Anyone whose dad used to wear those old plaid flares knows that, in the past, golf and fashion had next to nothing to do with each other.

But as sure as Davis Love III has the most dandified name in professional sports, there are signs that the game that’s made Tiger Woods famous has a funky new swing to it. Fashion plates like Halle Berry and Jessica Alba have been known to putter around on the links. John Galliano has sent argyle knickers down the runway in his Christian Dior Golf line. No Doubt drummer Adrian Young is famous for tucking his mohawk under a dapper golf cap when he hits the course. And tattied Green Day timekeeper Tré Cool last month hosted a celebrity tournament in, you guessed it, plaid pants.

In fact Nike, Hugo Boss, and Dockers all have retro-cool plaid pants in their collections this summer, reports Mark Neale, assistant manager of Golf Town’s Richmond location. “That’s the style now, but they’re not the same as back then,” he says, referring to the golden era of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. “First, they don’t look as bad as back then, and they also breathe a lot more with the new fabrics.”

Local designer Linda Hipp’s LIJA label was one of the first in the world to meld fashion and golf wear. She says one of many big indications the sport is getting style-savvy is that her clothes have been featured in photo spreads not just in golf magazines, but the pages of Shape and even InStyle.

The Ace Hydromax shoe gives golfer girls a Kelly-Green swish of cool.

Up to about six years ago, she reports over the phone from her Richmond-based headquarters, retailers were telling her that the market was just not ready for chic ladies’ golf wear. But then, more and more women started picking up the sport and wanted to look hip both on the greens and at the lounge afterward. “The golf industry itself has made a huge effort to make it a lot more women-friendly,” she says, referring to everything from clubs to lessons targeted to females. “Now you see it as young as tweens, and they are the style-conscious consumers.”

At the same time, a new generation started raiding vintage shops for the sort of old-school golf shirts their granddads might have worn. Look no further than iconic Original Penguin shirts, once worn by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Bob Hope, relaunched five years ago to meet the demands of a retro-obsessed generation. This summer, vintage fairway wear—argyle vests and preppy polos—has actually influenced designer runway clothing. And all that has golf designers, like Hipp, raiding the vaults for inspiration.

“In the past we looked to European runways, and we still do, but a huge influence for us, especially the last five years, is vintage styling,” she explains. Pointing to LIJA’s Starburst polo, which has a white collar and cuffs setting off a red pattern, she says: “It’s exactly what my grandmother would have worn golfing, with its funky tiny print and contrast solid collar. It has that crisp finished look.” A different spin on the idea comes in the form of the Moda piped polo; with its contrast piping and large buttons, it has that vintage Penguin vibe but a sleek feminine fit.

why not putt with vintage style? lija’s spring fling collection links up the feminine details.

Another blast from the past is her hot-selling skort, a style that was once a staple for women who hit the greens in the ’70s. Hipp has updated the look for this season, with a Spring Fling pinstripe carnival skort that’s only 16 inches long. “It’s really short, with pockets; but on the back it’s very girly. It has really neat pleating details that kick when you walk.”

She’s done her own riff on plus fours with the pinstriped knicker knee short, making them trendy by cinching them at the knee. And in a meld of masculine trends and old-school golf-club looks, she pairs a slim, knee-length short in an abstracted Fleur print with a navy cardigan-style Madison vest.

Golf wear is pushing into new fashion frontiers, but Hipp has conquered the North American market by staying in tune with the sport. “We’re able to go absolutely 100 percent further than we used to be able to [with designs],” she explains, “but in the golf industry you need to maintain integrity of the game.”

That’s something Neale stresses at Golf Town, which carries fashion-forward styles by labels from Burberry through to Dunning and Tommy Hilfiger. No matter how stylin’ a shirt may look, it’s got to be light and breathable.

That means Adidas’s retro-looking cap-sleeve magenta top in an argyle-like diamond print happens to be made from sweat-wicking ClimaCool fabric. Dunning’s hot-purple Pique Newport Polo also boasts “technical performance”.

But it’s golf shoes that have undergone one of the
funkiest make-overs. Golf Town’s racks are covered with about 200 styles, ranging from reds, electric oranges, and lime greens for men, to purple, light blue, and kelly green for women. “Five years ago we had, like, 20 styles. Ten years ago, there were maybe five,” and those five were mostly brown, black, or white, he says. “Now, 90 percent of the shoes on our wall are not your traditional golf shoe.”

Instead, look for Nike’s runner styles, like white versions with a bright red swish. Ecco Golf’s Casual Cool Ribbon shoe for men looks like a hipster sneaker, in black and white with red ribbon zigzags down the sides. For women, the Ace Hydromax sends a kelly-green swish over white and grey.

The flashier kicks also carry the benefit of greater comfort. Neale recalls the day when dress-shoe-like styles required a blistering break-in period. “Now, because they look like runners, the heel is softer and there’s no break-in,” he says.

With all the hip new styles, Neale reminds those getting into the swing that they’ll likely be walking hundreds of holes in those shoes and clothes. “If you pick something because you like the look, just make sure it’s comfortable,” he pleads.

Now there’s the kind of sound advice Dad could have used when he squeezed himself into those plaid stretchies.