3balls GolfHello Fashion Friends. F & R Guy here again. Well, there was big news on the golf front this week, Tiger Woods will be missing his 2nd straight major, The Open Championship (British Open for you golf lay-people) with an achilles/calf/leg/whatever injury. Now as most kids who grew up in the mid to late ’90s, Tiger was the end all, be all in golf, if not all sports. His red shirt and black pants and hat on Sundays was the coolest uniform in the planet. I for one started wearing the ensemble on Sundays when I was playing golf, with mixed results. Nike golf was built on his image, and the apparel line, seen here is one that follows his tastes. Its a classic and conservative line, where hats match belts and the colors are relatively conservative. Most of the shirts can be worn both on the course and on a date. Its a sleek look.
Compare that, with this. Thats Rickie Fowler. The clothes are Puma. A great line no doubt, but not exactly conservative. AT ALL. So that leads me to the question. Can a Tiger fan, wear Puma apparel?
I’m a big believer in brand loyalty, heck loyalty in general. I try to use the same brand golf clubs, wear the same shoes, gloves, whatever. So it was hard for me to purchase and wear a shirt that did not have a swoosh on it. I have more Nike apparel than anyone other than the tour players. Even Stewart Cink doesn’t show as much logo as I do. BUT, I recently came across some apparel that had the lightest fabrics, and great colors. And some strange feline looking logo on the arms and sleeves. Now, in the world of Puma, conservative doesn’t follow the traditional definition. So I decided to buy a few of their…ahem, less flashy shirts and wear them. I also put on some Cell Fusions i just acquired, go big or go home, and went to the course. I was amazed! The shirt fit great, was light and breathable, and Nike didn’t snipe me on the first tee for wearing another brand (was a little nervous about the last one). Also the shoes are comfortable, look great, and kept my feet dry after 2 inches of rain in two days.
So what did I learn? Well, don’t hit in the water on 18 if you want a good score. Oh about the clothes war? Never be afraid to be flexible. Sometimes mixing in something different that you aren’t entirely comfortable with is the best way to discover a great product. I wont be throwing out all or any of my Nike Golf shirts, they will just have to learn to share closet space with those Puma ones. Play nice you two. Maybe I’ll even try using new toothpaste? Well, one step at a time. Until next time, remember, rules are rules.
