Golf fashion changes more often than the team names in LIV Golf.
If you’re heading for sunnier climes and want to look your best, check out this golf fashion guide compiled in partnership with Function 18, one of the UK’s leading online retailers.
Golf Fashion Guide
Fashion is all about cycles and trends. The must-haves of yesteryear have a habit of resurfacing, like vintage clothing, brogues or aviator sunglasses.
When Jack Nicklaus wore heavy check tight-fitting plaid pants to lift the Claret Jug in the 1970’s, nobody expected to see them again in the 21st century, then came Ian Poulter.
One thing is for sure, golf fashion moves fast, and it’s big business. Golf apparel companies are among the most innovative clothing manufacturers around today and whereas once a cotton polo, corduroy pant and lambswool jumper was all you needed, now you need to know Cocona from ClimaCool and polyesters from your Primaloft.
Spikeless Golf Shoes
You’ve been living off-grid if you haven’t noticed that spikes, hard and soft, are a thing of the past.
The trend today is spikeless. Instead of cleats and soft spikes, expect to find easy-wearing, trainer like soles; like these Biom Hybrid shoes by Danish company Ecco featuring direct injection polyurethane.
The added benefit of spikeless shoes is that they save packing space because you can wear them on and off course, in the clubhouse, airport or to go out for dinner. They look cool with jeans too.
Wowsers – look at those trousers
If any one item of clothing is indicative of how much golf fashion has changed it’s the good old fashioned trouser or pant as it’s known in America.
Once all you needed was a pair of cream chinos, comfortable, interchangeable and matched well with almost any colour.
Not now. There are companies out there making money by turning out increasingly outrageous slacks.
John Daly, one of golf’s most colourful characters has made surreal slacks his signature – some of the crazier designs he’s worn included green pants decorated with dollar bills.
White trousers, check, plaid and pinstripe have all made a comeback in the past two decades but the current trend is for high performance fabrics, stretch properties and athletic cuts that allow the clothes to respond to faster, more explosive golf swings.
One style creating controversy is the jogger, the ankle high riding, tight, tapered pants favoured by PGA Tour players Erik Van Rooyen and Sam Ryder.
Companies like Adidas make trousers in their ClimaCool fabric that are breathable and wick (draw) moisture and sweat away from the skin and help keep you cool.
Function 18 stock a huge range of great golf trousers, from high fashion to high performance, see them here.
Performance fabric shorts
Short fashions have largely followed the same trends as trousers with plaid and check being big sellers and the classic lightweight cream and navy chino short performing well for the more conservative players.
One way to really show off your shorts and trousers is with a great belt.
Braided is in for golf belts
Thankfully, since Anthony Kim disappeared off the face of Planet Golf, belts have become a lot more classy, understated and stylish rather than big and blingy. Even the Dru Belt worn by former World #1 Lee Westwood has had its day.
Nowadays, the trend is for woven or elastic braided belts or stretchable fabric webbing belts with clasp shutters. There will always be a place for a classic leather belt, in black or brown, with a refined silver buckle.
Bold Tropical Prints
Another modern trend in golf is for big and bold tropical or Hawaiian style polos that are normally scripted for The Sony Open or Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii; early in the PGA Tour season.
Classic Caps or Fashionable Flat brims
The final essential you’ll need for your golf holiday is some high quality UV protection in the form of a cap or visor.
The classic baseball cap is still the most popular headgear in golf but the new generation of golfers love the ‘flat-bill’ trend inspired by the American street and worn by people like Rickie Fowler and 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith.
The flat bill works just like a peak but it’s flat. Added benefit?
Other than the vibe, none, but if you want to look hip on your golf holidays then flat bill is one way to go.
For the traditionalist seeking to avoid sunburn, you can’t look past a classic straw hat, like those popularized by Tiger Woods in his youth and Greg Norman in his heyday.
That’s it, Function 18’s simple guide to looking good on the golf course and useful advice to help you plan your golf wardrobe.
There are lots more fashion ideas and new styles dropping everyday at www.function18.com