Hat Obsessed
My Obsession
I’ve always had a thing for hats, specifically caps. It all started as a kid in the 90’s and the brand Starter. Gigantic type, awesome colours and out-there patterns that screamed “THIS IS MY TEAM AND I AM WEARING THEIR HAT!!” What’s not to love?
Fast forward to my return to golf. Conventionally sized polos don’t really fit. If I want something of a keepsake or to inject style into my outfits a good hat has always been the way to do it. It’s the most affordable thing in the wearable portion of the pro shop, reasonably easy to store and if you choose wisely you can make a statement.
What makes a good hat? Now as a middle aged man the statement piece is less of a priority. Give me something that has a reasonably deep crown to cover my reasonably sized head. Fit and feel is everything. I think of hats and tees the same way I think about paper. What’s it feel like while you wear it? Does it have a weight to it? How is its texture? Maybe most importantly… How does it age? If it fades in a classy way I’m all in – extra points if it’s a colour that seems to change with age.
My grail
I’ve managed to snap up a few vintage hats of designs I loved when I was younger. But one stands alone as my holy grail. A Top Flite STRATA snapback, similar to the one Hal Sutton is wearing in the iconic footage at the Player’s championship saying ‘Be the right club today’.
Probably not most people’s choice, but I loved playing the STRATA golf ball, and 90’s Top Flite always came out with some brilliant stuff. Most memorably hats and coolers of some (I don’t think all) of the AFL teams.
Pro golfers and their lids
There’s more than a few iconic players in both men's and women's golf that come to mind as style icons. The hat doesn’t wear them… they wear the hat and that demands respect.
Greg Norman
I’d be remiss not to mention The Shark as a kid of 90s Australia. Not many people on the planet can hold down a wide brim borderline cowboy hat, but for some reason Greg Norman could. It fit his gunslinger style and iconic polos too.
Jesper Parnevik
In my opinion the absolute icon of this class. Growing up I loved the LA band Suicidal Tendencies. One of their iconic pieces of merch is a trucker than when you upturn the brim it reveals the band’s logo. Jesper took this to the golf course and you gotta respect it, rocking standard caps and cycling caps.
Lee Trevino
The Super Mex lid is truly one of the most stylish hats in golf history. Featuring one of the best logos of all time (maybe the best representing a player’s brand). Mr. Trevino always kept it looking so comfy.
Dame Laura Davies
One of my favourite female players of all time. Always rocking that backless visor under her iconic blonde hair. Dame Laura was always someone I looked for on TV as a kid. There’s something about the way she carries that visor that simply, no one else does.
Payne Stewart
The cherry on top of Payne’s iconic outfits was that scally cap. There’s not much else to say other than it was like the light on the lighthouse when he was out on the course. Something that very few people that aren't a heavy in a Guy Richie film can pull off flawlessly.
Keith Mitchell
The classiest dresser on the modern PGA, it’s between Cashmere and JDay on any given week of who is serving the goods. The tour visor is an icon I remember from my youth watching Stuart Appleby rock his Precept number. Not a hat for everyone… but when it’s for you - it’s for you.