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“Golfing style is changing rapidly,” says Luke Donald, captain of the European Ryder Cup team that is competing in Italy this weekend against the Americans at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, near Rome. “I remember there was a great deal of comment when Tyrrell Hatton won the BMW PGA Championship in 2020 wearing a hoodie, but now they are pretty much accepted across the board.”
Donald is wearing kit by Loro Piana, outfitter of Team Europe since 2016. Developed using 3D technology, the range is, Donald says, made to fulfil all the players’ requirements while competing. The polo shirts, vests and crease-resistant trousers from the Italian brand known for its quality and refined take on luxury are also stylish and, while still firmly on the classic side, nod to the fact that the game is gaining a fanbase that is far from the elitist image golf has had for many years.
“Golf has experienced a popularity boom over the past few years and it is definitely having a cultural moment right now,” says Donald. “The rise of young social media influencers, sharing their journey as they learn the game, is bringing a new and diverse audience. A great example is the Grammy-winning artist DJ Khaled, who is working with us as an ambassador for the 2023 Ryder Cup. He is obsessed with golf and it’s great to see him share that passion with his 37 million Instagram followers.”
Walpole, which represents the British luxury sector, said recently that “golf is now being hailed for its benefits to mind, body and soul, rather than its crimes against fashion”.
On that score it cites British golf labels such as Manors and Sounder as offering a more contemporary casual look, in step with similar brands in the US, such as Malbon and Linksoul and the American rapper Macklemore’s Bogey Boys. To this list we can add Random Golf Club, Jain and Eastside Golf (created by the PGA professional Olajuwon Ajanaku) in the States, Australia’s Walker Golf Things and J.Lindeberg, founded in Stockholm in 1996, which has been banging the drum for stylish golfwear for years.