Seminole shines, lame bag games, feelin’ groovy in tie-dye, and more. This Week in Golf Fashion (finally!) returns with a recap of the style scene from the TaylorMade Driving Relief Charity Match.
The Style Winner of the Week…Seminole Golf Club
I liked DJ’s upcycled PRIMEBLUE CODECHAOS shoes and all-over print Adidas shirt. With those tiny Adidas logos, he was certainly the most branded player…EVER. Rickie’s tie-dye polo grew on me throughout the round. (More on that below.) On the other hand, Nike seemed to mail it in by outfitting Rory and Matt Wolff in two pedestrian chest-stripe polos. Surely, Nike has something flashier in its arsenal for summer.
The good news is that this allowed Seminole to provide the stylish canvas the event needed. The course has always been a mystical place, and it certainly lived up to the hype.
I just wish I learned more about the unique characteristics of the Donald Ross design, the routing of the course, and the strategy the players were taking based on what Ross was giving them. The players were mic’ed up, two reporters were walking with them, and there was plenty of time to get into their heads as they walked the fairways. Then again, this event was quickly put together under crazy circumstances, so no complaints here. Thankfully, Andy Johnson over at The Fried Egg always has this stuff covered.
There was a lot of talk about the soft conditions taking the fire out of the course, but it didn’t lead to video-game-like scores. Four of the top players in the game were consistently flummoxed by the greens. They had the same looks I had in my advanced trigonometry class back in the day.
Although approaching its 100th birthday, Seminole serves as an example for golf courses being designed or retooled in the modern day. Easy to walk, little rough, challenging green complexes, and waste areas that don’t require water and maintenance. Courses don’t need to be 7,800 yards with forced carries to be challenging.
Peace. Love. Golf.
A colorful, well-executed tie-dye never goes out of style, but suddenly, it is a fresh, new look for the course. Both Rickie and Matt dipped into the free-spirited vibe at Seminole.
Ironically, Fowler was supposed to wear that exact shirt on that exact day but on a different coast. The Haight Polo is part of Puma’s Love/Haight Collection designed for the PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco. The groovy collection is a tribute to the city’s iconic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which served as the epicenter of the 1960’s hippie movement.
Wolff joined his partner in the peaceful feels with a more traditional swirled tie-dye pattern on a pair of Nike Roshe G Tour shoes. “PEACE” and “LOVE” were even printed on the outsoles. The only things missing were dancing bears. While there is no official word, we can only assume Nike had some special tie-dye pieces planned for the PGA Championship, too.
Walk of Shame
Much was made about the players carrying their bags, which was interesting for about half a hole. Let’s keep in mind that these are four of the fittest dudes on Tour. Did we expect them to tap out by the 14th hole?
The bigger story here was the missed opportunity to do some cool Sunday bags. The three TaylorMade guys toted the same stand bag that possessed little personality. I understand product placement, but I doubt anyone watching at home was rushing to place an order for that bag.
An old-school Sunday bag collab between TaylorMade and a company like MacKenzie, Jones, or Seamus would have brought some serious swagger to the match. The bags could have been auctioned off after the round or a limited-edition run could have been made to add a few more stacks of cash to the charity pot.
Maybe supply chain issues and the short notice of the event prevented this, but TaylorMade did create special Social Distancing themed headcovers for the players. Also, Cobra typically teams up with Vessel on limited-edition carry bags for Rickie at the majors. Why not here?
Nomad Customs
Sticking with the collab theme, Rickie and Puma once again tagged custom sneaker designer Roly Padron at Nomad Customs to create a pair of bespoke IGNITE PROADAPT shoes. While more subdued than previous Nomad Customs creations for Rickie, the dope kicks did carry messages of positivity and support for the CDC Foundation, the beneficiary of Fowler’s and Wolff’s skins. I think we all enjoy golf a little more these days.
The Long & the Shorts of It
Players wearing shorts was the most talked-about style story leading into the match. Much like players carrying their bags, the weirdness wore off quickly. All three looked professional in shorts and gave credibility to the argument that they should be allowed to wear them on Tour when temps reach a certain boiling point.
This doesn’t mean there weren’t bumps in the road. Rickie and Rory executed the combination of width and length the best. Wolff’s shorts were a bit long and saggy, though. DJ nailed the length, but we’ll just say the ‘smedium’ size was a bit on the slim side. Maybe it was just a case of Dustin not skipping leg days during the lockdown. This could also explain the layer of rust on his game.
Laser Show
Speaking of things not allowed on the PGA tour; was anyone upset by the use of range finders?
Sure, I guess there is some level of skill in counting your steps from a sprinkler head, but range finders seem to speed up play. Let’s ditch the green reading books and allow players and caddies to use range finders in competition. All the players could be required to use the same one. The PGA Tour could have an “Official Range Finder” sponsor. Besides, I can’t wait to see a player blow a gasket after his caddie accidentally shoots the tree 20 yards beyond the green and gives him the wrong yardage.
Summer Straps
Flexible woven straps have been dominating the belt game recently. The Nike guys showed why the woven option is a better choice over leather, especially in warm weather. Leather has a heavier look and feel, which tends to weigh down an outfit. This is even more apparent when paired with shorts. Props to all players for matching their belts to their shorts for a smooth look from top to bottom.
Can I Borrow a…
Is there a bigger boss move than showing up for a made for TV event, not having a ball marker, and using a tee instead? (Peep the bottom right corner of the image above to see DJ’s peg sticking out of the green.)
Dustin is that mate who shows up for a 7:00 a.m. tee time at 7:02 and asks for a glove, a tee, and a coin. We can only hope that nice-guy Rickie tossed him a quarter and said, “Here you go. You can keep it, bro.”
Is Rickie wearing a Cameron cap? Shame they didn’t do limited edition bags and Rory & Wolffs outfits were meh . Great report.
Thanks, Jason. It’s great to have golf once again. Rickie was wearing the Cobra Tour Crown Snapback Cap. https://www.cobragolf.com/tour-crown-snapback-cap Similar design to the Cameron Crown logo.