Golf Gods: What they’re wearing on Nike Golf’s new Mount Olympus
Anyone with a basic background in Greek mythology knows the Goddess Nike drove it great under pressure. In the war against the Titans, she steered Zeus’ golden chariot with one hand on the reins and with the other, raised a shield to protect him as he hurled thunderbolts against his forebears to gain supremacy of the cosmos. The personification of victory herself, when all was said and done, Nike handed laurel wreaths to the winners, an ancient symbol that still echoes in trophies today.
Across 40 years, Nike Golf has outfitted a collective whose ability to drive it great under pressure has been fairly god-like, too. The brand’s first sponsored golfer was Seve Ballesteros at the 1986 Masters, but the then scrappy company wasn’t quite ready for primetime. The cut of Seve's visor wasn't perfect, so they bought him one at the pro shop and sewed not one but two swooshes to cover the Augusta National logo. It was a bold move that prefigured later unexpected styles, and suffice to say, the company was in a different class by the time it signed Tiger Woods. Then followed Michelle Wie, Suzann Pettersen, Nelly Korda, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler, just to name a few. Despite having the greatest golfers of two successive generations, Nike Golf’s distribution lagged. In 2016, the company stopped making golf clubs and balls, and without these hard goods to lead accounts, its shirts and shoes got a little lost.
This year, Nike is officially renewing its commitment to golf. Three new lines for 2026—Tailored Performance, Modern Athletic and Fairway Fresh—mark an ambitious redesign to meet the game’s growth moment. Although Scottish plaid and baggier fits remind of the past, attention to finer details creates modern twists. Its designers said golfers actually have the most complex set of needs compared to other athletes, and that they listened like never before to find better solutions for the feel, sound, stretch and weight of materials.
Golf Digest likes talking about golfers as athletes. Borrowing the concept of a “tunnel fit” and “competition fit” for sportsmen and sportswomen who transform in stadium locker rooms, we styled six current Nike Golf ambassadors two ways. Look closely and you’ll see the vintage shield—but no thunderbolts.
Luke Clanton
Nike Pro Cap Par5, Par Crew, Par Polo, Par Pant.
Fairway Fresh Half-Zip, Club Flow Short, Nike React Rejuven8 Shoe.
'I think golf is rotating toward a little more relaxed with a lot more swag.'
Luke Clanton always wears “lucky” black on Sunday. It’s the color polo he wore the day he earned his tour card in February 2025 by securing enough points via the PGA Tour University Accelerated Program. The 22-year-old is developing other notes in his style rhythms, too. He goes plain for practice rounds and saves his better outfits for Thursday and Friday, and always his most exciting look for Saturday. “I was a terrible packer my first year on tour, didn’t know what I was doing, but now I’m getting it dialed,” Clanton says.
At our photoshoot, when a pair of stylists fussed over the precise meeting of his collar and flowing locks before an endless rack of steamed clothing, Clanton laughed as any good guy his age should. “Man, if you saw what I was wearing walking around college campuses not too long ago, you might not be asking me these questions.” Away from the course, Clanton believes a great T-shirt is the foundation of a great look. He’s also “a big sneaker guy” with about three-dozen pairs of size-12 dunks organized in his closet. Within the Nike staff and the pro game at large, watch out for this man and golfer coming into his own.
Tom Kim
Nike Tailored Performance Windshirt, Par Pant.
Club Cap, Tartan Cardigan Loose, Modern Athletic Tee, Tech Knit Short, Astrograbber shoe.
'Clothing should inspire. Some sports have it, but does golf have clothes where just putting them on makes a person want to go play?'
The best sartorial moments for the three-time PGA Tour winner surely lie ahead. To date, Tom Kim’s electrifying Presidents Cup heroics have been inherently muted by the sameness of team uniform, and any conversations about his pants have been of the viral variety stemming from either their accidental splitting or sullying (recall the infamous creek bed at the 2023 PGA Championship). But the 23-year-old is a deep thinker about style and thrilled about having more clothing options to express his personality. “In a way, being very into fashion is how I decompress. I’m always paying close attention to trends, and it’s interesting to see, when I’m home in Korea, how they’re being interpreted or on a slightly different time cycle.”
As a member of Jupiter Links GC in the simulator league TGL, Kim has relished being able to show fans this side of himself with his walk-up outfits. Overall, he believes in respecting tradition yet blending it to fit a new generation. If he’s playing a very casual round with buddies, you might see him rocking joggers with a cashmere sweater.
Maja Stark
Nike Cocoon Bomber, Chill Knit Rib Top, Fairway Fresh Plaid Sweater Skirt.
Repel Jacket, Fairway Fresh SS Polo, Jogger Pant, Victory Pro 4 shoe.
'Most of us on the LPGA Tour like the modern golfer look that doesn’t really look like a golfer.'
Maja Stark’s fashion fails are strung together with her fashion wins. That’s because she regularly glams up golf looks with elegant necklaces but tends to break at least one per season. She once had pearls cascade down her shirt during a tournament, and her favorite necklace with a small pendant—a Christmas gift—snapped just days before this photoshoot. In general, the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open champion describes her style as simplistic, closer to Annika Sӧrenstam than Jesper Parnevik when it comes to the iconic golfers of her native Sweden. But the 26-year-old is game to have a little more fun.
“Modern brands know the technology to make us feel comfortable but also look better, which maybe means not always looking like a traditional golfer,” she says. “The key is choosing the right fabric for the weather. Almost any look can be a golf outfit if it breathes well and doesn’t show too many sweat marks.”
Sean Malto
Nike Pro Cap Golf Cord, Fairway Fresh Crew Seve.
Club Cap, SB Fleece Pullover, Fairway Fresh Dri-FIT Golf Short, SB Zoom Blazer Mid shoe.
'Styles are styles, and not everything is for everybody, but I like that pro golfers are getting more adventurous. It’s no longer just here’s khaki pants and a collared shirt with three buttons.'
As a professional skateboarder, Sean Malto has never had to wear a uniform or give extra thought about what to sport in competition. “Skaters just put on what we want to wear, both to skate in and hang out or party in later, and that’s the way I think about golf.” It’s a perspective Nike designers valued when they walked across the hallway at headquarters early on in their redesign process to pick the brain of Malto, a Nike SB sponsored athlete since 2012. A big believer in freedom of movement and all-day comfort, Malto advocated for pants with baggier fits, as well as more variety in polos and their patterns. “I like pleated chinos with nice material and a cuff. I’m not the tallest dude in the world, so pants tend to bunch on me, and a cuff helps them to sit nicely on the shoe.”
Whether paying homage with this old-school sweater or occasionally testing the limits at his Los Angeles club with the attire of his skater-friend guests, all these choices are working for Malto. Thanks to a lot of grind-sessions in the short-game area, he broke 70 a couple of times in 2025 and dipped for the first time to a plus-handicap.
Michelle Wie West
Nike Pro Cap Golf Cord, Fairway Fresh Wind Vest Oversize, Dri-FIT Skirt.
Lightweight RipStop Windrunner Jacket, Fairway Fresh Plaid Polo Dress. Omega Constellation in Sedna Gold on Steel (watch).
'I had a lot of dress code violations in my career. Nike paid the fines. They said they wanted me to be comfortable and authentically me.'
In the professional women’s game, few have done more to break the box around style than Michelle Wie West. Any highlight reel of her career must include—along with raising the winner’s trophy at the 2014 U.S. Women's Open—lots of hoop earrings, razorback tops, denim skirts, flatbrim hats and other articles and accessories that drew both ire and applause. “Hopefully, I showcased that it’s OK to be different and to be yourself on the golf course. I was never country club but a muny-girl through and through,” Wie West says. “I think bringing in streetwear-style made the important statement that golf is inclusive and anyone can play.”
Retired from tournament golf and busy raising two children with husband Jonnie West, her game still has plenty of firepower, so stay tuned for her TGL debut as well as her appearance at this year's U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club. Wie West remains an active member of the LPGA Tour Policy Board and proudly reports its dress code is essentially nonexistent. “The message is basically, ‘Just be professional, whatever you think that means. Be the best version of yourself when you show up to the golf course.’”
Scottie Scheffler
Nike Tartan Cardigan Loose, Par Polo, Heather Stretch Woven Belt, Par Pant Slim.
Impossibly Soft Dri-FIT Half-Zip, Chino Regular, Utility Power Duffel.
'I’ve never liked dress codes. I believe in wearing what you want and keeping it relaxed. I’m usually showing up to the golf course in gym shorts and a polo, my outfit for the day folded neatly in my gym bag.'
Other than his green Masters jackets, Scottie Scheffler owns one sportcoat, a gray one with thin white pinstripes he “wears to everything.” If he branches out, he checks with his wife, Meredith, first. It’s the conservative, classic, no-nonsense attitude toward style you’d expect from a guy who rose to World No. 1 playing much the same way. But that doesn’t mean his wardrobe is an afterthought. His University of Texas was and still is a Nike-supported program, and Scheffler has been a vocal participant in product development meetings since 2017. “The materials, the fit, it’s important that nothing is ever distracting,” Scheffler says. “Nike’s always been good about listening to us on details. Like, I always want the tops of my shoes plain.”
That said, the leading figure of the game is ready to show more edge as he’s recognizing the impact his choices have. It’s especially apparent at home at Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. The lead buyer for the pro shop is Blair Smith, the sister of Scheffler’s manager, Blake Smith, who is the son of Scheffler’s coach and the director of instruction at the club, Randy Smith. Scheffler chuckles at the wholesome closeness of a global brand rendered a family affair at his club. “It’s fun to see the swooshes on kids in the practice area, a lot of the young pros running around in my hand-me-downs.”
