The Rob Report

A Fashion Firestorm

In the middle of a global pandemic, a choice of apparel managed to overtake a news cycle in October.

A concerned group of fashion police fl ooded social media in protest of Englishman Tyrell Hatt on’s choice of wearing a hoodie en route to his victory at the European Tour’s 2020 BMW PGA Championship, when it was played on the West Course of the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England.

With high temperatures barely cracking 50 degrees over the course of the four-day tournament, Hatt on was looking for something that would keep him warm, but not restrict his golf swing. He chose the Cold RDY Hoodie from adidas, which retails for around $80.

“It’s crazy the amount of people that obviously don’t agree with it,” Hatt on said about the unexpected fi restorm that his choice of on-course clothing set off . “If it looks smart and you’re comfortable to play in it, then I really don’t see what the issue is.”

For the record, Hatt on was not the fi rst person to wear a hooded sweatshirt in professional competi ti on, and he certainly won’t be the last—especially aft er his winning performance.

And this wasn’t social media’s fi rst brouhaha over on-course apparel. Infl uencer Paige Spiranac piques the interest of people for many reasons, but her playing atti re is oft en credited with spurring an update to the dress code on the women’s tour.

A sport that has been struggling to attract fresh participation for more than a decade doesn’t help itself by body-shaming women and setting off an alarm over a cold-weather clothing option.

In 2017, the Ladies Professional Golf Associati on (LPGA) sent members an e-mail detailing a strict new dress code that would be vigorously enforced. The new guidelines prohibited the plunging necklines, short skirts and leggings that have become popular among female athletes. Infracti ons could result in a fi ne of $1,000, which would double with each off ense.

Heather Daly-Donofrio, the LPGA’s Chief of Communicati ons and Tour Operati ons, said at the ti me, “The dress code requires players to present themselves in a professional manner to refl ect a positi ve image for the game.”

On one hand, golf is a sport played by athletes. Uniforms in all sports have evolved over the years to help opti mize performance. The heavy, cumbersome uniforms worn by Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio on the baseball fi eld have been replaced by streamlined, formfi tti ng micro-fabrics that move with the players and wick away moisture from perspirati on. Would Bryson DeChambeau or Justi n Thomas perform nearly as well as they do if forced to wear knickers, a butt on-down shirt and ti e?

On the other hand, golf is a sport steeped in traditi on. While other sports are notorious for breaking the rules to gain an advantage—recent examples of sign-stealing by baseball’s Houston Astros and multi ple infracti ons from the NFL’s New England Patriots (“Spygate” and “Defl ategate”) come to mind—golfers sti ll call penalti es on themselves.

Would a club att ract more members with a loosened dress code? Doubtf ul— and if it did, it might not be members they really want. But a sport that has been struggling to att ract fresh parti cipati on for more than a decade doesn’t help itself by body-shaming women and setti ng off an alarm over a cold-weather clothing opti on.

What’s your club’s on-course dress code? Has it soft ened over the years? Would you object to a hoodie or yoga pants? Shoot me an e-mail and let’s keep the conversati on going.

Rob Thomas • Senior Editor rthomas@wtwhmedia.com