There is no shortage of satirical comment around on the dress sense of golfers, and to be honest it is hard to blame the people who make mention of it. Sometimes, golfers wear items of clothing that are simply appalling. The late, great Payne Stewart was famous for his plus-fours which garnered compliments and attention from many, along with hoots of derision from others. Most of us can summon up a stereotypical picture of what we would deem a golf outfit to be – and the likelihood is that the world’s golfers would not come out looking too wonderful.
When it comes down to it, there is a reason golf trousers tend not to look like the height of sartorial elegance, or of relaxed style. If a golfer took to the course wearing a full dress suit, their swing would be badly compromised. If they wore jeans on to the course, they would find it pretty difficult to get the flexibility required to hit the complex range of shots they need to – plus they would be breaking a club’s genteel dress code. Therefore it is important to find a compromise. Slacks are exactly the right compromise, and they are the chosen golf trousers of a great many players.
Plenty of amateur golfers, and for that matter a number of the professionals, like to have a bit of fun with the expected sartorial disasters that are a part of golfing folklore in this day and age. For some people, golf just wouldn’t be golf without a terrible shirt and garish trousers.