing than we’ve ever been. Remember how heavy those old knit cotton polos would feel, soaked with sweat on a hot day? Today, the tech fabrics wick away that moisture, keeping us cool and avoiding that rumpled, wet dishrag look. This is a good thing.

But there are some negatives about tech fabrics. They are, after all, non-natural fibers, and the cheaper varieties of these look, well, a little iffy to say the least. Also, although these are washable fabrics, they don’t seem to clean and launder as thoroughly as good old cotton, and they can get a little funky smelling after a while. Some also snag like old polyester. Finally, some of the designers seem to have gone a bit overboard with cuts and textures in a very modern, “athletic” look, and I can’t help but think that in a short time, we’re going to be looking at some of these fashion creations with the same skeptical eye that we began training on bell bottoms in the early eighties.

Another downside to many tech fabrics, microfibers, etc., are that they are thinner and hang differently on our bodies than the various cotton, polo style fabrics. And by “hang differently,” in general I mean that they tend to hug our body contours more than the slightly more stiff, full-bodied nature of classic polo cottons. My wife is constantly complaining about this, pointing out that we really don’t need to see Phil Mickelson’s C-cups every week, or every contour of John Daly’s or Tim Herron’s table muscle. If you’re fit and cut, you’ve got nothing to worry about, I guess, but for the other 99.999756% of us, modern golf clothing can sometimes be unflattering to that cubicle-honed form. And even the most fit among us can sometimes be betrayed by these fabrics – who couldn’t help but notice Tiger’s nipples on display at Oakmont. Duct tape, anyone?

Today’s Varieties
Sergio Garcia in YellowToday’s professional golfers seem to be sortable into three basic fashion categories: the jocks, the stylers, and the clueless. The jocks, as you might expect, are often the young, fit, strapping guys, many of whom seem to be TaylorMade guys, although that’s not a rule. Anyway, they are usually decked out with the most modern and cutting technology in clothing out there. Tech fabrics are the rule, often close fitting, with a preponderance of cutting-edge styles in shirts and pants, and of course vibrant, ostentatious colors. Mock neck shirts, shirts with zippered fronts, bright piping, and often irregular, avant garde patterns and asymmetric, oblique seam patterns are the rule. All of this (complete with the color-coordinated hats and shoes, of course) looks great, or at least works, if you happen to be Sergio or Retief or Camilo, but to be honest, I find this jock look to be a bit too “matchy matchy,” a bit too gym aerobic-wear, and definitely too in your face. If it’s your thing, fine, but heed one piece of advice: don’t pick this as your style without an athletic game to back it up.

The prototype “styler” golfer on tour today is Jim Furyk. The look can be either classic or contemporary (Furyk leans toward the latter), but with design features and material use that echoes mainstream fashion. Furyk’s full button front, classic color, smartly tailored shirts compliment his long, thin frame, and would look as good at a backyard barbecue or summer party at the club as they do on the golf course. My favorite styler golfer was Keith Clearwater in the early nineties. He probably bordered on being too cool for golf, but his choice of fabrics, patterns, and colors set a pretty high standard that few have matched. I was never crazy about Greg Norman’s look, but you could also put him in the styler category, and he always looked fantastic. Most styler golfers share the Hogan/Jones tradition of the highest possible standard in sumptuous materials and expert tailoring.

I think one advantage of being a styler is that any of us can pull it off. Look for classic cuts and styles with enhanced natural fibers, such as treated cottons, cotton-synthetic blends, and microfibers in colors that compliment your skin tones, hair color, etc. (You might want to bring your wife along for this part.) Another obvious advantage is that if you sink $600 in a few of this sort of golf outfit, you will also have wardrobe choices for social events, casual Fridays at work, etc. You can’t exactly do this with a pair of Sergio Garcia flaming red trousers.

Styling can be overdone. I’m talking, of course, about the ultra-modern, avant garde style of J. Lindberg and similar designers, popularized first by Jesper Parnevik, and now or recently worn by a number of pros, including Charles Howell and Aaron Baddeley. I’m not sure who makes Ian Poulter’s clothes (Dennis Rodman? The ghost of Liberace?), but sometimes you wonder if this look is more “mating ritual” than professional golf. I don’t like these extreme styles, and although they may be cutting edge and unique, they just don’t seem to fit our game.

As for the clueless in fashion, well some things can’t be helped, I guess. Not everyone is interested in clothes, of course, and I certainly don’t think we should look down on someone simply because they don’t look like they spent an hour thinking about their next golf outfit. All I will say is that even if you aren’t a clothes horse, there is no reason to show up on a golf course without neat, clean, properly fit clothing. It’s worth spending at least a few minutes to insure you don’t look like you slept in your khakis and wiped your windshield with your shirt tail.

Shoes
The last area I want to touch on is shoes. Women are supposed to be shoe obsessed, but I know more than a few guys who collect golf shoes with a passion rivaling Imelda Marcos. I love golf shoes, and modern styles are so user-friendly in terms of fit, performance, and comfort, it’s hard not to want to own several pairs. In fact, there are so many choices in both the “dress shoe” and “sport shoe” genres, from so many manufacturers at so many price points, I don’t know how any avid golfer can exist with only one pair of shoes. My advice: four pairs of shoes, three of the dress shoe style and one sport shoe. Don’t worry, your wife or girlfriend will probably love buying you new shoes. In the dress shoe category, you need a white, brown, and black choice, and the athletic shoe style can be any color or pattern that suits you. Shoes are highly individual, in that there are infinite variations in the basic shape (the “last”), shape, cut and padding in the upper, etc., so be sure to try on many pairs and don’t buy anything that doesn’t feel really good right out of the box.

That’s all I have for now. If you’re thinking “golf is hard enough, please don’t ask me to sweat over clothes,” well, I guess I can see your point. But if you’re married and have to obtain a “kitchen pass” to spend money on golf, I’d hazard a guess you’ll have an easier time persuading the Mrs. to allow you to upgrade the wardrobe than the driver. And while improvement in your golf game can’t be bought in a store, a better look always can. See you on the links, and as we used to say in the Air Force, “look sharp!”

Photo Credit: © Getty.

17 thoughts on “The Lighter Side, Volume One: Golf Fashion”

  1. Funny, GQ called Jim Furyk the worst-dressed golfer on Tour because of his button-down shirts that just drape over his frame. Did you also think the Tobasco shirt Woody Austin was rocking was, as you call it, a styler?

    I think you also should have mentioned how certain wardrobes need to be tailored (pun intended) to the course you’re going to play.

    I would certainly feel ridiculous donning a $110 club polo shirt tucked into pleated slacks and $200 footjoys to the local $19 muni, just as I wouldn’t want to wrap a 2-inch wide white belt, white shoes, white pants, and pink mock if I were going to play the hallowed fairways of Winged Foot on an invitation by a member.

  2. Not to pick on Furyk, but he claims that the Chiliwear shirts are the most comfortable shirts he’s ever worn.

    Then how come he is the only guy I’VE EVER SEEN (Tour/non-Tour) wearing those shirts?!

  3. Great post, I loved reading it.

    I agree about Furyk, those shirts are a little too sloppy for me, but he makes it work. I guess his fashion style matches his swing, not the most beautiful thing, but he sure makes it work well!

    Ian Poulter is a bit much, but I do enjoy watching him and he certainly is entertaining. I wouldn’t dress that way, but I don’t mind him going overboard like that, it’s fun to watch! Speaking of entertainment, I wish the Tour would give the less fashion obsessed players more coaching (so to speak) on fashion. Fact is that pro-golfers are entertainers and a well-dressed player is more entertaining. I can’t imagine the NFL letting a player up there in a ripped up T-shirt and saggy sweat pants! They understand that a clean, put together appearance makes the league look good. I’d love to see more of this in golf. I’m not saying that players are in ripped up t-shirts, but the Tour could at least see they get clothes that fit properly.

  4. one of the best dressed out there by far is Jose Marie Olazabel. Classic and exquisite taste in clothes.

  5. It seems quite apparent that you can tell a lot about a golfer (pro or otherwise) by the way they dress on the course.

    Adam Scott: dressed by Sunday Dinner (conservative & classy), and the same could be said for his personality.
    Ian Poulter: dressed by Saturday Night Fever (out there), but because he is an extrovert, it works.
    Jim Furyk: dressed by Best & Less (bargain basement). He looks like he can’t afford to upgrade his wardrobe. But maybe that’s why the seething masses identify with him more.

    The clothes maketh the man.

  6. Golfers today dress like crap. I’m in a high school golf team and we had polos and a mock shirt ordered for us and I’m a size small about 5’6 and I like my shirts quite fitted/slim (I’m into fashion + clothing btw) and I was told they had no small so I had to go with a medium and it’s big as shit on me. I was pissed to say the least. Most average golfing guys probably wouldn’t mind but this is a fact, slim fitting shirts look better, size down. You don’t need to get skin tight, but slim fitting looks much better, cleaner and you can still have enough room for movement. Guys like camilo villegas, adam scoot, luke donald know whats up. Also, pleated pants do NOT make you look more stylish, they are for old fuddy duddy’s. Flat front shorts and pants look much cleaner, sharper, and don’t look like ass most importantly.

  7. I wondered if my words on Furyk would generate “controversy.”

    My very first impression of Furyk’s look was “he looks like a barber.” Then someone else I know gave me their opinion, a decidedly different one, and I began to look at him differently.

    I think his look is great…a more contemporary style, but way better than Poulter et al. You mention Scott and someone else mentioned Olazabal–both much more classic and conservative, but also stylers.

  8. Adam Scott looks the best in person. He chooses clothes that fit him well and they are very stylish. You can tell he has an interest in how he looks on the course

  9. A shoe wardrobe must include a pair of golf sandals. They are cool (literally) and provide a great look with sports clothing. My Footjoys provide great traction and stability. Don’t forget to wear sports socks. Bare feet defeat a clean, sanitary, fashionable appearance.

  10. California Papa:

    Socks with sandals? Maybe this is fashionable, but any time anyone in my family does this, my wife (the judge, jury, and police force of fashion in our house) begins to wretch.

    Somebody else help out here! Socks with the golf sandals, yes or no?

  11. For JP’s wife: Jessica Joffe, New York fashion reporter for Glamour’s online site, wrote a Spring 2007 article titled “Three hits: Michael Kors, Trovata, Anna Sui,” referring to these top fashion designers. Jessica stated, according to Anna Sui, “sandals are worn with socks.” I realize this may still be a little avante garde for the historic perception of sandals. It’s been a slow trend for the past couple years in California. Sockless is ok for the swimming pool and lake, but not to the mall, church or the golf course. I prefer not to carry part of the sand trap away on bare feet, and isn’t a soft cotton sock more comfortable under the straps and buckles of the sandals? 😉

  12. CP: I googled the subject and found that, while there is still a widespread abhorrence of this practice (there is a Wikipedia parody article on the matter (the “Uncyclopedia” if you’re interested) which lambastes the practice), you are definitely correct that it is often described as the fashionable thing to do. Several sites mention it is “common” in Seattle, Oregon, and other Left Coast locales.

    I stand corrected, then, although given the fact that this fashion trend is by no means universally accepted, I don’t think I’ll be sporting a golf sandal/sock combo until I start to see it regularly on the street…

    Thanks for your input!

  13. JP,

    Thanks for having fun with the sock-and-sandal thing. I enjoy the lighter subject and the mutual tongue-in-cheek dialogue.

    My wife and a member of my foursome are also not wholely convinced about the sock thing (yet), and I’ve been wearing and advocating the style for two years. Thankfully, the fashion trend is heading the right direction.

    Anyway, I’m sure the next time you put your sandals on, you’ll be thinking about your sock drawer. Beware, however; once you try socks with your sandals, you can never go back.

    😎

  14. I’m pretty sure the only way I could pull off socks and golf sandals is if I’m also wearing Judge Smails’ nice hat. At least it came with a free bowl of soup.

  15. For the record, after two futile years of trend-setting, California Papa is the only person in our 100,000-population city who wears socks with sandals. But I do admire his independence. I started wearing a neat, funky safari hat, but my wife made me stop in case somebody who knows her sees me on the golf course. 😳

  16. Adam Scott looks the best in person. He chooses clothes that fit him well and they are very stylish. You can tell he has an interest in how he looks on the course

    If only he spent as much time in the fairway as he did his closet, he might have a few wins

    if only he spent as much time practicing, maybe hed win here adn there

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