Women's Golf Style
How to dress for golf, according to your cool grandma
You’re Diane Keaton in “Something’s Gotta Give” (but golfing). You’re Meryl Streep in “It’s Complicated” (but golfing). You’re Jane Fonda in “Grace & Frankie” (actually, we’re pretty sure she knows how to swing a club). The “coastal chic grandma” trend, as it is known, is all about lightness: breezy fabrics, nature-forward neutrals, soft floral micro-prints and cozy fits. Stylish, effortless and comfortable, this trend shares many of the values of golf and golf fashion. You want to be able to move without restriction, feel comfortable and confident (and beautiful!) in your clothes, and only wear pieces you love that don’t distract from your game.
More From Golf
To show you how to take this trend to the course, we reached out to one of the coolest golfers we know, Tricia Clark, co-host of The Golf Locker Room Podcast and grandma to three little golfers-to-be, who, when we spoke at the end of the summer, was fresh off hosting her first golf clinic to the ladies of Netflix’s “Selling Tampa.”
“I’m a glam grandma, a golf grandma,” Clark says. (In fact, her grand-kiddos call her ‘GG.’) “I feel like your style should represent your personality and your mindset. Your game and style should embody you. I dress to show I belong. I came here to win. I came here to have fun, and that’s it. I’m powerful.”
As a woman—and a woman of color—on the golf course, Clark is no stranger to the judgment and stereotypes that she, and so many women players, often face from male counterparts. In addition to gamesmanship and skill, she also relies on style to prove small-minded players wrong.
“A woman playing golf, it’s almost an anomaly,” she says. “When you’re seen on the course, it’s an expectation that you don’t know how to play, or you’re going to hold up the course, or you’re out here trying to be cute. I tell folks, ‘cute is for puppies.’ I come to win, so that’s what I reflect in my clothes.”
Clark achieves this by dressing in accordance to the rules of the course, without ever sacrificing a sense of power or beauty. In a tournament, she’ll wear bold, Tiger Woods-style red. On her signature hoop-earrings-and-visor look, her philosophy is simple: “I’m feminine. I love the woman I am, so I exude that.”
“Golf is a game of confidence,” Clark says. “Your golf style has to show your personality. If you look good, you feel good.”
1. Retro-High Socks
In addition to looking preppy-cool, high socks are stylish and comfortable, made for standing on your feet for many hours of the day. Pro tip: Since they’re also compression socks, Clark notes, they’ll encourage circulation along the calves, keeping oxygen-rich blood pumping through your body and preventing aches and pains so you can play longer (and look amazing).
Fun & Flirty Micro-Florals
“Literally, to be a grandmother and to be in the game of golf, you almost feel like you can’t be beautiful on the course,” Clark says. “But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Show your stuff. Post your outfits! Bring back the fun to golf.”
3. Versatile Everyday, Everyplay Pants & Skorts
The perfect golf pant will take you from tee time to playtime with the little ones in your life. These options are soft and stretchy, made for performance and style. “We let our game talk,” Clark says. “We dress nice. Let them know you’re here to play. A lot of times they feel like you’re just here to be cute, or trying to find a man. Well, no we’re out here to win.”
4. A Cozy Throw
For early bird plays and cool evenings, try soft fabrics you’ll never want to take off and that will make you look like you stepped right off the set of a Nancy Myers rom-com.
5. Earth-Toned Golf Shoes that Move with You
Clark’s personal-favorite brands for golf footwear that are comfortable and supportive are FootJoy, G/Fore and Adidas (with an additional soft spot for the Jordans—when they come in women’s sizes). Though often a pricier golfer’s necessity, as Clark puts it, “Sometimes you pay for looking good.”
6. Soft Apparel in Beach Tones
If you’re looking to elevate your wardrobe with pieces straight out of the “Coastal Grandma Chic” trend, look for well-made, tailored (but not too tight) pieces in shades from sunset to sand.
7. Tricia Clark-Approved Accessories & Skincare
In addition to her “Golf Shot” app to record and track her game, shots and health stats, Clark makes sure her golf bag is never without a quality sunscreen to protect the face, a setting spray to keep potential makeup and creams in place and away from your collar, her Apple Watch for “style and fitness” and, of course, her signature visor and hoops.
