Golf Fashion. Tradition or Try hard

If you’ve stepped foot on a golf course since the pandemic, you’ve probably noticed some changes. And I’m not talking about course architecture, or club technology... I’m talking about fashion. Once a sport for gentlemen dressed in tartan vests and tailored slacks, golf has more recently become a haven for the latest in fashionable threads, handmade accessories and designer footwear. A multitude of new brands are breaking into the space, while a number of stalwarts have also taken the opportunity to refresh their on course look. 

And let me be very clear, this is not a piece about that group of guys you occasionally see wearing matching polos from Temu, covered in flamingos... We’re talking about the legitimate shake-up of on-course fashion from design-first companies that are shaking up how the world looks at golfers, both recreational and professional. 

So, let’s take a deeper look. 

Who’s doing it well, is this good for golf, or will tradition triumph?

The ‘tradition’ of golf has certainly come of age in the last few years. It’s hard to put a finger on the moment this changed, but the pandemic has certainly played a part. According to many sources, golf participation increased up to, or more than 50% during the 2020-2022 period. Much of this growth was generated by a younger demographic looking for alternatives to team sports that were unplayable at the time. Golf was one of the few recreational activities that could be played outdoors while still allowing for social distancing, which helped attract a new generation of players. 

Hunting through a shed or garage, many found an unloved bag of rag tag clubs that had been used once or twice a year since they were reluctantly purchased for a random golf weekend or stag do back in the twenty-teens. While a new set of clubs might be out of reach for this new lockdown hobby, sprucing up the collection of polo’s or caps might be more inline with the budget. As Deion Sanders once said, “look good, play good”.

The golfers in the room will attest, this is not always the case - but that’s golf.     

With this new demographic of players came a shift in attitude. A desire for self-expression. A pushback against stuffy rules that, for many, felt more exclusionary than essential. Golf was simply stuck in its ways, confusing tradition with rigidity and a lack of creativity that needed unboxing. And with that came a flurry of brands and labels being promoted and worn by a tsunami of golf influencers and celebrities taking to the tee, ultimately bringing the new era of golf fashion to the masses. 

Alongside this cultural shift came a relaxing of course rules and dress codes. Hoodies replaced knits and pullovers. Cropped pants showed ankles once hidden by pleats. Jordan 1s and Limited Edition Air Max’s began appearing where dirty, worn-out Footjoy’s once ruled. What was once considered “not golf” suddenly became very much part of it. Courses realised that welcoming new players meant meeting them where they were — not forcing them into a uniform designed decades earlier. And if you ask me, this is great for golf. 

And don’t get me wrong, tradition still has a strong place in our great game - maybe more than most sports. Caddies in white overalls at Augusta, polite claps and whispers of ‘great shot’ at fairway finding drives, and the removal of hats in your local clubhouse should never change. Afterall, some of these traditions are the foundations of golf and hark back hundreds of years. If playing the Old Course at St Andrews means adhering to a strict dress code, I’m ok with that. 

At the same time, fashion has given the sport new energy, new relevance, and frankly, new cool. Brands like Malbon have blurred the lines between streetwear and sportswear, even collab’ing with the likes of Jimmy Choo, Prince and New Balance to create collections that simply celebrate golf and cross-sections of the community that play. And for that reason, golf’s creative direction and potential to be one of the coolest sports on the planet is currently unmatched.  

Players like Jason Day and Charley Hull have shown that you can respect the game without dressing like it’s 1987. Ironically in some cases, Day has appeared in kit that looks to be straight out of 1987. And that's what's great about fashion: time is no longer linear. What was once considered ‘cool’ will ultimately one day be cool again, it’s simply up to the decision makers to decide what is ‘acceptably cool’ on-course and what is not. 

The casual streetwear looks of Devereux and Macade Golf push the boundaries of what might be considered acceptable at your local country club, while the tailored accessories that Big Dog Golf Co. produce in their Australian workshop have become a status symbol on tee boxes around the world. And if you're one of the thousands of golfers carrying your clubs around the course, there is a plethora of well designed Sunday bags to add to your collection.

We’re yet to see whether these boundary pushing brands can break into the mainstream tours currently dominated by million-dollar sponsorships and big brands. But, if they do, we’re in for one hell of a fashion show. 

So, while some people may think that endless Fireball shots and country music blasting from your cart on a Sunday afternoon is the ‘new golf’, frankly, it’s not, and no one ever asked for that. New golf is accessible, it’s affordable, it’s likeable and it’s bloody fun. As a result of these changes, golf today feels broader, more inclusive, and more reflective of the people actually playing it. The score still matters. Etiquette still matters. But now, so does identity. And if hoodies, cropped pants and Jordans are the price of getting a new generation hooked on the game, that feels like a trade worth making.