Shorts Allowed To Be Worn At New Turkish Event

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It is somewhat of a strange occurrence in professional golf, that players are banned from wearing shorts in sweltering conditions, while the caddies, spectators and even the top amateurs can wander freely in the cooler legwear.

But that is set to change this week at the Turkish World Golf Finals, where Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and the other six players may take the opportunity to flash a little leg.

There is no word yet as to whether any of the competitors will take-up the option, but many often do when competing at other events away from the PGA and European Tour, such as the Tavistock Cup.

Players are allowed to don shorts during practise rounds; at this year’s U.S. Open even traditionalist Phil Mickelson was spotted plotting his way around Olympic Club in a blue-grey number.

It begs the question, what exactly would we lose, from a competitive standpoint, if shorts were allowed? If anything, performance gains might be realised, as players may feel fresher coming down the last few holes on hot and humid days. Certainly, allowing players to wear shorts under certain playing conditions seems more than the right thing to do.

Granted, there have been major advances in lighter and more breathable fabrics in the last few years that have helped alleviate some cases of embarrassing sweat patches, but there isn’t a trouser on earth that can compete with some tastefully tailored shorts under sweltering conditions.

What is stranger still is that every year at top amateur events, competitors in shorts are commonplace and the quality of the golf rises above any concern over bare knees and calves.

The PGA Tour changed its rules to allow caddies to wear shorts in 1999 – providing it was a certain heat index – after the collapse of John Maginnes and Greg Kraft under excessive heat. Nowadays no heat index is needed, and we hardly even notice when a tour caddie wears shorts.

How odd would it be to see tour professionals playing events wearing shorts? For how long would the public outcry last? Would there even be one?

Traditionalists may argue shorts are not smart enough for golf, but that’s exactly why they’re traditionalists in the first place. For the rest of us, it would simply be a matter of getting used to the new look, much like we adjusted to the introduction of white drivers, colourful polo shirts and players wearing sponsored hats.

 

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