Kiltie Pleasures

I love golf shoes.  I've loved them since I took my first golf lesson at Green Acres in the third grade.  I love the preppy formality of them. I love the clicky sound they make when you wear them on hard surfaces you probably shouldn't.  And most of all, I love the perforations, wingtips, kilties and other classic details that recall historical Irish and Scottish brogues.  Of course, today's pro shops carry plenty of golf shoes that don't have any of these wonderful details - shoes that, save for their utilitarian bottoms, look like run of the mill tennis shoes or sandals.  It's actually getting more difficult to find golf shoes with real personality; golf shoes that reflect my personality; golf shoes that coordinate well with the rest of my golf course attire but don't cost an arm and a leg...  So, I decided to customize my own!

These Callaway shoes actually come with white, black, navy, and pink interchangeable kilties.  Though white and black essentially "go" with pretty much anything, I wanted more options.  With a little internet searching, I discovered a few fabric sites that will send very healthy-sized samples of leather and vinyl for one dollar each, and a single sample is more than enough to make a pair of kilties.  Using one of the originals as a pattern, I've been able to inexpensively and quickly create multiple pairs that are easy to switch out using industrial sticky back velcro.  They're like a golf version of my beloved Lindsay Phillips SwitchFlops!   Though these are not my only golf shoes (I have 4 others, all of which have classic details and varied color schemes), I love being able to create endless color combos with a single, comfortable pair.  When I took lessons again last year, I'm pretty sure my pro was taking bets on what color combo I'd be wearing any given week, and offered more than once to invest in the designer golf accessory business he suggested I should start.  I'd definitely name it "Kiltie Pleasures!"

Dave Barry once quipped that, “although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it's open to anybody who owns hideous clothing.”  I prefer to think of golf attire as "clothing with personality" and fully embrace it.  It's part of the appeal of the game and, as with all other endeavors, I enjoy it just a little more when I'm wearing snazzy shoes....  

 Fashion is what you buy; Style is what you do with it!