It wasn’t that long ago that bare shoulders, exposed knees and “GASP!” a bit of thigh were banned at golf clubs everywhere. There are still plenty of strict dress code regulations to keep retired member’s heart rates down, but more and more clubs are slackening the rules to allow more self-expression and, in some cases more flesh, on the course. I’m not saying all women are rarin’ to get their kit out, but in my case, being a woman, I like to be able to be identified as such from more than 30 yards away and wearing a high-collared, boxy shirt with three-quarter-length pants (ugh) just doesn’t do the job. Doesn’t help that I’ve got a pretty masculine swing either.
But it’s not just about appearance. A short skirt keeps you cool in the summer heat, gets your pins tanned and brings a feeling of youth to a stuffy golf club. Just recently the head of the European Tour has been in the news saying we have to change the format of golf to bring in younger golfers. How about instead of rewriting the entire game, you simply let the new generation of women and men golfers wear clothes that don’t make them look like they’re on the set of The Legend of Bagger Vance?
It’s even down to making golf more Instagrammable. If you want to reach a younger audience, visual appeal is key. Just look at Paige Spiranac who has been named one of Golf Digest’s top Influencers of 2016. Her Instagram account is pretty saucy, but she can swing a club and her 768,000 followers agree it’s worth a look.
And why not? Let golf be sexy – it’s an incredibly dynamic and athletic sport. You only have to look at the change in the top golfers in the past 15 years. These guys are cut! They’re on the freakin’ cover of health magazines.
Goodbye beer guts and man boobs, you gotta be fit to make it nowadays. And if the men can wear tight tops that accentuate their muscles, why not let the ladies? Doing so would be the equivalent of throwing a Ladies’ Night at a club — increased interest and attendance among both sexes, and hey, some eye candy for all! Or really, maybe just a more inclusive relaxed feeling amongst a wonderful, albeit fantastically stuffy sport.
[…] (how plungy?) and exposed “bottom areas” (how bottomy?). Last September I wrote a blog post about this very topic, so my feelings are pretty clear. At the time I believed we as golfers were moving into more […]