[비즈한국] When you play a round abroad, you can identify South Korean golfers immediately. It’s not just their appearance or gestures, but the first thing that catches your eye is their golf apparel. In a word, they are stylish. South Korean golfers are fashionistas on the field wherever they go. For starters, they are more colorful than foreign golfers. The colors themselves are vibrant. You can spot them from afar even at a glance. They also reject the ordinary when it comes to design. If you see someone wearing golf clothes with flashy patterns or prominent logos, they are most likely South Korean.
I once asked an acquaintance who usually dresses in relatively modest everyday styles but wears exceptionally flashy golf clothes.
“Your golf attire seems much more flamboyant than your everyday clothes… What’s the reason for that?”
“I want to wear colors or designs that I can’t dare to choose in my daily life, at least when I’m on the golf course…”
That was the answer I got. That’s right. The fashion of South Korean golfers becomes bolder on the field.
It is a wonderful thing for golfers to dress stylishly and play. Aren’t there fashionistas among the pros, too? There was Rickie Fowler, who color-coordinated everything from his hat to his shoes in orange, and more recently, Tommy Fleetwood, who wears golf apparel freely without an clothing sponsorship deal. Paula Creamer, once synonymous with beautiful golfers, even had the nickname 'Pink Panther' for her love of the color pink.
The problem is the price. As soon as the word 'golf' is attached, the price goes up. The most representative example of this is golf apparel. Perhaps in the hearts of golfers, there is a mindset that says, 'If you're going to play golf, you have to wear at least this level of brand.' In South Korea, where green fees are already expensive, there might also be a feeling that if you’re going to play golf, you should at least dress to impress.
Some golfers even remember what they wore during their last round so they can wear something different this time. South Korean golfers don’t just compete on scores with their playing partners; they also compete in fashion. A single shirt can cost over several hundred thousand won, and a full outfit including a skirt, hat, socks, and golf shoes can sometimes exceed one million won. Of course, since you can't just keep wearing one set, the cost spent on golf apparel is quite a burden.
On top of this, South Korea has four distinct seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. We are passionate golfers who even play rounds in winter while wearing padded jackets. Since you have to match your clothes to the seasons, the burden is further compounded. Because manufacturers drive golf fashion trends, clothes that looked very hip just a few years ago now look like outdated, old fashion. So, you have to buy new ones again.
Because South Koreans are more sensitive and passionate about fashion than golfers in any other country, the South Korean golf apparel market is global in scale. When the golf industry was enjoying an explosive boom during the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean market was valued at over 4 trillion won, accounting for more than 40% of the global golf apparel market. While there are about 150 million golfers worldwide, the golf population in South Korea is known to be just over 6 million, so it is a massive market size relative to that number.
M-Brand, a famous American golf apparel brand, opened a flagship store called 'M-Gaok' in Bukchon, known for its traditional Hanok houses, and the couple who created the brand even visited Korea to hold various promotional events for South Korean golf fans. That is how significant the South Korean golf apparel market is.
When I join local players at popular public golf courses in the U.S., I see golfers dressed in simple shirts and cotton pants, wearing such ordinary outfits that you can’t distinguish whether they are wearing everyday clothes or golf gear. Could it be that in our hearts, there is a competitive spirit saying, 'I might lose the score to that friend, but I won’t lose in fashion'?
Perhaps that’s why, when someone looks at our golf apparel and says, “Your outfit is great today… you look like a pro,” we take it as a massive compliment. When we wear shirts or knits that cost hundreds of thousands of won, pants and skirts that also cost hundreds of thousands, a hat that looks nothing special but costs over 100,000 won, a high-priced brand logo embedded on the chest, or a design filled with large logos, do we not feel less intimidated?
Of course, it feels like that trend is changing slightly. Low-cost brands are emerging, and the opinion of “Do we really have to wear golf-specific clothes?” seems to be growing in popularity. More golfers are finding ways to look stylish without necessarily wearing golf apparel. You can even hear the voices of well-dressed golfers saying, “This only cost a little bit.”
We see a “twist of stylishness” when a golfer wearing plain, everyday clothes—not expensive golf gear—achieves a great score. Sometimes, when I think golf clothes are too expensive, I have this thought, which might just be a rationalization.
If you wear nice clothes, you become a nice golfer. However, what is nicer than nice clothes is a nice shot. And what is nicer than a nice shot is nice manners.
Who is the author Kang Chan-wook? He is an advertiser and writer. He started as a copywriter at Cheil Worldwide and is currently the CEO of the video production company 'Era's Gaze' (Sidae-ui Siseon). He loves golf and earned a USGTF teaching professional certification, and out of his affection for writing, he has published books about golf such as 'The Joy of Golf,' 'Bad Golf,' 'Sincere Golf,' and 'Golf Thoughts, Thinking Golf.' He runs the YouTube channel 'Bad Golf,' sharing various stories and thoughts surrounding golf with his readers and viewers.