WTF Are They Wearing?! Fashion Trends On The PGA Tour
My buddy Scratch and I don’t really worry about what we wear. Throw on a sheet, tie it at the shoulder, and we’re good to go. When I see these golfers out on the course wearing button up polo shirts and khakis that have been starched and ironed, it drives me nuts! Why do you have to look so fancy just to play a round of golf?
Okay, okay, I get it. Lots of these courses have dress codes. But, I mean, you can’t even wear denim jeans?! Crazy.
Wardrobe trends have become a central part of the golf game. Sponsors now release Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday outfits for their players. Some of these outfits get more attention than what Sandra Bullock wore to the Oscars, if you can believe it!
Personally I’m a fan of the guys who push the envelope. The guys who we end up talking more about their outfit rather than their golf game. The guys we see and ask ourselves, “WTF were they thinking?!”
Rickie Fowler is notorious for making us ask this question. Remember his all orange outfit on the PGA Tour? I mean legitimately orange pants, orange shirt, orange belt, orange hat, and shoes. Even an orange watch. If I wore this out on the street I would expect to be heckled… ruthlessly. But Fowler pulled it off. Along with every other neon color including pink, purple, and yellow. This guy doesn’t hold back. Decked out from head to toe in bright, outlandish colors. His loud outfits have become so well known that the term the “Rickie Fowler Effect” has since been coined.
Remember the 1999 US Ryder Cup team uniform? Not only were they totally ‘90s, but the maroon shirts included pictures of past Ryder Cup teams. Yes, those rectangles framed pictures of prior golfers. Are you kidding me? What grown man wants to wear multiple pictures of other grown men, all while playing golf? To top it all off the khaki hats were a different shade than the khaki pants, and, worst of all, the pants were pleated.
Ian Poulter has made a splash on the tour with his overly-plaid pants, that gold-but-metallic-looking polo shirt, and his obvious pride in the British flag.
Bubba Watson has gotten his fair share of criticism for some of his outfits. But what guy named Bubba doesn’t wear camouflage on a Sunday afternoon?
Several trends including oversized belt buckles, flared pants, Hawaiian shirts, patterned slacks, mismatched tops and bottoms, and even flat-brimmed hats have received their fair share of criticism. Swedish golfer Jasper Parnevik likes to rock a hat with the bill flipped upwards, and recently showed up wearing what the kids are calling fedora-style hats. Rory Sabbatini wears that ridiculous cowboy-esque hat with his sponsors names splashed all over it.
And then there’s the man himself, John Daly, who may be the most intriguing golfer on the tour. His golf pants are always unpredictable from full-floral to all-over plaid, from pink and purple to black and white. Neons, patterns, stripes, circles, flags, clovers, even dollar bills. The only time I’m surprised by Daly’s outfits are when they are one singular color. But it must be said, the man wears it well.
It’s like the competitive side of these men come out in all different ways including who can wear the craziest, loudest, most distinct outfit this weekend. Oh, and if you win the tournament, that’s good, too.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the next trend involves the golfers themselves and not just the clothing they wear. Could the Duck Dynasty beard make an appearance on the tour? Long hair and ponytails, too. Tattoos and golfing don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, but I think we are due for an inked-out golfer.
With the outlandish and, let’s be honest, downright creative outfits and trends I’ve already seen on the tour, it’s tough to say where it could go from here. Many golfers have cashed in on their crazy gear by partnering or creating their own clothing line. I’m looking forward to the days of umbrella hats (you know, like Bill Murray wore in Space Jam). I mean what else could these guys come up with? Could it be that one day we see, gasp, jeans? What about boots? Shorts? Even tank tops? Let’s make a petition to see some kilts on the course! Could we see more sweater vests? They get a pretty bad rap out in the real world. I would argue that my caveman sheet would make a decent golf outfit- loose fitting and fairly comfortable, but I doubt it would pass the dress code regulation.
-Sniff