It’s no exaggeration to say that golf has evolved into a major sport, from the perspective of participation, spectating, and its commercialization. While it originated in Europe, today golf is one of the most popular sports in North America, Australia and Asia. Golf has come a long way since the early 20th century, when it was known as an Anglo-Scottish sport and had a fairly eccentric reputation.
It is now believed that the earliest form of golf may well have originated in the Netherlands in the late Middle Ages. Historians reveal that something resembling golf was being played as early as the 1300s. It wasn’t until 1764 in St. Andrews that the 18-hole round got its start. However, that 18 hole experience involved only ten separate holes, eight of those were played twice.
By the late 19th century, golf was beginning to spread around the world. Golf was considered a gentleman’s game, and the kit worn while playing reflected that. For most of the 1800s, knickers, high socks and a tweed jacket were standard apparel when playing a round of golf. Golfing knickers were generally plus-fours, meaning they reached four inches below the knee. This attire was common in Britain and followed across the ocean as the game spread to the Americas.
At the turn of the 20th century, things were starting to change. While some golfers still wore plus-fours or trousers tucked into boots, others, particularly in the US and Canada, were starting to wear long pants when playing. Long-sleeved button up shirts with ties were still common. Some players wore newsboy-style caps on the course. Women golfers likewise tended to wear tweedy British country house style garb. Pleated skirts with tweed jackets or sweaters were standard. Some women wore plus-fours, although many clubs prohibited this, as gender dress codes required ladies to wear skirts.
It wasn’t until the mid-20th century period that polo shirts began to replace shirts and ties. Women also began to wear slacks and later shorts on the golf course. As time went on, golf attire literally became much more colorful. By the 1980s and 90s, big personalities like Nancy Lopez, Greg Norman and Payne Stewart had all made their mark on the game as well as on the game’s attire. Today, brands like Nike have brought technology onto the course and not just with equipment. Golf attire, from a comfort perspective as well as a performance perspective, has been a beneficiary of technological developments. Cool, quick-drying synthetic fabrics are even more common. Even though many country clubs still have dress codes requiring collared shirts and khaki-type shorts or trousers, the options available to the players are far more appealing.