HEADGEAR

By Snyper on 9/20/10

Matt is an opinionated* golf enthusiast from Pennsylvania. He coaches at the high school level, molding the minds and swings of our next generation. His column will appear each Monday on ClubSG. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and opinions of Matt in the comments. Don't hold back- because Matt won't.

This year has, without a doubt, been a successful one for the young guns on the PGA Tour. With their success, golf fans of all ages have been exposed to some of the crazy fashions of these crazy kids. We could talk about the hairstyles, bright colors, plaid, or flashy belts, but today I want to focus on the various styles of headgear that are in style for today's golfers.

Let's highlight the traditional baseball cap first and foremost. This is still the overwhelming favorite and most popular among golfers of all ages. It used to be cool for everyone to bend the brim of these hats so that the curve of the bill was rounded to match the curve of your face ala Steve Stricker. However, guys like Rickie Fowler have begun to swing the style of the bill back to the flat and straight look of my dad’s generation. Growing up, we made fun of people who didn’t have a rounded brim on their hat. Now, it has become the cool thing to do, and that is just one of the many signs that I’m starting to get old. One of the major upgrades in the baseball cap style of golf hats is the magnetic insert in the bill. Whether you bend it or leave it straight, the magnetic bill that holds your ball marker is an excellent addition this traditional style of headgear. Now, I recognize that it is probably a little more popular among the professional women than the men, but I'm comfortable enough with my masculinity to tell you that I rarely ever play golf anymore without wearing a hat with a magnetic bill. It saves me from digging in my pockets and looking for a ball marker while everyone waits for me to mark my ball. I love it and would recommend giving one a try if the baseball cap is your style of choice.

A close relative to the baseball cap, though nowhere close to as popular, is the visor. I really like visors for the fact that, in the hot summer sun, they are much cooler (temperature wise) than wearing a hat. However, it has been my experience that you have to have the right type of hairstyle to properly pull off the visor. The perfect example of someone who is born to wear visor is Ian Poulter. The short spiked hair just works perfectly with this classic choice for headgear. Phil Mickelson pulls off the visor pretty well also, even though he sports a longer shaggier style of hair. In some cases, a shaved head works ok with this choice as well. However, I would recommend using plenty of sunscreen on the top of your dome if you go with this choice.

Speaking of avoiding sunburn, the best choice of headgear for saving your skin from the sun is definitely the bucket hat. This style of lid does an excellent job keeping the sun off of your ears and neck. Not only is it a functional form of sunscreen, the bucket hat is little bit more exciting compliment for your cranium than more traditional visors or baseball caps. Before the magnetic brim addition to the baseball cap, the bucket was my style of choice. I liked it because it was relatively unique and I never had to worry about spreading sunscreen all over my face and neck. About the only time that I go back to the bucket hat is in the rain. Whether it is a waterproof bucket hat or not, the bucket style is great in the rain because you do not have to deal with the water dripping off the brim while you are trying to hit a shot. I would much rather my hats just absorb the water than have it dripping in my face. So, though I have made the switch, I do still keep a bucket hat handy in case of rain. I wish I could think of a tour guy that sports the bucket style, but I can't remember seeing the bucket hat on the PGA circuit for a long time. Help me out if you can think of someone!

While fashions in golf have seen little change in the recent years, it appears that big changes are coming. Whether it is John Daly or Rickie Fowler, new styles are showing up every week on tour. Perhaps the most stagnant fashion accessory has been the hat. The baseball cap has been the standard ever since knickers and ties left the game. However, changes in headgear seem to be just around the corner. The baseball cap will likely always remain, but how it is worn continues to change. So what is your lid of choice and what about that style intrigues you? I think everyone has a favorite golf hat that just seems to have that special feel. For me, it’s a white and black Titelist baseball cap with a magnetic ball marker on the bill. How bout you?


* Matt's views and opinions are his own do not necessarily reflect those of SkyGolf.

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