Wednesday

Golf Style: Persistent Perceptions of Sartorial Shortcomings

The Boys of the Bad Pants Open
A reputation, once it becomes ingrained in the minds of the masses, can be almost impossible to shake... and golf, over the years, has developed a sartorial reputation that's decidedly sordid.

Thanks to decades of garish polyester pants, generations of dorky saddle shoes and endless incidents of argyle abuse, golf fashion has become a joke in the minds of many... with Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack as its poster boy.  The perception persists, particularly among those who don't follow the sport, despite the wealth of sophisticated golf styles available today from top designers and a roster of young golf stars with who could hold their own on the runways of Paris as well as the fairways of Augusta National.

"Golf style is an oxymoron along the lines of airline food or congressional ethics."

So began a review of Nike's new Dunk NG Golf Shoes in Freshness, a new style/trend/consumer publication that addresses itself to a discerning community of global consumers.  The shoes, which were recently released in Japan, are of the popular street shoe/casual/sneaker-like variety, in other words, the antithesis of the aforementioned dorky saddle shoes and the review, after beginning with that inauspicious comparison ended on an optimistic note:

"... the brand is doing what it can to rehabilitate golf’s image. This Dunk NG, equipped with Scorpion Stinger Spikes and Tri-LOK system, features a crisp White/Court Green-Black colorway that injects a modicum of street style to the gentleman’s game. They still don’t make golf cool, but it’s a start."

The reviewer... by the sounds of it... isn't much into golf, and his perceptions are probably pretty representative of the non-golfing public in general.  For those of us more immersed in the sport - as spectators or players - it may be unsettling to think that despite the best efforts of designers like Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste and Ralph Lauren... and even with stars like Ricky Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa... golf, in the minds of many, still isn't considered cool.

8 comments:

  1. Great stuff P - and one of your best ever headlines ! (I'm still color dumb, so don't yell at my khaki's too much) :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's not the MANY golfers dressed well that people notice... it's ONE wearing something ridiculous. :/

    ReplyDelete
  3. too bad golf stuff is still so expensive, there IS some good stuff out there, not much. love love the goofy pants!

    Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
  4. in these days of Anna Rawson, Blair ONeal, Kyle Stanley, etc... those who still see polyester and bad argyle are just not looking around!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like it much but I think it is very expensive. Anyways being a fashionable in golf and also in other aspects is not bad it shows who you really are. I like those stuffs so much.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Any effort to increase participation in golf must address affordability.

    ReplyDelete
  7. .

    as i mentioned, here in sofla we got it down to "clothing optional" - but as natalie goUbUs has revealed in SI, we have come to PAINTED on clothing for womens wear

    the real work comes in the exfoliation process which i guess means the closet shave one can experience

    just sayin


    frankD

    ft liquordale

    ReplyDelete
  8. As an artist and someone who has only been playing golf for a little over a year(completely addicted as well), I tend to appreciate color and style, but I also respect golf and its long standing traditions. On the other hand, for a very long time golf was a sport that was only played by community 'elite', whom were often very wealthy and had a style of their own. Stuffy? maybe? "Buffy, have the maid press Todd's polo cardigan for a round of golf this afternoon".(yeah that was terrible and feeble attempt at humor)

    I suppose that now that golf is much more mainstream now, and just like everything else in the universe, the sport has changed. Hell, look at belly putters!?

    Over and out!

    Dan
    http://thegolfshot.net

    ReplyDelete

Lets us know what you think...