Golf Attire Through The Ages
Golf is one of the older games that we play today, and has a rich history that can be traced back to 15th century Scotland. As the game is hundreds of years old, it’s understandable that the fashion and function of the attire golfers make use of has changed and evolved considerably. What golfers over 600 years ago wore to what modern golfers wear today has altered dramatically, but some of that original attire can still be seen in the clothing today’s golfer is used to.
The progression of technology is one of the main reasons that sports attire has been altered so much over the last few centuries, especially within the last two. As more advanced types of fabric were designed and created, the nature of attire changed, with an emphasis on functionality over aesthetics.
This doesn’t mean that modern golfing attire is ugly by any means, but it also hasn’t retained the same kind of fancy setup that the golfer of the 15th century would be used to. This is quickly noticeable for anyone that follows sports betting NZ involving golf, where it’s plain to see that many golfers tend to wear the same kind of gear.
The First Golfing Outfits
Scotland is a cold and windy country in many places, and since golf was always played outside, the first golfers had to create a setup that was both flexible and warm, while also retaining some sort of comfort, as the game could take hours to finish. To this end, the average golfer of the time would wear an assortment of items that would resemble an outfit that would be seen on just about any sport course.
A tweed jacket or waistcoat, knee-high breeches, starched-collar shirts along with ties, finished off with a small, tweed cap. While the professional golfer has since abandoned with type of attire, it can still be seen in golf courses around Scotland.
Golfing In The 1900s Onwards
Golf started gaining serious popularity around the 1920s, and this was when sporting attire was starting to undergo some change. Newer types of fabrics were beginning to make their way to the general public, and better forms of mass production meant these fabrics tended to be much cheaper, and allowed for better functionality in a variety of games.
Even so, attire still retained much of what it had looked like for the past few centuries, with the exception of certain pieces like the blazer or the introduction of full playing suits.
The Mass Production of The 40s
The Second World War saw a huge change in the way clothing was made. Mass production was developing in leaps and bounds, and synthetic fabrics were the new fashion, taking over from such materials as cotton.
This meant that golf attire as we know it today became more popular, often with the player wearing a pair of pants, a collared shirt, a vest, and a cap. This outfit has not changed much, with the exception of gloves, which have become a much more prominent part of what a golfer wears in recent years.
While we can’t expect golf attire to change much in the foreseeable future, the development of next-gen fabrics means that there will be a gradual shift in what we wear when we enjoy our favourite sports.