The Evolution of Golf Fashion
While golf clothing has changed over the years, it has remained conservative enough to maintain its “gentleman” reputation in the sporting community. Modern golf has introduced a new colour palette to the more traditional clothing colours, offering golfers bright and funkier options.
The history of golf
In short, golf was born in the 15th century in Scotland. At first, people spent time playing this sport for pure enjoyment. This ball and stick game soon became a professional sport for enthusiasts across the globe. The first 18-hole round was designed and played at the Old Course at St. Andrews in 1764, and the attire worn was typically long-sleeved clothing due to the rainy weather in Scotland. Today, golf fashion is very similar to traditional styles but with more room to explore trendy colour options.
Transitioning from shorts to trousers
Male golfers traditionally wore three-quarter shorts (or better known as knickers) with high socks and a matching sweater. Your golf hat and shoes would also be chosen according to your outfit to ensure that your golf clothing matches. Today, it’s quite the opposite. Although you still want to look neat and professional, you’re able to wear long, slim golf pants and a collared golf shirt. You can experiment with bright, bold colours without having to stick to the traditional colours. And by traditional colours, we’re referring to the pastel colours such as yellow, light blue and cream.
Introducing casual clothing
As golf became a more popular sport across the world, different climate conditions allowed golfers the opportunity to ditch the heavy golf clothing and opt for lighter, casual options. Well-known players kept to their traditional attire; however, the community was open to fashion changes.
How golf influenced fashion
Believe it or not – golf clothing has had a significant influence on our fashion locally and internationally. According to this article, “by the 1940s, golf began to resemble outfits worn today.” Fashion trend setters started to include light knitted sweaters, peak caps and golf-like sneakers for everyday wear. Now, golf shoes are bold in colour and trendy for casual wear on and off the course. Winter golf jackets became puffier to allow more room for the golf swing in the colder months. This was then duplicated in fashion, namely the bomber jacket with a tight waistband and puffy top. Another trend that has filtered through into fashion is khaki coloured items. Be it shorts, trousers or shirts, the colour and style were very popular in the golf clothing industry. Lastly, cardigan jerseys are a universal trend that has proven to be timeless. They can be dressed up or down.
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