The evolution of women’s golf wear has been on a steady rise and golf fashion has come a long way. As someone who studied Fashion Design and History of Fashion. I appreciate the changes that women’s golf apparel has undergone. Traditionally, golf as a whole has been rigid since the Stone Ages with its rules on attire amongst other things. Those rules of course have some what changed in the past 10 to 15 years.
Golfers are a lot more colourful, daring with their attire, funky if we can call it that. The women are leading the men on that regard but there are also those guys that stand out like Rickie Fowler. Who caught my kids eyes earlier on in his career purely because of his colourful gear. They started to watch him play and wanted to see what he would be wearig next. Which then followed by them wanting him to win and loving his game.
He grabbed their attention just by looking like someone they could relate to on the golf course. I could mention a few other names of really stylish, fashionable male golfers but I am not here to speak about the men. This piece is dedicated to the ladies.
The women’s golf fashion trends are possibly the fastest growing trend in fashion at the moment. The choices have shifted and changed drastically from the conservative old fashioned look and have entered a new school lifestyle fashion trend. Women have become more adventurous with colour choices, shorter shorts, tighter shirts, the introduction of the skort (a personal favourite) over a decade ago by Golftini.
The skort in my opinion, is a sexy edition to women’s golf apparel. What is probably the greatest thing, is how comfortable the gear has become too. The fabrics that designers are using, me included, are durable and super flexible. This is one of the most important factors because, in spite of trends and wanting to look good out there, it is still a sport and one must try and perform at the highest level without interference from unsuitable gear. The other trend I find appealing and rather great is the golf leggings, tights seen worn by the likes of Michelle Wie. Michelle has been one of the biggest trend setters in women’s golf fashion. She has been voted the most stylish female golfer several times. She is spunky and relevant in terms of fashion for female golfers out there. Her outfits have gotten her into some trouble and maybe even banned on some greens but the younger golfers get it and love her bold style.
Other female golfers I find extremely stylish are Korean golfer Soo Jin Yang and Russian golfer Maria Verchenova who both have their own golf clothing ranges. I find that a lot of our South African lady pros are still very conservative with their gear.
We now enter the topic of body shape and the struggles of finding golf gear that is suitable for my body shape as an African women. We require a little extra room around our hips and my research has shown me that most garments have been made to a typical European size, figure and shaped woman. I have found this to be one of the biggest problems with the amateur lady golfers and friends, who might be a 32 waist but a 36 bottom.
Hey, the heritage calls for it and it is pride for us but a disadvantage when trying to find suitable, comfortable golf gear. I also realise that in the past not many women with this type of figure, if any, played golf, so it is to be expected that we will only find European sized garments at any golf shop. Garments that when you buy, you still need to go out and find a tailor to resize and custom fit. Yes, its a huge problem. You do have some brands that are actually trying and understanding the African woman’s figure like Greg Normans range and Clubhouse Collection just to name a couple.
Most women I’ve spoken to sometimes have to go to a regular retail store to get a pair of pants or shorts for a guaranteed fit. The problem with that is you then lose all the necessary details needed for golf gear, like the extra pockets and tee holders. There is still a lot of improvement and necessary changes that need to happen with regards to sizing. Sometimes it takes someone who understands the struggles of any situation to change it.
I know, through my own experience that most times when I’m out there looking good, feeling comfortable, I’m going to play some good golf and I’m pretty sure some of the ladies will agree with me. I’m achange interested to hear from the ladies which brands they prefer and find are the most comfortable
Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages and taken the time to send me encouraging words and relatable stories about starting out on this golfing journey.
Catch you on the fairways. 🏌🏾♀️
This Girl's Golf Diary 