Searching for the Best Golf Style at The Masters
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Ask any golf enthusiast, they’ll tell you the road to The Masters starts with a secure position in the Official World Golf Ranking Top 50. Ask any clothing enthusiast and they’ll tell you it starts with a man of a certain age slipping into a familiar costume.
Lawrence Schlossman, one half of Throwing Fits and a first-time Masters attendee, was also a first-time witness to the phenomenon.
“I had never really thought about it until touching down at Augusta, but golf really is the only sport where every fan is dressed nearly identical to the pros they are cheering on. When you really break it down it would be like going to a NFL game and seeing tens of thousands of adults in full blown pads, which is truly a hilarious visual.”
He’s more right than he realizes. Yet, compared to my last visit to Augusta National in 2018, I found it much easier to spot styling choices I admired among the clones. Despite the fact that, within minutes of entering the grounds, I watched a volunteer ask someone to reverse a backward cap, the rest of my time in and around the golf course filled me with hope that a drum I’ve been banging might actually be true: Good golf style is on the way.
TF’s James Harris, longtime jawn enthusiast and also a first-time Masters patron, told me that even though the ubiquity on Augusta National’s hallowed grounds was obvious to him, it was who else came to town this year that really dialed up the ability to spot diamonds in the literal rough.
“Peering out at the dripless ocean of khaki shorts and childish performance polos was downright nauseating, but I was offered a glimmer of hope that this monolith of swaglessness was being chipped away at whenever we chilled with the homies behind Metalwood, WHIM, J.Lindeberg, and other linklords who are bravely taking on the immense challenge of injecting at least a modicum of decent style into the fanbase.”
Not for nothing, creatively marrying form and function at a golf tournament can be confusing. Consider the judgmental old guard, the 90-degree heat, the 20,000 steps you’re about to take. But it can also be a warm-weather Gorpcoreman’s dream come true. Or an opportunity to thoughtfully remix (or reboot) elements of the golf spectator monolith.
I share Harris’ optimism thanks to the emerging brands he mentioned and so many more that have made their way into the business of dressing golfers since the pandemic brought the game out of a long yawn. It’s been encouraging to see golf’s vestiary wheel start turning again. During my 12-hour walk on the sport’s holy land, I saw Jordan retros and bucket hats, bold prints and patch pockets, Black-owned brands, baggy shorts, Salomons and seersucker.
But more importantly, I saw tens of thousands of people sharing cloud nine. I met an engaged couple of first timers whose camera died and got to take their first and only picture together (for now) at the course. I got to walk my friend (another first-timer) through the concession stand and watch him take a single bite out of the four different sandwiches he bought for less than a cup of coffee in New York City, a Masters rite of passage. I walked past the old spots where my dad and I shared memories we’re still talking about a half decade later. Ultimately, whether or not anyone's trend-chasing at Augusta National is irrelevant. As long as the vibe holds, everything will be all right.
Lawrence Schlossman at Champions Retreat: There’s plenty to steal from Schlossman’s fit, but if we’re going to keep it golf-specific, what I loved about how he geared up for a round was that he didn’t stray from his seasonal uniform (a Columbia PFG fishing shirt, nylon shorts, and a hat from Metalwood Studio that he just named his “jawn of the year”). Schlossman is also wearing OG adidas Sambas, which have been re-kitted for golf in recent years with the addition of small rubber spikes.
James Harris at Champions Retreat: What I loved most from Harris’s pick here, beyond the middle finger that is an untucked shirt at a private country club (let him cook!), is the silhouette of his Our Legacy Workshop x Stussy shorts. Big Shorts are a foundational member of the Bad Golf Style Hall of Shame, but there’s a small and colossally important difference between employing material that hangs and flows naturally and creeping into a stiff and starchy chino. The former, in both feel and form, harkens back to the baggy and breezy basketball shorts we all wore to practice in the early aughts.
James and Lawrence at Champions Retreat: The first rule of being a golf sicko is that if you have access to a course after hours, you will use it however you please. J. Lindeberg hosted a welcome dinner just off the fairways of Champions Retreat Golf Club, so we popped over to the tee box for a fit check. We can allow these looks to speak for themselves, but I will tell you I watched Harris absolutely stripe a nine iron at the range later that night without taking his jacket or clogs off.
Nick Martinelli and Andre Mercharles inside the gate at Augusta National Golf Club: If you’re a patron, your road to The Masters goes through Washington Road. For the trek, Nick Martinelli paired a camp collar shirt with orange nylon cargo shorts. (Major points on the board for converting the zip-off cargo pants, a strong case for the oft-memed garment). Andre Mercharles, to Nick’s left, paired his nylon monogrammed pants with Jordan IIIs.
Outside the practice area just inside the North gate, I spotted this guy in full-kit Fear of God Essentials and Yeezys. I can guarantee it’s the first time anyone at Augusta National Golf Club ever read the words “Fear of God” outside of the context of rain delaying the tournament. (Bonus game: How many pairs of On Running sneakers can you spot in the background?)
Before we go too far, I have to acknowledge the winner of The Masters Best Dressed award was once again a multi-tie for first among all qualifying caddies. Augusta National’s looper uniforms will remain the coolest garment in golf until they start letting these poor bastards wear shorts.
Had the caddies not been on the premises, this guy would have taken home my best-in-show award. Shoutout to my new friend Margaux who ID’d that it’s from a brand called Weekender, and if you aren’t this guy’s kid and don’t stand to inherit his vintage, you can get one here or here.
Endesha, a greeter at ANGC: I stopped to snap Endesha, a greeter at Augusta National, simply for the hat placement. I got nostalgic for Fred McGriff, the MLB Hall-of-Famer who famously wore his cap more like a top hat. The lesson here is even if you can’t choose you uniform, you can choose to make it you. (See also: Will.)
For the first time, I saw the same person twice at Augusta. On my first spotting, my camera battery was dead and I was in search of an outlet to commandeer. A CBS Sports camera guy who mans the tower cam on Amen Corner was taking a break and lent me the juice in his cart, and I raced back toward The Big Oak Tree where I initially saw him—with no luck. To my surprise, I bumped into him an hour later on the back nine, and I’m glad, because Eastside Golf is making some of the most exciting garments in the game right now, and this GOAT-emblazoned polo is no exception. (Shout out to our guy for being double-GOATed in the TW hat).
I ran into this woman on the 18th tee box taking a photo with a caddie—turns out she works for a golf brand called Fore All owned by Bachelor-in-Paradise alum Michelle Money (who is currently engaged to Masters Champion Mike Weir). Small world—but I digress. Her look was thoughtful and considered, but I’m most proud that she broke the template with some neon pink shades.
Margaux Brooke outside the practice area: Our friend Margaux, who helped us locate the Mar-tee-ni shirt, proves that 1. The women inside the gates at Augusta were far more put-together than the men and 2. The trope of dressing for golf as a spectator doesn’t matter if you can make it look this good. I also couldn’t help but notice the irony in Margeaux emerging from a sea of Homer Simpsons here to take back golf style forever.
Andrew Haynes outside the North Gate: I ran into my friend Andrew Haynes who’s the VP/Creative Director at Fairgame Golf but also one of the coolest, hardest working people I know. Haynes also rarely misses an opportunity to flex his sensibility. Don’t sleep on the pop of blue in the sock department, but my favorite part of this look was the commitment to a polo and the shade of brown he chose.
My notes on this guy read “shorts and Salomons” for obvious reasons. The shoes weren’t the first thing to catch my eye, but if you’re wearing these kicks in 2023 you’ve either been riding the Gorpcore wave or you’re a literal outdoorsman whose valor has been stolen by it. Either way, I respect you. Otherwise, at first glance, you’d think our guy here went pretty traditional, but small details like the cuffs and patch pockets on his shorts let you know this is someone who thinks about what they’re putting on. Bonus points for wearing the braided belt and letting it hang a bit.
There’s a very specific reason this guy caught my eye, and it’s Tiger Woods’s fit for the 1994 U.S. Amateur at TPC Sawgrass. It’s an iconic look—not too dissimilar to our guy’s here. Put on a straw hat, tuck in the shirt, let the shorts hang, and keep the shoes crispy. It’s hard to ignore the resemblance, especially because his sip-of-Gatorade pose looks eerily similar to Tiger’s fist pump in the same fit.
Other than the generally great energy this guy was giving me, there was one thing that made me want to take his picture. The lesson here is, if you’ve got flow this gorgeous, don’t hide it under a hat. Visor deployment is currently plummeting at an alarming rate, and before I met this man I thought Keith Mitchell was our only hope.
I liked a lot about what this guy put together. Starting up top, flipping up the brim a little on this bucket hat is giving sailor in the best way, and toning down the rest of the look to let it shine was a great choice, too. I loved the soft black polo, his well-groomed beard, a pair of shades that fit his face perfectly, and to top it all off, an icy-white pair fo AJ 1 Lows that he either bought for The Masters (respect) or has kept Crest-strips clean (respect.)
Another perfect execution of the straw hat, but what I loved most about this guy’s look were the pleats in his pants and those tiny gold-framed sunglasses that he’s either had for decades, got at the gas station, or paid more than $500 for. Either way, he’s making them work perfectly, and he’s eating potato chips, so he’s got my vote for life.
Everything about this guy’s look screamed “2007” at me in the best way possible. When I asked to take his picture he laughed and said “Me?”
Aurora Anthony: I spoke with Aurora on a few occasions throughout the week and his fits never missed. I loved the tonal texture play, the golf-y touches, and the low-key flex of the Asics sneakers (I’m sure that GEL technology came in handy).
Rachel Hurwitz and L. Cardenas at House of J.Lindeberg: I stayed in a house with Rachel and L. and was impressed with their style all week, but especially liked the fits they put together for JL’s dinner on Tuesday night before the practice round. If Rachel’s fit can’t make you believe in leather pants, I don’t know what will. And even though I thought I’d seen every combo of camo and orange I’d ever need to, I had to bow down to L. for pairing this polo with their cargos and representing New York in Augusta.
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