Why Is Women’s Golf Tournament Merch Still So Afraid of Looking Cool?

There’s a strange level of sameness in women’s golf apparel. The same (bad, ill-fitting) cuts, the same colors, the same "country club safe" aesthetic repeated season after season, event after event. The tone over the last few years in our game is that golf style is entering a new era culturally, but you wouldn’t know it looking at the racks—especially when women are concerned.

And merchandise tents at professional golf events are where it becomes most apparent.

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When I logged onto the internet this week, my first glimpse at the PGA Championship fan shop seemed to signal more of the same. See: the end of this video.

MINK in pink? I am feeling more like #shrink.

So I asked a few friends to do some boots on the ground research for me, to see if it really is that bad—and I must admit, the intel they gave me actually shows that the set up at Aronimink is better than what I had assumed.

My sources (Skratch's Nicole Rae and Ben Boskovich) tell me that not only was the women's apparel section bigger than what they've seen in previous years, but also bigger name brands like Nike and adidas has quite the selection.

A few editors' picks:

Image credits: Nicole Rae/Skratch

Now most of these styles in the images are just copy and paste from the new Spring/Summer drops with the PGA Championship tournament logo slapped on their somewhere, so do with that what you will, but I will give credit where credit is due and say that while yes I believe this is best merchandise set up I've seen...probably ever, it's still lacking and outrageously over-priced. The Nike jacket in the two piece set alone is $240.

Which only furthers my hope for more imagination in women-first designs—something that is truthfully so baffling to me seeing that women have so much variation to our wardrobes. Polos, trousers, skirts, dresses, rompers, jumpsuits—there's plenty of room to play and it's like few are daring to even try.

All the while, I see men's golf-wear experimenting with silhouettes and texture while also tapping into the trends of nostalgia and streetwear influence. And yes, I understand that once upon a time, this was a gentlemen's game, but that narrative is no longer holding true as women are among the faster growing demographic in our game right now, which is exactly why this plea is needed.

Dear Big Golf, for the love of God, make the mainstream women's golf merch cooler, more tasteful, and something that folks can be excited to wear without feeling like their always tee time ready.

What women’s golf apparel needs isn’t another seasonal color refresh or slightly redesigned skort. It needs brand and merchandise willing to think beyond outdated assumptions about what women golfers are supposed to look like. The audience is already evolving faster than the merchandise is.

But this shift also depends on consumers. As long as uninspired designs continue to sell, brands have little incentive to take creative risks. Supporting smaller, grass roots businesses, demanding better fit and design, and being more selective about where money gets spent sends a message that women’s golf apparel deserves the same level of care and intentionality given to the other corners of merchandise (hi, big letter hats.)

Women’s golf no longer needs or adheres to the "shrink it and pink it" marketing. It deserves apparel that reflects the complexity, confidence, and modernity of the women actually playing the game.

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