The golf fashion choices you make can be just as important as your golf performance. Everything you wear on the course contributes to who you are as a golfer. From your choice of shirt or jumper, trousers, ETIQUS timepiece, footwear and even choice of equipment, style plays a hugely important part in how you are perceived on the golf course. 2014 has seen some great new style choices, as well as the usual sartorial disasters, as well as suggesting which styles will continue to dominate the course in 2015.
Rory’s Bringing Simple Back
As well as being named the best player in the world, and adding another two major titles to his trophy cabinet at the age of 25, Rory McIlroy has also brought a classic sense of style back to the course in 2014. He’s always managed to combine the athletic with the classy, but only in the last twelve months has his sense of style on the golf course really started to come into its own. His wardrobe appears to have been significantly streamlined following big money sponsorship deals with Nike, who now provide all of his clothing and footwear. The rumoured £156 million, ten-year deal with the sports giant immediately places him amongst the richest sportsmen in the world, which is reflected in his style on the course. He is far from flashy, but always looks efficient and professional in lightweight polo shirts, with matching hat, belt and trousers, along with Lunar Control footwear. Having usurped Tiger Woods from his throne as both player and Nike representative, McIlroy looks set to continue as golf’s stylistic powerhouse in 2015 too.
Bright And Gaudy Rickie
2014 might have been his best year yet on the course, both in terms of finishing position at the US Open and total course winnings, but Rickie Fowler continues to draw most attention for his dreadful sense of style. With his retro, neon-coloured polo shirt, he can be spotted from a mile away in his array of bright pink, orange, green, yellow and blue outfits. Often looking more like he’s in fancy dress rather than proper course attire, he has allegedly turned many young fans on to the sport with his outrageous clothing choices. When turning up to an event as prestigious as the US Open looking like you’ve just stumbled out of a 1973 disco, how far, if at all, are you damaging the reputation and integrity of the game?
Out With The New, In With The Old
Old doesn’t always mean bad, just as new doesn’t necessarily mean good. As a sport so reliant on its tradition, reputation and sense of integrity, it is perhaps time that golf’s style took a return to the more conventional examples, as set by Rory McIlroy and co. Simple, stylish and elegant, they help present an image of the game that many have strived to achieve over the years. It is part of what sets golf apart from the rest, and can easily be undone. So for 2015, we predict a move away from the outrageous outfits and attention-grabbing colour schemes, with a focus on a return to the more conservatively styled golfer.