It’s OK for golf fashion to remain in the eye of the wearer, so long as there’s a little respect on show.
The incident occurred nearly 25 years ago, but I look back on it now with equal parts embarrassment and despair for the needlessness of it all.
I was playing golf with colleagues during our Christmas/New Year break in late 2001. The club in question was a private facility in Sydney but not one you’d describe as ultra-exclusive. It also must be said that I have had several much happier experiences at the same club in the years since. But on this occasion, I was denied the opportunity to play until I changed my shorts.
I had misjudged the travel time and arrived nearly 30 minutes earlier than required, so I practised my putting for most of that half-hour. Despite being in full view of the pro shop, at no time did any staff or members say a thing about my attire. Only once I ventured inside the pro shop was I informed, “You can’t play in those shorts.”
My crime? Wearing cargo shorts. You know the ones; they have curious pockets with zips stitched into the thigh sections. Why anyone would store anything in those pockets is beyond me, but they were the shorts I’d been gifted that Christmas and elected to wear on a sultry summer’s day.
I did get one thing right, though – I’d come prepared for such an outcome. I wasn’t sure whether the club was progressive enough to allow shorts to be worn with short socks (remember, even in the early 2000s, many clubs insisted on long socks with shorts, which might be the greatest golf fashion crime of all [see panel]). So I’d brought a pair of long pants with me, which I duly fetched from my car and changed into when asked.
I didn’t love having to play in trousers in such warm weather, but I also didn’t love that I’d been caught out not checking the dress regulations beforehand. My colleagues, upon arrival, were equally curious. “Really? Cargo shorts aren’t OK?” one queried in a show of support.
In the end, I didn’t object. It’s their club and their rules to make. Outdated as they may have been, it’s ultimately up to each golf club to decide how they want to operate. It’s also incumbent upon all golfers to check dress requirements at any club they visit. It might be Rule No.1 when playing somewhere new.
Of course, there’s an entirely different debate to be had about what should constitute acceptable golf attire. Count me among those golfers who think fewer rules are better when it comes to golfwear, although just as I respect the rules of your house, so too do I respect the right of golf clubs to enforce dress codes. Instead, any discussion should be about the message their policies send.
Many clubs display a prominent sign as you arrive that lists what is OK to wear on their course. The school-like list of ticks and crosses don’t exactly project “Welcome” as a first impression for newcomers, many of whom might not know where the pro shop is or where they should be going. Add uncertainty about, Am I wearing the right clothes? into the mix, and you have some rising trepidation before a tee is even stuck in the turf.
Golf’s dress-code issue raised its head in the tournament sphere during the WPGA Championship on the Gold Coast in March. English pro Annabell Fuller had the temerity to don a crop top that revealed her entire midriff. While some onlookers raised eyebrows, most (quite rightly) encouraged Fuller’s right to wear what she felt comfortable in. But it didn’t stop tongues from wagging, especially in the always-pointed circles of social media.
In this, our Style Issue, we celebrate golf’s best-dressed and showcase what’s making waves in golf fashion. There’s a particularly Australian bent to the tour coverage, most notably cover star Jason Day and his convention-challenging Malbon gear, as well as the ever-stylish Adam Scott.
Fashion is an eye-of-the-beholder space away from the golf course but perhaps even more so on it. So peruse our Style Issue in the spirit intended: embrace what you like and turn the page on what you don’t.
One thing you’re unlikely to spot within these pages: cargo shorts.
Top 5 golf-fashion faux pas
5. Shirts that don’t work with the shorts/pants: I’m certainly no fashion guru, but doesn’t it make sense for the top to ‘talk to’ the bottom?
4. When loud is too proud: A little colour is great. Too much colour is a sensory overload. John Daly, we’re looking at you.
3. Shirts that don’t fit: Even Tiger Woods, with all his millions from endorsement contracts, missed the memo on this one. Have a look at photos of him from the late 1990s – those shirt sleeves touch his elbows.
2. White belts: We like golf style expert Marty Hackel’s ‘36 rule’ here: if either your waist size or age exceeds 36, it’s probably not for you.
1. Long socks with shorts: Just no. Not today, not ever.
