Fashion on the fairway: How did golf clothes suddenly become cool?

Golf fans may have noticed a change at the 19th hole: players are dressing less like middle-aged middle managers and more like they’ve stepped out of a lookbook. There’s a bit more fashion on the fairway lately, a touch of flair on the putting green.

It’s the result of a growing crop of golfwear brands launched over the past five years, catering to a younger – or at least more style-conscious – generation of golfers keen to bring personality to the course.

They might, for instance, be wearing Malbon, the Los Angeles label that’s built a cult following for its loose-fit T-shirts, bucket-knit sweaters and pleated skirts; or Swedish brand Macade, which is “on a mission to push the boundaries of traditional golf apparel… for a new generation of golfers”.

From bold prints to basic hoodies, today’s golfers are moving away from traditional, buttoned-up looks. Photo: Manors

Others may prefer the irreverent edge of Shank It – “golf gear that refuses to blend in”, as the company puts it – or the preppy, collegiate polish of Fore All. Even the UAE has entered the scene, with its home-grown, graphics-led brand Sandie.

Some of the pros are in on the action too: Sun Day Red line by Tiger Woods offers relaxed sweatshirts and sweatpants – a far cry from the starched polos of old.

Indeed, golf looks are undergoing a full-blown style revolution. Jojo Regan, co-founder of Manors Golf says: “You can’t raise money as a brand like ours unless you’re addressing a specific market. Ten years ago, investors wouldn’t have considered it. Golfwear was all vanilla and there was no demand for anything different.

“But there’s been a change of image,” Regan adds. “Golf was perceived as an elitist, white, middle-class, rich man’s sport. Now, the sport is more open to anyone. As more people play, golf, for want of a better word, has become cooler.”

Even heritage brands are feeling the shift. Glenmuir, the world’s oldest golfwear label, founded in 1891, has also moved with the times. Photo: Glenmuir

That shift, he argues, is also linked to renewed investment in the sport – and the emergence of new, more dynamic formats such as LIV Golf, which has been played at events in countries including Saudi Arabia, bringing the game to new audiences.

The influx of money and media has energised the sport and helped draw in a younger crowd, one that expects to express itself through what it wears as much as how it swings.

Of course, golf has been here before. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, it enjoyed a stylish heyday – unapologetically loud in contrast to the conservative conventions of menswear at the time. “Orange is the happiest colour,” Frank Sinatra once said. It was the shade of the loose alpaca cardigans he preferred to play in and would buy by the dozen.

Later, strict clubhouse rules about dress – including those that shaped the other middle-class sport, tennis – made golf fashion cautious and exclusionary, if not downright uptight. Players of the era might have admired the classic conservatism of Arnold Palmer, who once remarked: “[People have said that] I was a well-dressed golfer. I guess that has something to do with the fact that a lot of people who play golf don’t dress very well.”

But they would likely have balked at today’s stars and their choice of flamboyant attire, from Ian Poulter’s patterned trousers to Shingo Katayama’s hats and John Daly’s riotous prints. Yet, the numbers suggest the sport is thriving. According to the R&A – a leading governing body for the sport – participation outside the US has grown by 44 per cent in the past decade, now totalling about 43 million players. And with that influx has come a fresh demand for clothes that reflect modern tastes.

The change in golf trends is driven by a massive uptick in people taking up the sport around the world. Photo: Manors

“Golf apparel retailers are looking for something different to draw in a customer who otherwise won’t go in,” says Regan. “They see traditional golf style as not being for them.” Technical performance remains critical – fabrics still need to be breathable, moisture-wicking, flexible and comfortable for four or five hours of play under the sun – but now golfers also want to feel good at the clubhouse afterwards.

“Just because it’s designed for the purpose of play, doesn’t mean golf clothing can’t look good after,” Regan adds. That sensibility has also helped Manors attract customers who don’t even play.

Big brands have taken note. Earlier this year, Manors released a footwear collection with Reebok – a collaboration Reebok itself initiated. Malbon has partnered with Adidas and Coca-Cola, while Fore All has teamed up with fashion designer Cynthia Rowley for a capsule of mesh polos, floral-print gloves and camo windbreakers.

Expect more fashion on the fairway in years to come. Photo: Glenmuir

Even heritage brands are feeling the shift. Glenmuir, the world’s oldest golfwear label, founded in 1891, has also moved with the times. “More new golfwear brands are coming out with relaxed, streetwear-based looks, and we’ve certainly felt the need to change too,” says managing director Mikhel Ruia.

“We’ve introduced a hoodie – something our customers wouldn’t have been seen dead in just a few years ago, especially at a more traditional course. We know we’re not dressing 16-year-olds, but our customers are pulling us in that direction.”

Still, Ruia offers a word of warning. “It’s not enough for new brands to come to golf with an edge – they also have to come from golf,” he says, pointing to Nike’s gradual retreat from the category. “I still think golf is the only sport in which golfers judge another player’s seriousness about their play by what they’re wearing,” he says with a laugh. “That’s not about wealth or status, but about expressing their commitment to the sport.