[Editor’s Note: Today we have an article from our own Jamie Rathjen, who’s going to take you on a Uni Watch look at the Solheim Cup, which he attended this past weekend. Enjoy! — PH]
The Solheim Cup, the women’s version of the US-vs.-Europe golf matches, pitched up in a neighborhood close nearby me last weekend. Naturally, I had to go on Saturday. I won’t say how long getting there actually took because all parking was at a concert venue 10 or so minutes away driving and those of you following the matches may have heard it was a shitshow on Friday. It was better on Saturday. I was glad I could drive home and not have to go farther to some hotel, because there aren’t tons in this area.
This edition was only held a year after the previous one as part of a schedule swap with the Ryder Cup after Covid, so that this competition is going to even-numbered years while the Ryder Cup goes back to odd-numbered years. Europe came into it as the holders after a 14-14 draw in Spain last year, the US not having won since 2017. But the US took back the trophy with a 15.5-12.5 win that spent the first two days not quite being that close.
I’m going to get to the course, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, in Gainesville, Va., second. But first:
The Fits
The US came out on Friday with red shirts over dark blue in the morning, followed by a swap in the afternoon. Their cap colors matched the bottoms on each occasion. Europe favored raglan sleeves for the first two days and started with white with blue sleeves over more blue with blue caps. They did not have different outfits for each half of the first two days like the US.
On Friday in particular, it was only about 60 degrees in the morning and overcast, so there were quite a few pullovers or hoodies on display. White base layers were also common among the US players, which I thought was largely serviceable but a little unusual for me coming from a soccer background, where base layers are required to match the shirt.
I’ll be using the generic terms “caps” and “bottoms” even though there was some variety in both, with some players opting for trousers instead of skirts and some European players in particular wearing visors or bucket caps.
On Saturday, Europe flipped around its color scheme and wore blue with white sleeves again over blue. The US’s morning shirt very much teased what was to come, as it was white with blue stripes on the sleeves. The US wore red caps, while Europe wore white caps. The US’s look was very nice itself, but was topped in my book by…
…the Saturday afternoon look, which was full-blown blue and white stripes with white bottoms and red caps. I am a huge sucker for horizontal stripes, so I thought this outfit was outstanding. Interestingly, the stripes were thin enough that in person you couldn’t actually see them unless you were standing very close; the shirts just looked powder blue.
On Sunday, the US’s outfit was basically a white version of the pullovers they’d been wearing all week, with blue and red accents just hanging out there down the front and under the arms. It’s still a polo shirt, yes, but with accents in places that don’t really make it feel like one. It came with blue caps and red bottoms.
Europe went away from raglan for a shirt with a blue top over a white lower two-thirds, paired with white bottoms and gold caps, a change from the previous yellow accents.
The Course
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club is only a few minutes off the main highway of the area, US 29, but you’d legitimately never guess that watching from afar. A fancy private golf club turns into gas stations and a strip mall really quickly. (The pictures of the course are all my pictures.)
Most of the back nine, starting a bit before that with the ninth hole, is right up against the side of Lake Manassas, a reservoir. It makes for a pretty secluded vibe and some placid scenery.
The highlight is probably the par-3 11th (shown above), which had the biggest crowd when I was there and goes straight over a small inlet of the lake from tee to green. It’s overlooked by a hill and also had bleachers by the green, so a lot of people were crammed into a small space.
I didn’t make it up to the Georgian-style clubhouse, unfortunately. You can read more about the course here.
We have two RTJ courses about an hour from where I live. Both are very nice and can be very difficult. Especially the “links” style course. Been wanting to play in one of the “big hole” tournaments where 9 holes have cup sizes that are twice the size of conventional cups.
This is so cool, thanks for posting.
Here’s a question, is it each player’s choice whether to go with shorts vs skirt?
I’d assume all the choices I mentioned are down to preference, yes.
I was there Saturday too! It’s a beautiful course though a bit tough for spectators – lots of hills and some holes don’t have a lot of space to sit and watch. Was really impressed with the crowds and could not believe how picturesque holes 9-11 were.
I agree that that part was the highlight. I actually stopped myself from using the word “picturesque” when writing this because it was the absolute first adjective that came to mind.
This is a great rundown, Jamie! Thanks for sharing. Love the course photos, too!
Thanks!