In Australia, according to Golf Australia, the popularity of the game increased by 21 per cent last year, as 210,000 more people took to the course.
Demographics like this, in a sport that has become increasingly style-conscious, were always going to attract the attention of global fashion houses, which are now well and truly entrenched in a game that has been dominated for years by traditional companies. of golf clothing such as such as Nike, adidas, Puma, Footjoy and Oakley.
South African golfers Richard Sterne, left, Ernie Els and George Coetzee wearing shorts at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Malelane, South Africa in 2019. Getty
New kids on the block include Under Armour, Lacoste, Uniqlo, Bogey Boys, Hugo Boss, Castore, Lululemon, J Lindeberg, TravisMathew and Birds of Condor.
Shorts for men are now commonplace in the summer months, and the days when skirts had to reach the ankle – or, later, the knee – are long gone for women.
No one was really surprised at the most recent Ryder Cup when Team USA stepped up in the first-ever Ralph Lauren hoodie.
But don’t think it’s all plain sailing, especially at private golf clubs. Nothing causes more pain for their committees, or takes up more time in meetings, than the vexed subject of course attire. Jeans are still not allowed at most private golf clubs, nor – for men – T-shirts or shorts. Women golfers are subject to far fewer regulations, although jeans are still a no-no.
Club committees realize they are walking a fine line here; helping the game appeal to younger players while maintaining some semblance of tradition and history.
Trend setter: Rafael Nadal vs Diego Schwartzman at Rod Laver Arena during the 2018 Australian Open. Alex Ellinghausen
Much of the apparel revolution has been led by the pros, and it’s not just with golf. As soon as Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal showed up at the 2018 Australian Open in pink shorts and a gray tank top – showing off his shoulders and biceps – the tennis world was forced to adjust its dress code. If it was okay for Rafa, it had to be okay for tennis. (That said, Wimbledon is unlikely to relax its all-white policy anytime soon; official rules still state that players must wear “appropriate tennis attire that is almost entirely white.”)
Pro golfers — including men’s Tiger Woods, Ricky Fowler and Justin Thomas, and women’s Sandra Gal, Paige Spiranac and Lexi Thompson — now sport tighter, bolder clothing that accentuates their figures. athletic.
And no one was surprised when, at the most recent Ryder Cup match between the USA and Europe at Whistling Straits, Team USA players stepped into the first hooded jersey by Ralph Lauren.
“You have lifestyle wear on one side and you have performance or athletic wear on the other,” says Ryan Ellis, chief executive of men’s lifestyle brand TravisMathew. “[And] Over the last 10 years, you’ve had sport, which bridges that gap.”
