Partner golf tournaments are fun for several reasons. They are competitive events enhanced by food, gifts, prizes and for me, special girlfriend time. Being a golf fashionista, the real fun for me begins well before we tee off, when I get consumed with outfit planning for me and my partner. My mantra, "twinning is winning," means no matter how we play, we are going to look and feel like a winning team.
Matching outfits create a sense of camaraderie. In golf, anything to boost morale is beneficial, and nothing is better than feeling akin with your partner and receiving compliments on team spirit. Twinning is a fantastic way to show our creativity and express our team style.
Some women want a completely cohesive look; others happily suffice with matching colors or accessories. Here are a half a dozen ideas that cover the gamut of twining choices:
- If there is an event theme, then get creative with prints and patterns that fit the motif. In the recent "Orange Blossom" tournament that I played in (Pauma Valley, CA) there was a panorama of orange adorned golfers sprinkled all over the course. This was the perfect time to get vibrant. My team chose matching orange prints from TzuTzuSport.com and GolftiniWear.com. I spotted matching bright orange "McCall" pants from Anatomie.com and orange dresses from KinonaSport.com. Note: most retail and brand websites offer filtering by color.
- It's fun to coordinate without being exactly "matchy-matchy" by sharing prints from the same collection but mixing tops and bottoms. Look for brands that offer deep collections of a particular color and coordinating prints. BelynKey.com, TailActivewear.com and GGBlue.com come to mind as they produce a variety of apparel with patterns and trims that are easy to coordinate. You can choose a skort in a pattern that matches your partner's top. Associated tops and bottoms can be matching solids from the same print collection. The outfit isn't exactly the same, but you are definitely a matching team.
- Exclusive brands that you won't find at your big box stores offer a classy uniqueness that stands out from the field. There is nothing wrong with the offering's at large retailers, but when you shop with smaller boutique companies you can find gems that you won't see on anyone else. The unique prints of AmySport.com, the classy styling of LohlaSport.com, and the flirty offerings from CalliopeGolf.com come to mind.
- Loud, proud, and edgy apparel will inspire your team's inner rebels. Look into the spirited and uncommon print offerings of Loudmouth.com, TattooGolf.com and RoyalandAwesome.com. You will stand out - I promise!
- Matching accessories like hats and jewelry may be all you need to show team spirit. At the "Orange Blossom" tournament, I spotted a team with bling adorned hats found on Amazon.com and home-made "orange" dangle earrings from a local artisan shop. What a team. Another had matching G Fore.com golf caps with the clever wording "Play Nice" which fit in with the tournament's competitive spirit. Check out GhostGolf.com for other attitude hats like "Play Bad Fast" and "Out of Office."
- Matching custom t-shirts are over the top clever. Produce your own sayings to match the tournament theme or look for clever offerings on Etsy.com. Screen prints or appliques do the trick nicely. "Queens of the Greens" or "Let's Par Tee" and "Talk Birdie to Me" are a few that I have seen that have caught my attention. You may need to layer your casual t-shirt over a collared shirt to abide by golf club's "collared shirt" rules.
Wearing team outfits in golf events is much more than simply identifying partners on the course. Creating a sense of unity and a positive atmosphere during competition is a big part of it. For this golf fashionista, creating a twinning outfit is one of the more creative and fun aspects of golf competition. I always feel like a winner when it comes to team spirit!