NEWS

Anaheim Hills Joins Partner Programs

Tartan by Alderdyce-McDaniel adds Anaheim Hills Golf Course in Anaheim, Calif., to its Pro Shop Partners Program.

Skinner Joins Copley Apparel

Sonny Skinner accepts the position of southeast regional sales manager for Copley Apparel.

ProQuip Introduces New Line

ProQuip introduces Silk Touch, which the company reports is the lightest, softest and quietest high-performance rain suit in its 25-year history.


APPAREL TALK

Q-and-A: Aaron Baddeley

By Janice Ferguson
GPA Fashion Correspondent

In 1999, Aaron Baddeley, aka Badds, made a serious blip on the golf radar screen by winning the Australian Open as an amateur at age 18. The next year he defended that title and won as a pro, followed by another victory in 2001 at the Greg Norman Holden International. Baddeley joined the PGA Tour in 2003, and has become as popular a golf fashion icon as he is a focused young gun on tour.

You may have noticed that Baddeley swings MacGregor clubs, but did you know his favorite color is baby blue? Here's more of what he has to say about the golf runway.

Q.: If you will, try to think like a non-pro/average-Joe golfer for a second when answering this -- do you think the look good/feel good on-course mantra has anything to do with one's level of play?

Aaron Baddeley: I think it is important that you feel comfortable with yourself in any situation in order to perform the best. If dressing makes you comfortable and makes you feel good, then, yes, I believe it has an impact.

Q.: J. Lindeberg is your apparel sponsor, and ECCO is your shoe sponsor. Do you decide what to wear for tournaments or do outfits come pre-packaged for you? Or, perhaps an image consultant is involved?

Aaron Baddeley: J. Lindeberg sends me packages of clothing and ECCO sends me shoes. Then I decide before going on the road which items to bring. I normally try and bring a wide variety so that I can dress for any kind of weather or occasion. I do not have an image consultant - but my wife is very good at helping me out.

Q.: Your off course outfit choice appears to be jeans, tee-shirts, and sneakers. If true, do your golf clothes ever cross over with your street attire?

Aaron Baddeley: My golf clothes are primarily my work clothes and they don't cross over with what I wear during my time off. Both J. Lindeberg and ECCO make some street attire as well, so I often wear both in my spare time.

Q.: We know you would never leave, say, your putter out of your golf bag. Is there a particular piece of golf attire or accessory that you must always wear?

Aaron Baddeley: No, not really. I don't have one piece of clothing that I cannot live without.

Q.: You reportedly had a hand in the design of ECCO's New Casual Cool shoe models. Can you talk about that experience?

Aaron Baddeley: I enjoyed talking to the designers at ECCO about what I like and dislike about the shoes. I showed them some different styles of shoes that I like to wear as street shoes, and ECCO managed to take some of those ideas and put them into the new Casual Cool line.

Q.: Some of your fellow PGA Tour players such as Camilo Villegas and Adam Scott also dress more trendy and fashionable. Do you think this helps draw attention to the game and makes it more popular with particular demographics?

Aaron Baddeley: I don't think there is any doubt, especially the young guys dress much more fashionable today than they did 5 years ago. I hope it puts a little more color in golf and helps portray a younger, trendier image for the sport.

Q.: Does your wife play golf? If so, how would you describe her "look" on the course? Any favorite brands/designers she likes to wear, either golf specific or not?

Aaron Baddeley: My wife does not play golf. She likes both the J. Lindeberg and the ECCO gear and wears some of it. Her favorite pair of walking shoes is a pair of ECCOs.

Q.: Going back to the 2003 Golf Magazine comments about how you dress vs. Golf World U.K. voting you the "most fashionable player" -- old news, but I'm curious to know if that dichotomy says anything to you with regards to golf fashion here in the States vs. elsewhere.

Aaron Baddeley: I thought it was really funny. I believe one magazine had me as the worst dressed and the week after another magazine had me as the best dressed. I don't really think much about that, I dress the way I feel comfortable and just thought it was a funny coincidence that I topped both lists within a week.

Q.: Your Web site lists your favorite outfit as a pair of white pants, belt, shoes and hat with a purple shirt. Is this a sense of style you embrace, or do you just enjoy making a splash and being different?

Aaron Baddeley: I like to dress a bit different - it's just one more way of having a bit of fun out there.

Q.: I doubt you spend much time in golf shops, but if you managed a green grass pro shop, what do you think would be your biggest challenge in the way of fashion, (buying, merchandising, selling), and how would you overcome it?

Aaron Baddeley: You are right, I don't spend much time in golf shops, and so I can't really say what to do or not to do. I guess I would make sure that I kept a consistent high level of service and quality throughout the store so that I would get as many return customers as possible.