The universal attraction to the game of golf is much like that of Barack Obama in that it has the ability to transcend generations, gender, class, race, and geographical locations. The rising popularity of golf fashion has become so remarkable that people are now wearing golf-inspired looks off-the-course such as argyle patterns, polo shirts made with innovative fabrics, golf inspired accessories, and brands developed by PGA players.  

     The game was made for expression, what better backdrop for color than the absolute serene beauty of dark green fairways and lush greenery. Golf is one of the only sports where the player is allowed to choose their own uniform.  It’s time to get away from the vision of four guys wearing the same plain polo shirts with khakis and embrace new clothing trends. Professional and amatuer alike, which is better a great swing looking sharp or just a great swing?  Look better, feel better, play better. 

  Traditionally the sport was played in heavy wool and cotton clothing that restricted movement and lacked the flexibility of modern day fabrics.  While woolen knickers may have been a sign of the times in the early days of golf, fabrics and styles have evolved to enable the player to adapt to almost all playing conditions and temperatures. Technology has produced moisture wicking fabrics to stay dry, breathable fabrics to stay cool, fabrics with uv protection to block sunlight, stretch fabrics for flexibility, softer fabrics for comfort, sleeker cuts for appeal, invisibonding instead of stitching for better performance, gear that is completely   waterproof, jackets with vents for regulated warmth, and zipper pockets for added convience.  The possibilites are endless, you name it and it’s out there.                              

    Doug Sanders was one of the early pioneers of extreme color with his nickname Peacock of the Fairways. Everyone remembers, he had shoes dyed specifically to match the color he was wearing that day.  Ian Poulter’s followed wearing a pink shirt with matching pink pants, pink shoes, pink hat, and pink golf bag.  Paula Creamer may look stunning in this outfit, but for some reason Poulter can not pull it off quite as well.  Men do look attractive in pink shirts, but limit this to the only pink item of clothing you own.  One could argue they dressed this way to distract, annoy, or intimidate their opponents. Invision a classy gray shirt that appears silver when it catches the sun.  A piece of advice, never wear pants that look like they were made from a national flag!  When Poulter wears outfits that are not as radical he can look stylish. The unique designs on his clothing, bold colors, and plaid pants makes him look like he could be a golf fashion model.  Jesper Parnevik also dresses absolutely fabulously with the exception of his flipped brim hat. He makes it work, but it should not be imitated. 

Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Aaron Baddeley, and Anthony Kim are the leaders in setting the fashion statements of today. If you are looking for fashion inspiration, check out the outfits these players wore in recent tournaments.   Admit it, you have a certain power color or style that you feel most comfortable in to play your best. Or one you wear to intimidate your opponents for an important round.  Who doesn’t want to be like Tiger in his famous red polo on Sundays?                              

The best dressed women golfers include Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, and Christie Kerr.  Their form fitting apparel comprised of bright colors, skirts, and matching accessories give them the perfect athletic yet chic look.  Anna Rawson also has excellent fashion sense, she has striking similarities to Anna Kornikova with their careers transitioning from models to athletes.  

 At this year’s PGA show Nike, Adidas, Calloway, Norman, Ecco, and Ping showcased their new line of men’s apparel which are consistantly top quality and the most popular brands.. Standouts of the show were smaller companies. Brands like Quagmire, Travis Matthews, Sligo, and Capito, showcased new innovative colors and textures for 2009.  For ladies, Lija, Nike, Nicole Miller, and Puma lead the way with some of the. Accessorizing in golf is important with shoes, belts, hats, umbrellas, head covers, and golf bags with matching handbags.  Also for 2009, high fashion brands are releasing new golf apparel and accessory lines, names such as Chanel, Gucci, and Burberry.  

It’s a new time for the game, it’s hot, it’s exciting, art has met expression in golf. In 2009 at Augusta National, instead of the traditional white caddy coveralls maybe they should go with bright yellow with green lettering.  A bad day at golf looking great is better than just a bad day at golf, that 19th hole simply feels better. Then after you earned those Birdies, instead of the usual Greygoose, in the spirit of the theme make a switch to Malibu’s Parrot Bay. And hey Mr. President what’s up with those khakis and cotton polo.

About Laura Ebrecht

Laura Ebrecht is a golf fashion writer for New England Golf Monthly.

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After a gorgeous, sunny day on the golf course, the long exposure to the sun’s brightness may make eyes feel strained or eye muscles sore from squinting, especially without sunglasses.  Hat brims shade eyes from direct sun rays, however, sunlight also reflects off the earth.  When looking at the green, eyes still perceive 100% sunlight as opposed to wearing gray sunglasses which block 70-90% of sunlight.             Technology has had a major impact on improving the quality of sunglass clarity, functionality, and protection. Many brands offer lenses made especially for golf.  These include Tifosi’s Golf/Tennis lenses designed for the green grass conditions.  They enhance the wearer’s ability to see the ball better when teeing off, lining up to putt or locating a ball in flight.  Tifosi Extreme Contrast give the wearer an edge in distinguishing terrain details and allow them to spot subtle breaks in a putting green.  Callaway partnered with Ray-Ban to design quality, golf-specific sunglasses for performance enhancing lens technology from Neox.  In fact, when tested, 65% of golfers reported it improved their ability to read the greens better.  
For lens material, polycarbonate and plutonite portray the best clarity and color contrast.  Polycarbonate is a synthetic plastic material that is very lightweight and impact-resistant.  Oakley’s Plutonite plastic has UV protection, scratch resistance, variable tint, and polarization bonded into the lens. To know whether lenses are good optical quality, find a surface with repeating lines, like a tiled floor. Hold the sunglasses a short distance away from the face, cover one eye, and move the glasses slowly across the lines. If the lines wiggle instead of staying straight, then the lenses are poor optical quality and will distort vision.
Photochromatic, otherwise known as variable tint, is one example in advancements in the lens clarity.  As the intensity of the UV rays increases or decreases, the tint changes in accordance.  If it is very sunny out, the tint gets darker, but if clouds cover the sun, the tint becomes lighter.  It is also beneficial because it improves depth perception.

 Different shades and colors allow for various amounts of light into the eyes. Yellow or amber are perfect for cloudy days because they block 30% of sunlight and still protect against UV rays. Gray minimizes color distortion meaning colors stay truer while yellow increases color distortion making terrain more accentuated. 
Polarized sunglasses block the glare that reflects off flat surfaces such as water, flat greens, or pavement.  Ordinary polarized sunglasses use a film to filter out the unwanted concentrated light but the more technologically advanced sunglasses of today have bonded polarization right to the lens. This provides the best protection, while improving clarity, color contrast, and depth perception.  Some brands do not recommend their polarized sunglasses for golf so make sure they are golf specific before buying them.  To know whether sunglasses are polarized find a reflective surface, again hold them a short distance from face, and cover one eye.  Slowly move the sunglasses, if they are polarized, you will see a significant diminishing of the glare.

If you do not wear sunglasses when you play golf, you should.  They offer important protection from not only the sun but wind too.  Wind can cause sand and dust particles to get into eyes.  UVA, UVB and UVC rays can cause cataracts, cancer of the eye, blindness, or retina sunburn.  Make sure that your sunglasses protect against 100% of all UV rays, it will tell you the percentage on the label or in the description of the sunglasses.

     The functionality of today’s sunglasses give no reason not to wear them.  Most meet the American National Standards Institute’s requirements for impact resistance and durability.  Frames made from vinyl, nylon, titanium are lightweight and comfortable to avoid temple soreness from wearing sunglasses too long.  The Adidas Adivista have screw less tri-fit technology with traction grip and flex zones for a pressure-free fit.  The Adivista is also convenient because you can clip prescription inserts inside the lenses.  Many sunglasses including these, have rubberized nose bridges to prevent them from slipping when sweat accumulates.  There are sunglasses that feature exact measurements of temple to ear, between eyes, and lens length to give you the most comfortable precise fit possible.
Recommendations if you do not want to spend a great deal of money on golf sunglasses would be Snake Eyes Viper High Def sunglasses which retail around $40.   If your target is the mid-price range, Tifosi’s Slip sunglasses, which retail around $90, are unique in they have vents to prevent lens fogging.  To be ready for any weather condition they also feature interchangeable lenses available in gray, yellow, red, and clear.  Callaway sunglasses come in Collection, Sport, X, and Hybrid Series and range from $100-$200.  Opt for the X602 or the S203 if you are partial to frameless glasses, or for the sporty look the H301 is a good choice.   Another mid-priced style is the Adidas Adivista which retails for around $150 and is highly recommended.  For a more expensive taste, opt for Oakley’s high definition optics with every sunglass feature you can imagine.  Ranging from around $140-$300 you can get custom fitted, and add any custom combination you would like with lens options including polarization, photochromatic, tinted, UV protection, impact protection, prescription, and hydrophobic.  You can even get a Motorola Bluetooth Headset to attach to Oakley sunglasses if you just can’t bare to be phone-less on the course, and don’t want to admit it to your friends.

If you still do not believe you need sunglasses, you’re probably just holding out until the release of the computerized sunglasses, with built in GPS, ball locator, weather condition updates, wind speed radars, and angle measurement capabilities. 

For questions or comments email ellebrecgolf@yahoo.com

About Laura Ebrecht

Laura Ebrecht is a golf fashion writer for New England Golf Monthly.

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The Foundation of a great golf swing is quite simply your feet, what you are wearing for golf shoe will have some effect on your overall ability to perform. The best players in the game will tell you that walking a course gives you a much better feel for the layout and presents better opportunities for scoring. In order to play well you must feel well. No one thinks twice today about spending $500.00 on a new driver, but most cringe at spending more than $50.00 on a good pair of golf shoes. Your driver will not feel the pain but your back and feet may suffer along with your score.
If feet hurt even the slightest bit, it could take away from your balance, your swing, and your mental focus. The wrong shoes could cause blisters, sore hamstrings and back pain if they are not made properly. Thankfully, companies have invested in the technology to develop comfortable, performance focused, non-metal golf spikes.
Advancements in features include materials that are durable while at the same time comfortable, waterproof yet breathable; provide stability while allowing for flexibility, and spikes that absorb shock while delivering traction control. A common material used for waterproof soles and insoles is called thermal plastic urethane (TPU) which is very versatile, flexbile, and has superior bonding ability. Because of this material, the better shoes come with a two year waterproof warranty. Even if it hasn’t rained, golf courses are usually wet from dew or irrigation so it’s important to make sure your shoes are waterproof. Also, make sure the shoe you choose has ample support on the collar of the shoe to prevent blisters on the Achilles and the back of the heel.
These days, the purpose of golf shoes is more than just to make a fashion statement on the course. However, there are some styles out there that it may be wise to shy away from. For example, you don’t want your golf cleats to match the nicest suit you own in your closet. Unless of course, you remove the Fast Twist spikes for work to portray a Clark Kent persona then twist the spikes back in at the course and turn into Superman. The increased athleticism incorporated into golf shoes is great but another style you may not want to consider is the sneaker look. They can be overkill if when you wear them you look like you could run the Boston Marathon. Many of the Adidas golf spikes look like soccer cleats so watch out for those too. It may be just that I am partial to the classic look of golf shoes. The soft leather provides beauty, fit, and durability FootJoy, Callaway, and Nike are the top of the line. Favorites include the FootJoy DryJoys and FootJoy Classics Dry. Their in-shoe Intellishield Extreme membrane provides breathable technology, when the temperature rises the pores of the membrane open to allow heat and moisture vapor out. When temperature falls, the pores close to insulate. The FootJoy Softspikes are the #1 selling spikes in golf and have superior qualities. Callaway Men’s Chev LP shoe is one of the best looking golf shoes. They also are comprised of moisture wicking linings and breathable waterproofing systems. They have flexible Chevron spikes that provide shock absorption to reduce impact on your joints while improving traction no matter the surface. Their Xtra Width Technology (XWT) Chev can be adjusted from medium to wide to ensure an exact fit. Try the new Callaway Hyperbolic shoes for optimal traction and a little extra pizzazz in your step. The Nike Air Zoom, as worn by Tiger Woods, or Nike Air Tour Classic are both excellent choices as well. They encompass equal quality in their Phylon lining, Scorpion Stinger spikes, and two year waterproof warranty. The Adidas Golf Tour 360 is a nice shoe with a secure foundation and the Fast Twist spike system. Ecco also has a collection of decent golf shoes. Most are made from Gore-Tex which is a high quality waterproof material but make sure to note the difference between waterproof versus water-resistant. The Ecco World Class shoes are very stylish but a bit on the expensive side. It’s also important to buy the proper socks to keep feet dry such as FootJoy moisture wicking socks.
There are pros and cons to shopping online and shopping in-store. There are so many products, advancements and features, it’s hard to keep your online research straight by the time you arrive at the store. It’s also hard to purchase a shoe online because you want to physically see it and try it on. Recommendations are to go to a pro-shop or sporting goods store and try on your favorite aesthetically pleasing shoe. While walking around, look up the shoe on your iPhone or Blackberry to read the online description. This way you’re able to experience the best of both worlds while being absolutely certain the shoes are comfortable.
If golf shoes can be made with this much technology, it’s a conundrum why they don’t make all shoes this well. Rather than wearing uncomfortable shoes, maybe I’ll remove the spikes and start wearing my golf shoes to work.

About Laura Ebrecht

Laura Ebrecht is a golf fashion writer for New England Golf Monthly.

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