Fashion Insider: Talking style and strategy with Brian Gay
By Man in the Black Hat, PGATOUR.COM Fashion Insider
Here's a scenario to ponder...
Sligo man Brian Gay hits a laser on 16 from 187, uphill, into the wind to three feet. Was it a squeezy six? A choked up knock down five? A nuclear seven? Does it really matter?
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Not really, at least not to The Man In The Black Hat. The point is that he did it, and he looked great doing it. Or, more precisely, could the point be that he looked great, which helped him do it?
In most cases, including this one, the facts speak for themselves. Let's review:
Brian Gay had worn a couple of different brands for a few years on TOUR before making the move to Sligo in 2008 -- a move he himself initiated after seeing a friend wear the Canadian-based brand. Since the switch to Sligo, Gay has won three times, including the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic, the 2009 Verizon Heritage at which he lapped the field winning by 10 shots, which he then validated by winning the 2009 St. Jude Classic, this time cruising to a five-shot victory.
Coincidence? The Man In The Black Hat supports the notion that if you look good, you'll play well. Apparently so does Gay.
In a wide-ranging interview, Gay talks about his approach to style, and how it has a direct impact on his play, on apparel scripting and what he thinks of golf fashion blogs and Web forum discussions, along with the most commonly seen pro-am fashion faux pas.
BLACK HAT: Those who follow golf and keep tabs on who's wearing what certainly know what's up with Ian Poulter and Rickie Fowler, et al, but more and more people know about and follow what Brian Gay wears from week to week, and from day to day on TOUR. Where does your sense of style come from?
BRIAN GAY: "My sense of style definitely came from parents who were always well dressed growing up. Since I can remember, I have always been extremely picky about how I look, what clothes I am wearing and how the clothes I am wearing make me feel. Later in my career, my wife certainly began to have an influence on my fashion. She has been a great source for my golf fashion and has really helped me at times with the right combinations. With my wife and two daughters, I now have three girls in the house that give me plenty of input on the way I dress, so my sense of style should always be top-notch."
BLACK HAT: Rumor has it that you're not "scripted," i.e., you're not told what to wear and when by Sligo. Is this true, and if so, do you ever find it difficult to figure out what to wear, and is there ever a fear of getting too repetitive?
BRIAN GAY: "This is true. I am not scripted on what Sligo clothes I wear and when I wear them. I pick out my outfits for each practice round and tournament round each week and I always choose my own outfits each day because I believe the executives at Sligo trust me to put on good stuff that looks great.
"There were a few tournaments, like Hilton Head and Memphis (where I was the returning champion) and some of the majors, where I chatted with Aaron, Allan, Shawn and the rest of the guys at Sligo about particular outfits that would look good. But at the end of the day, they felt confident that I would make the right choices for all these great events. All of the guys at Sligo have extremely great taste, and I definitely trust their opinion and I know they trust that I will always pick out stuff that looks good and is in line with their brand and style.
"Yeah, I do have a fear of wearing the same stuff too much or wearing certain combinations too often, but to be honest, Sligo has such a great collection with so many styles and color options that fortunately, I don't have to wear the same outfits too many times. There are always some outfits that I might like a little better than others but I make sure I don't wear the same stuff too much and I try to mix it up as much as possible."
BLACK HAT: What comes first -- confidence from the way you dress, or confidence from the way you play? Does one affect the other?
BRIAN GAY: "Look good, feel good, play good. This has always been my motto. I believe that the better I feel about the way I look, the better I feel about the clothes I have on, and the better I feel about the way my clothes fit me, the better I feel overall and this will help me play better and perform at a higher level.
"I definitely feel that one affects the other. The better I feel about myself and the way I dress, the better I will feel about my game and performance. Sligo clothes always make me feel good and this gives me confidence to play better."
BLACK HAT: Did you know there were forums and blogs on the Web dedicated to what you guys are wearing? How cool is that?
BRIAN GAY: "I just became aware of the fashion forums on the internet that are dedicated to what guys are wearing on the PGA TOUR and I think it is pretty cool. I think it makes it a little more interesting and exciting when I put outfits together that people are paying attention to and it is sort of cool that people are interested to see what I am wearing and comment about it. I know everyone really likes Sligo clothes, but hopefully they think I look good in them as well."
BLACK HAT: Of all your apparel, from head to toe, what do you get excited about the most? Are you a shoe guy? A belt guy? A trouser guy?
BRIAN GAY: "Socks. Just joking. I actually get excited about all of it and always enjoy getting new stuff and trying the new combinations that Sligo sends me on a regular basis. If I had to pick though, I would probably give a little nod to my trousers followed by my belts. I always enjoy getting a new pair of bright plaid pants and the belts are really nice as well. It is always great when a new box arrives with new Sligo gear... I really enjoy having so many different options for my outfits.
"I also get excited about shoes and I recently had FootJoy do some custom shoes for me to match the outfits. The thing that is so great about Sligo is that they really pay attention to my needs and ideas and when I mentioned that I would like to get some custom shoes made from FootJoy, the partners from Sligo sent me swatches to pass on to FootJoy to create some shoes that would exactly match their colors. FootJoy is a sponsor of mine as well and I really appreciated them going the extra mile to help me completely coordinate my outfits."
BLACK HAT: Sligo is a Canadian company that has a bit of European flair. What is it about Sligo that you love?
BRIAN GAY: "Yeah, Sligo has a little bit of European flair. But, regardless of the flair I love their style and bright colors, and I really like the way the clothes fit me and make me feel. The performance fabrics work really well and they still have that great style I am looking for each and every week. I take pleasure in feeling good about what I wear on the golf course, and the clothes made by Sligo are the perfect fit for me. I could not be happier about the different options they have available and I am glad that I had the opportunity to partner with such a stylish clothing company.
"I really enjoy the fact that Sligo sets themselves apart from all other clothing companies and I don't look the same as other guys on the PGA TOUR, which is really rewarding. It is such a great clothing company and I am thrilled to work with them because I always know that when I show up to play each day, I have the best clothing product available in the world. I never look the same as anyone else and it really is a great fit.
"Another thing that I really enjoy about my relationship with Sligo is that I have had the opportunity to work with their creative designers and give my input on some shirts and pants. I have worked with them on a couple different designs and have been really pumped about how they came out."
BLACK HAT: What one big fashion faux pas do you see guys making when they show up on Wednesdays for the pro-ams? You don't have to name names ... unless of course you want to!
BRIAN GAY: "A few things, probably. A lot of guys don't care how they look -- they don't match sometimes. For instance, they wear black pants with brown shoes or something like that. A couple other things I see all the time are shirts won't match the pants. A lot of guys fail to wear the correct sizes or clothes that fit them properly and they get sizes that are way too big. Guys show up to the course wearing clothes that hang all over them."
After a bit of time off during after the BMW Championship, the third leg of the FedExCup Playoffs, Gay was back at it at the Viking Classic where he tied for 29th, and then last week at The McGladrey Classic, where he finished T33.
Even though Gay isn't in the field this week at the Frys.com Open in California, the next time you're looking for a bit of inspiration for what to wear next, look to Brian Gay in Sligo, who is the example that proves the rule -- if you look great, you'll stand a far better chance of playing your best. And if you happen not to play your very best, at least you'll look better than anyone else in your group. So you've got that going for you, which is nice.
Black Hat Ticker
Heath Slocum came out on top this week at the inaugural The McGladrey Classic at Sea Island, Ga., wearing the understated Calvin Klein golf line. ...
Bo Van Pelt tied for sixth this week wearing Flare, a relatively new golf apparel company that's based in Van Pelt's hometown of Tulsa, Okla. Van Pelt is taking an active role in designing the clothes and helping build the brand, having hooked up with Flare through his the designer of his personal website. One oddity? Flare itself currently has no web presence or apparent means of distribution....
Bill Haas almost made it two weeks in a row at the top of the leaderboard, finishing one stroke shy of Slocum. Haas wears Peter Millar, one of the clothiers of choice for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. ...
David Toms finished T3 at The McGladrey this week, sporting the now compulsory white belt.
The Man in the Black Hat is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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