Last month I chatted about Annabell Fuller finishing third in the PIF Saudi Ladies International during her first full year on the LET after digging deep on the final back nine holes to score five birdies and climb the leaderboard. And now there’s another British name to shout about – Somerset-born Mimi Rhodes.
LET rookie Mimi won by two shots at last week’s Ford Women’s NSW Open and what’s even more incredible is that in the process she shot the course record – a nine-under 62 in the second round that included 10 birdies. The future is definitely looking bright for British women’s professional golf!
From Mimi to Mia, as I interviewed content creator and presenter Mia Baker recently and we covered many different topics surrounding women’s golf and you can watch the full video within this article that focuses on one of the points we discussed about dress codes at golf clubs.
According to Mia, the problem isn't so much the rules, which are often more relaxed than people realise, but the perception of what those rules are. “Women are actually allowed to wear a lot more than men at most golf courses,” she believes.
“It’s about changing that mindset. There are so many courses where you don’t have to dress up fancy. I always compare it to going to a restaurant - you’ve got your McDonald's and your Michelin star places. You pick somewhere that suits you, and you dress accordingly.”
The thing is, we get hung up on rules – what we can’t do, rather than what we can do. That’s the nature of the sport’s culture, it’s what we’ve grown up with, especially at traditional golf clubs.
Funny enough, when a group of us were enjoying a post-round drink the other week, we teased one of our friends as she had gone out on the course wearing only a V-neck jumper – no polo shirt underneath – shock, horror! We laughed as she walked over to the noticeboard that details what you can and can’t wear, as she wanted to confirm that she was wearing acceptable attire. Although the jumper didn’t have a collar, it had sleeves, so all was well, and she’s now started a new golf fashion!
I’ve mentioned before about the length of my golf skort last summer. In my mind it was a reasonable length, but if I’d looked at that same noticeboard before teeing off, I would have been worried that I might get a tap on the shoulder from the dress code police! The latest spring/summer fashion features very short shorts, so we’ll have to see what golf clubs think of these.
I’ve been looking through all the latest collections, but of course, let me focus on Pure Golf, which has a fantastic new mix of designs and colour palettes. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of blue and purple so if you are too, I suggest you check out Santorini Skies, Wild Peony navy or Violet Fields.
Happy golfing and happy shopping!
Alison Root
Women's Editor Golf Monthly