Busy, bustling, and bigger than any PGA Show in recent years, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando last week made a statement about the golf industry: it’s thriving.
The apparel/footwear/accessories section was jam-packed with new golf fashion selections, advanced golf shoe technologies and enough bags, gloves and hats for everyone’s style preference.
Walk the aisles with me for my notes, highlights and takeaways from the show floor.
Trending Golf Fashion
Apparel: A mere couple of years ago, the PGA Show was flooded with bright, bold colors and patterns in golf apparel, particularly men’s tops. That trend, although some of it will always exist, has overwhelmingly shifted to more upscale, timeless neutral color palates in sophisticated styles that can truly be worn for golf and any other daily life activity you have. While I won’t completely say goodbye to animal prints and camo, I’m happy to finally take a break from it for a season or two.
A. Putnam women’s brand gets my nod for exemplifying this trend. You’ll see a couple of special prints in the spring collection, inspired by European royal gardens, but the floral is a subtle custom design so you won’t see it anywhere else. Other than that, founder Ali Putnam is a stickler for neutrals, so pieces can be worn several different ways, and all merchandise beautifully comes together.
This brand also gets kudos for creating pieces that women of all ages can feel comfortable wearing and look great. That’s not always an easy thing to achieve.
One more accolade to share: the A. Putnam convertible jacket in this collection has sleeves that zip off so it can be worn as a vest, and it’s a standard length but with a drawstring at the bottom if you want a more cropped look. You can literally get five looks out of this jacket. It will be in my closet, no hesitation.
On the men’s side, tone-on-tone solids aren’t as noticeable because stripes and prints are a mainstay in polo shirts, but I did notice some really nice solid polos done in knit fabric that not only give outfits an elevated look, but are a nice diversion from the norm. RLX Ralph Lauren is one example having brought this look to last year’s collection, it was so well received that it’s back for an encore in 2025.
Fabric trends: Natural fibers such as merino wool continue to offer a reprieve from a sea of polyester. Again, it’s not a new concept—Dunning had Merino options 10-plus years ago—but Merino has a place in possessing all the performance features: moisture wicking, temperature regulating, natural antimicrobial, etc., without adding chemicals to the fabric to achieve the tech results we might want for golf. Field Day Sporting Co. has some great natural fiber hoodie options—my favorite is a super soft, subtle plaid in muted tones that can be worn with anything from jeans to shorts and slacks. Saint Croix luxury fashion and sportswear brand fully embraces the use of natural fibers such as organic cotton, Mongolian cashmere, and Merino wool, and is firmly rooted in the belief that natural fibers are not only luxurious to wear but are also better for the environment since they are renewable, sustainable and biodegradable.
Another growing fabric trend in the golf apparel space is all about softness. The use of naturally breathable, cotton-blend fleecy materials similar to lululemon’s Scuba and Varley’s Double Soft collections that offer lightweight warmth and cozy feel. Many brands are incorporating the thick, soft fabric in elevated casual pieces.
Texture: Polyester blends are taking the average men’s quarter-zip, long sleeve top and giving it a whole new look and feel. Holderness & Bourne’s diamond-quilted layering pieces paved the way for texture in modern golf fashion, giving a fresh alternative to slick, shiny polyester. More brands such as Rhone, Live Forever Golf, and lululemon to name of few are using fabric textures in upcoming collections that automatically bump up the look of a piece.
Odds and Ends in Golf Fashion
Fuller cut pants for women: I’ll stop at calling them baggy pants, but it’s a shift from all the tight-fitting, legging-look bottoms. Most have some performance features, but the fuller legs mirror what we see in current mainstream fashion, and we’re excited to see if the trend catches hold on the golf course.
Tracksuits are such a versatile sport, leisure and travel outfit. Where Tory Burch left off in creating great fitting, classy looking tracksuits, golf/tennis/lifestyle apparel brands such as GG Blue and Kastel Denmark offer some very nice versions that will become your grab ’n go casual uniform.
“Accidental neutral” is a term I picked up from the founder/designer of Williams Athletic Club, Susi Proudman, when we looked at an icy, pale-blue colored top in her collection. Accidental neutral refers to a shade that isn’t intentionally chosen as a neutral but ends up appearing very close to a neutral color like beige, gray or cream due to its muted tone and lack of strong saturation, often happening when mixing colors unintentionally. Plus, icy blue “accidentally,” if you will, goes with a myriad of colors—black, navy, white, beige, brown, gray, and more. See how fashion-savvy you’re going to sound at the next trunk show you attend?
Footwear: FootJoy is one of my standout appointments at the show because I get the opportunity to hear an expert talk about all the technical improvements and nuances of the shoes vs. just reading product descriptions in a media release. Think of it as getting the why and how versus just the what. This year Hyperflex will feature a ControlKNIT technology that harnesses and transfers swing energy, and is super comfortable.
Based on feedback from its Tour players and fans like you and me, the shoe material was improved so it’s easier to keep clean. The slip-in fit system with wrap-around heel support gives a locked-in, secure fit and cushioning enhances rebound responsiveness when your foot moves through a swing.
That’s the sportier shoe—for a more classic, traditional look, the Premier series returns in new colorways with signature Bison texturing, box leather and rich Nubuck accents and gum colored soles that create a truly handsome looking shoe.
Accessories: I’m always looking out for novelty accessories at the show that I can use in future gift guides. Even though I’m not a big fan of cigars, the Tumi cigar/humidor carrying case is pretty cool. The monogrammable case is aluminum and there’s a compartment for an anti-humidity packet, a magnetic slide matchbox case, a metal cutter, two leather magnetic compartments and five cigar slots with elastic loops. Tumi is the official luggage and travel golf club bag provider to the LPGA and its high-end selection of products give me the “I wants.”
Ranger Station, an American heritage fragrance company founded in Nashville, Tenn., by a musician with big dreams and his wife, who together pioneered the idea of a candle in a reusable cocktail glass. Manufactured in an old ranger station, the unisex scents made with honest ingredients of wood, smoke and spices come in candles, diffusers, perfume, and room sprays. I happen to be a uber picky scent person who rarely wears perfume, but after trying a subtle one (called Two Trick Pony) and being told how great I smelled the rest of the day pretty much sealed the deal for me. Ranger Station can also customize products with your club logo.
Headwear: There were dozens of hat companies at the PGA Show, but my standout is Melin because of its story, and I’m always a sucker for a good story. Melin is pronounced like melon so you’d assume it refers to melon or noggin like your head that a hat goes on. But the name actually refers to millinery, the art of hat making. Rooted in 15th-century craftsmanship, “milliner” is the term used for bespoke hat makers who would customize headwear for their clientele. Melin is a modernized spin on this time-honored European tradition, bringing its own modern renditions to reimagine this legacy with technical innovation and superior materials.
The concept of Melin was born from a love of the ball cap, with the idea that with more time, thought and care invested into how a hat is made, Melin can actually extend the life of its headwear and the adventures we take them on. It is premium headwear that obsesses over quality, introducing new shapes, sizes, and technologies, and managed to carve out a cult following in the process.
That sums up my main notes from the PGA Show for now. Even though my days were full, seeing 20-plus brands a day, I feel like I barely scratched the surface of all the great golf style arriving this year. Can’t wait.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Golf Fashion Is Quickly Evolving As the Game Continues to Thrive.
