Pro golfer Michelle Wie's outfits banned from top B.C. greens

Heads turn when pro golfer Michelle Wie crouches to eye the lie of a green.

Her tight attire — banned by many golf course dress codes — thrills fans on social media where her putting stance is described by some as 'soft porn.'

"It does cause chatter," said Uplands Golf Course in Victoria B.C. where pro Ben Griffin says her outfits would be banned.

Despite the disgust of old-schoolers, athlete advocates suggest fans watch women's putts, instead of their butts.

Golf has long struggled over female players.

In 2005 a Vancouver course won the legal right in B.C. Supreme Court to bar women — other than wait staff — from the men's lounge.

Dress code violation

So the skirt confounds traditionalists again.

"We'd make her change," said Alan Palmer, director of golf at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club.

His club boasts a male-only lounge, and makes no dress code exceptions.

But women like Wie are shifting golf wear mores, closer to what's now common in tennis.

Micro-mini skirts won't get past most top B.C. tees yet, but the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) — which sets the standards worldwide for women's play — doesn't balk at skin.

While male players suffer long pants, with shorts deemed "inappropriate" for PGA play, females have more latitude.

Conservative fans may grumble, but younger ones applaud Wie's wardrobe, LPGA officials say.

'A tricky balance'

Players who step out of line get a "quiet little word," said Mark Lamport-Stokes, director of Public Relations for the LPGA.

So where is that line?

"It's a tricky balance. You don't want to be Victorian and staid [or] distasteful."

Players wear what golf clothing manufacturers provide, said Lamport Stokes, who says he's not sure if competitors feel pressured to dress sexy.

He agreed Wie has long had a wide fan-base, for more than her swing.

"She's one of those rare players who straddles more than just golf," he said.

And why not?

"I'm sure there's a lot of clutching of pearls over this," said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS).

But she sees no issue, if athletes aren't forced to wear certain fashions.

"It's tricky. A lot of people feel really passionately about that skirt," she said.

Golf body politics

Female athletes' bodies are policed more than males, says CAAWS.

They are often judged by how they look, not play.

Golf Magazine was criticized after its feature on what it termed "the most beautiful women in golf" included more wives of pro male golfers -- than pro female athletes.

"It's easy on the surface to be critical of Michelle [Wie] if they way she is dressing doesn't align with your view of what women should look like on a golf course," said Sandmeyer-Graves.

She says too often female athletes face a double hazard.

Their bodies are policed, objectified and, at the same time, are a tool to get clicks and sponsors while they are at the top of their game.

But, some applaud racier golf duds which helps modernize a sport that's popularity is waning world-wide.

Except when it comes to young women.

Females under 18 joining the LPGA's Junior Girls Golf program have increased 1,000 per cent since 2010.

Hotshots like Lydia Ko, 19 and Ariya Jutanugarn, 21, dominate top world rankings.

Corporate sponsorships help them try to match their male counterparts earnings in a sport where tournament purses for women are pale, compared to men's.

Men get paid, women ogled

In 2015 only 11 top female golfers earned more than $1-million US, compared to 110 males.

Ron Sweetman of Calgary is a professional volunteer scorekeeper who has walked games scoring Wie and many other pros.

He says Wie and others are role models for young girls, and part of the new blood infusing fierce competition into female golf.

He wishes she took time to thank her volunteers, but he's not fussed about short skirts.

From what he's seen lots of young women — including recent Bank of Hope Founders Cup winner Anna Nordqvist — wear their hems short and drive the ball farther than most men.