If you have taken up golf recently you will notice a change is happening on the links. While many private clubs continue to insist on conservative attire, women golfers are beginning to change their look whenever possible. Some critics say it is about time. Until recently, women's golf apparel consisted mainly of boxy polos and ill-fitting shorts. Golf and women's fashion for too long has been considered an oxymoron.



Now, being fashionable in golf is not easy. The haute couturiers do not often carry women's golf fashions. However, the high profile of Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie has resulted in increased publicity and change. You can now buy clothing capable of making you feel like a golf superstar. The intelligent companies, such as Moose Golf Clothing, manage to create golf outfits that look and feel good. These outfits are feminine, sporty and comfortable. US Tour player Becky Morgan and European Tour golfer, Jackie Kebbell wear Moose Golf Clothing. If they match you in terms of style and comfort, consider their choices. It may help you stand out on the golf course.

Moose Golf Clothing is not the only company to recognize that women want to look fashionable, yet comfortable and feminine on the course. During the past five or so years, a number of high profile fashion companies have created their own line of golf wear. Ralph Lauren, Burberry and Liz Claiborne, have added golf lines. Nike and Adidas have also found a foothold in this niche market. They have come out with fabric that challenges the traditional style and form of the game's outfits Michelle Wie, being the spokesperson for Nike has received a lot of attention among the younger set.

Aother person at the vanguard of the functional and stylish movement is Linda Hipp, whose Vancouver, Canada-based clothing label, Lija has been turning out fashionable golf clothing since 1997. The young star, Jill McGill sports her outfits. Patti Varrelmann's GG Blue and San Diego based Cocchia are also behind the new movement towards fashionable golf clothing. Both stress flexibility, functionality and style. Cocchia's golf wear may hearken back to the traditional 1930s apparel, but with its low necks, slim lines and bold colors, it is strongly rooted in the modern women's world of golf. She revives the use of cardigans, pleats and tweeds.

European labels like Bogner, J. Lindeberg and Golfino, and newer labels like Birdie and PinkCaddi have all entered the fray, providing you with increasingly more selection. They, with their North American counterparts, are striving to combine fashion and function in a manner perfectly suited to the game. The growth in this new fashion market is being described by those in the know as explosive.

If you decide to pick a golf shirt, polo may be the way to go. Designers such as Leon Levin offer comfortable and suitable clothing for more than the golf range. They now come in a wide range of colors. Leon Levin sells them in traditional white, we well as, other varying colors. Leon Levin provides what the past did not ? a slim, sleek look on and off the course.

Other types of apparel, including sleeveless shirts, sweaters and shorts are designed to keep you comfortable during the game and can be worn off the turf. Cocchia makes the necklines low and emphasizes a sporting femininity. Many of these new golf garments are truly fashionable and can double in your life after the game is over. This comes in handy if you find yourself short of time.

Colors are a good part of the new trend in golf fashion. Hideous pleats and plaids are banished in the new offerings, although Cocchia has rehabilitated the style into a palatable format. Lilly Pulitzer offers pastel skirts. Nike sells blue shorts. Leon Levin offers a wide spectrum of colors and combinations..

The popularity of golf among women is increasing. Their choices of what to wear are also expanding. Can it be deemed a coincidence? I highly doubt it.