Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin, I came to rant, battle me, bet you can’t. Ok, so the very fact I’m writing an article on the subject of golf fashion likely means I’ve lost this one already but with my algorithm serving me up nothing but clothes sponsorship articles of late, Gok John has finally cracked. I just can’t take it anymore.
The straw that broke this camel’s back was news – “NEWS!” – that Max Homa had signed a new apparel deal with Lululemon, which I assume means he’ll be sporting leggings on the PGA Tour in 2025 that leave very little to the imagination. Homa was excited because his wife was excited, admitting “it’s very rare that you can get your wife excited about your golf partnerships and this one definitely nails it.”
Homa obviously never heard of John Daly and Hooters.
Hot on the heels of the Homa news, my bleeding eyes were given little reprieve as Viktor Hovland appeared on my screen having puked a Wibby Wobbly Wonder down his front. My mistake, it was a J.Lindeberg polo that should come with a warning. Instead, the photo was accompanied by confirmation that Hovland, arguably golf’s worst dressed man, had agreed a contract extension with the Swedish clothing company.
I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve lay awake counting down the days of that contract, fearing the worst for Hovland’s career should it run out. It’s exactly how I felt upon the launch of Tiger Woods’ clothing brand, Sun Day Red, going over and over in my head how someone thought it was a genius move to split the word Sunday into Sun Day, and how that someone was likely paid an extortionate amount of money to revolutionise the way we consume the last day of the week.
Now I know that these brand partnerships help make the golf world go ‘round, providing a source of income for players in need while promoting fashion labels to a wider audience… but I just don’t care, and I’d wager few others do beyond the names on the dotted line of such contracts.
Which brings me to our own Shane Lowry who linked up with Wayflyer Co-Founder Jack Pierse recently to launch a golf-inspired street fashion brand, Bold Golf. On the landing page of their website, the company claims ‘Golf Never Looked So Good’ as a golf bag inspired by a pack of Marlboro Reds hangs from a noose in the background. In fairness to the bag, I nearly lost my life too when I saw it costs €650.
But look, all power to unicorn status start-ups plunging money into the game of golf, we’ll take it. And hoodies, joggers and Max Homa’s leggings are all welcome additions too. But golf-wear and streetwear was never the crossover the world needed, while pictures of players wearing out of pocket brands will never be the journalistic scoop some hacks think it is.
Unless it’s a scoop neck without a collar of course, desecrating a private country club fairway because such heinous fashion crimes could bring our game into disrepute. Caught with its pants down. And we’d be only too glad for a pair of Lululemon leggings then.
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