Football has fallen in love with golf More and more clubs have created their own collections
After the historic win of Jannik Sinner over Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, the United Kingdom remains in the sports spotlight thanks to the new edition of the Open Championship, the oldest of the four golf Majors. The Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, will host the 153rd edition of the tournament. For the occasion, brands have unveiled special collections. Nike, for example, reinterpreted the Victory Tour 4—one of its signature golf shoes—with a faux ostrich leather effect, gold details, and a small black Swoosh.
Boss, technical sponsor of Thomas Detry, has launched a new collection that includes a sporty polo shirt with a zip opening, mandarin collar, ribbed sleeve cuffs, and a sand-colored stripe down the middle—likely a reference to golf course bunkers. The same pattern, extended over the full sleeve length, was also used by Boss for a jacket. Jason Day, in the lead-up to the tournament, showcased checkered trousers paired with a cream-colored V-neck sweater featuring a prominent green polo collar. A look that blends golf tradition with aesthetics closer to fashion—an example of the extensive collection curated by Malbon Golf for the Australian golfer.
When Football Hits the Greens
This small set of examples confirms how fashion is drawn to golf, and how golf is increasingly popular with the public. If that weren't enough, another trend steps in: football clubs creating their own golf kits. Much like what happens in cycling, football clubs wink at fans and collectors by launching exclusive capsules and lines suited for both lifestyle and the golf course. AC Milan is the latest team to unveil its own collection—made in collaboration with PUMA—which includes T-shirts and polo shirts as well as a pair of Classic G Golf Shoes, plus a range of garments like zip-up sweatshirts, hoodies, and black golf-inspired trousers with side pockets and a small red embroidered script near one of the back pockets.
The main league driving this kind of production is the Premier League, partly due to golf's broader popularity in England compared to Italy. Nearly every team has its own apparel line, along with tools of the trade like bags, balls, gloves, clubs, and club covers. Nike designed the collection for Tottenham Hotspur, while adidas created golf collections for Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, and Arsenal, incorporating geometric patterns already seen on the greens but enhanced with club logos, each applied in a unique way: just under the collar on the back of the shirt for Fulham, a small monochrome silver patch over the heart for Forest, and the red devil or cannon on the right side for Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively. For Aston Villa, a limited-edition capsule was launched that included technical items for both men and women: embroidered polos, performance jackets, caps, skirts, and dresses—all embellished with the adidas logo and the club’s exclusive crest.
Lastly, the desire to mix football and golf inspires the creations of Club Golf, a British brand that produces golf apparel and accessories inspired by the vintage aesthetics of football. Thanks to them, one can wear on the green a faithful reproduction of the Bruised Banana, the iconic early-90s Arsenal away jersey, as well as a polo version of the historic yellow Chelsea away jersey worn during the victory over Vicenza at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the Cup Winners’ Cup semifinal.
