Those of you who were put off by slim-fitting 5-pocket pants, flat-bill caps and street-style shoes, may want to take a seat for this one.
Rickie Fowler was spotted rockin’ bespoke joggers and custom cleated high-tops from Puma Golf during Tuesday’s practice round for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua’s Plantation Course.
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GolfThreads posted an image of Rickie’s daring look on Twitter last night, and we got the scoop on it from the team at Puma Golf this morning. Here is what Grant Knudson, Head of Footwear at PUMA Golf had to say:
“Each season we work closely with Rickie throughout the apparel and footwear development and design process to ensure we’re pushing the limits when it comes to both performance and style. During a recent meeting, Rickie expressed interest in wearing a high-top cleated shoe that could be worn with more progressive apparel (joggers style pants). Our design team took inspiration from a prior PUMA high-top lifestyle shoe and combined it with the TITANTOUR IGNITE outsole. The result is a stylish, cleated performance high-top that includes a lace + Velcro closure. The apparel team then matched this with a version of our 6 Pocket Pant that has been custom tailored to a jogger silhouette.”
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Keep in mind that this was a practice round, and these are times when players often test prototype equipment, apparel and footwear. Throw in the fact that the guys have looked fairly relaxed in Hawaii this week (have you seen some of the pictures in social media?), and this is the perfect setting for Fowler and Puma to get creative. Who knows if Rickie will wear the shoes or pants in competition or if they will ever hit retail shelves.
SEE ALSO: Brash With Class: Rickie Fowler Wins The Players Championship in Puma Golf
Personally, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of joggers and high-tops on the course. Overall, I like that Rickie and Puma continue to bring a fresh perspective on golf fashion and challenge the staid traditions of the game. Would I wear these? Probably not. Do I want to see guys like Steve Stricker or Jim Furyk rockin’ joggers and high-tops. Heck, no! Do I want to see guys like Rickie and Ryo experiment with new things? Yes! Just remember, some people probably scoffed at the idea of not wearing a tie, wool pants and shoes with nails in the bottom of them at one point.
Embed from Getty ImagesRickie has always been one of the trendsetters in the game of golf, and this is the latest example of his willingness to break down the walls of traditional golf fashion. He has been instrumental in bringing street wear and extreme sports trends like flat-bill hats, 5-panel caps and 5-pocket pants to the fairways. It is great to see that Puma Golf is on board with his sartorial creativity and willing to work with him on outside the box ideas.
Drop a comment below and let’s us know what you think about Rickie’s progressive look.
I’m not a fan in all honesty, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work in practice rounds, etc – to be honest, for practice rounds, they should surely by now be able to play in shorts, tees, whatever (to a limit!)
That said, I’m still a stickler for the ‘proper’ attire Thursday-Sunday at the majors, but I’d be happy for a couple of tournaments to relax the rules and let the guys be creative and comfortable. As you say, we’ve come a long way from jackets and ties, so what is stopping the further evolution of golf attire?
We LOVE seeing the limits of fashion being pushed forwarded. We also would love to see some of the traditional attire revisited, shirts, ties, blazers, etc. This look and step forward by Rickie Fowler will certainly resonate with young golfers. We can see high school and college teams rocking this look!!!