So many debates on where the sport of golf originated… Who do we thank for this amazing and challenging sport? The Chinese Dynasties? The Song Dynasty (920-1279)? Or perhaps the Ming Dynasty (1425-1435)? Was it invented in 17th century Netherlands? Or besides the gift of drinking Scotch, do we owe the Scottish thanks for a great game, as well!
Well… We don’t really know, and we are not here to find out. Thank you, to whoever it was who invented this wonderful and crazy sport, because we are fans! What we do know is that ever since it was first played, there have been displays of high fashion and even displays of ostentation (clubs inlaid with jade and gold, suggesting chuíwán, or golf, was just for the wealthy).
From a history of beautiful tailcoats, bow ties, outrageous colors and even more outrageous accessories, golfers represent the crème de la crème of style in the sports world.
Here is the best of the best from the early 1700s until today!
In the early days of the game in Great Britain, golfers played wearing kilts and animal skins before moving on to knee length-breeches and tailcoats.
In the early modern era of golf, players often wore long trousers and full morning jackets with ties while golfing. The golfers dressed formally to match the conservative attitudes of the time and the gentlemanly reputation of the sport.
Between the Wars
Golfers abandoned the suit jackets of the pre-war years in favor of sleeved shirts with bow ties. They still tucked their trousers into their long stockings. It was at this time that the bow ties became a popular accessory for many golfers.
1950s and 1960s
Thanks to golfers like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, golf moved from ultra-conservative fashions to the much looser khaki pants and light polos.
1970s and 1980s
Golfers around the world such as Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros began sporting exuberant colors, which became popular in sweaters, trousers, socks and polos. The colors prominently included bright pinks, blues, oranges and yellows.
Golfers began to wear clothes produced by sports companies such as Nike, Adidas and Callaway. Form-fitting polos and mock tee shirts have become popular on many professional tours. It’s all about fashion fused with high technology for functionality, protection and performance.
For the ultimate golf accessories, look to our favorite: Michael Toschi, Golf G3. “If golf were a religion, the G3 would be the badge of the highest faith.”
Michael Toschi’s outstanding footwear is the only footwear in the world to use the principles of geometry to favor the movements of anatomy. CIS (Carbonlite insole) interfaces a stable, anatomically neutral foot platform with a suspension matrix outsole to provide technical performance-based comfort.