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Proper golf attire

A collared shirt and a nice pair of trousers. I've never worn shorts on a course in my life, even playing in the heat of the Algarve or Spain. With my legs, you've got to be joking!
And if a course's rules are relaxed enough to allow jeans or joggers and t-shirts, I won't be playing it.
 
I am so against the dress codes them it is not even funny. I see people in this thread mocking the 3-some wearing 3 outfits I think are more than acceptable and much, much more pleasing to the eye than some of the abominations that pass for "proper golf attire" such as the stuff golfknickers puts out, some of the garish colors and patterns that are popular...and with some notable exceptions, my personal (yes, your experience may vary, this is what I have experienced) the people in the slacks/tucked shirts/visors have more often than not been people I prefer to never play another round with. With that said, when not in my group I seldom notice what anyone outside my party is wearing and don't care what the guys within it wear as we most likely already have some history together.

I personally enjoy a round far more wearing athletic shorts (or sweats when it gets a bit chillier) and the water-wicking athletic shirts, same ones I wear for racquetball or tennis. They are more comfortable, I wear plenty of collars and pants at work, golf is recreation. I like a somewhat looser shirt and the deep pockets afforded by the shorts to store my ball-repair tool, ball marker, spare ball, and tees to keep the pace of play up. I am not at a fashion show and don't expect others to put one on.

And in a social commentary, I find the dress code mindset extremely elitist, exclusionary, and meant to keep out "the poor". Worse, honestly, in some clubs I have been to, it is a bit of a holdover from keeping the "undesirables" out from the small-minded who historically saw colors as less than human and undesirable to our societies collective shame.
 
darthweasel said:
I am so against the dress codes them it is not even funny. I see people in this thread mocking the 3-some wearing 3 outfits I think are more than acceptable and much, much more pleasing to the eye than some of the abominations that pass for "proper golf attire" such as the stuff golfknickers puts out, some of the garish colors and patterns that are popular...and with some notable exceptions, my personal (yes, your experience may vary, this is what I have experienced) the people in the slacks/tucked shirts/visors have more often than not been people I prefer to never play another round with. With that said, when not in my group I seldom notice what anyone outside my party is wearing and don't care what the guys within it wear as we most likely already have some history together.

I personally enjoy a round far more wearing athletic shorts (or sweats when it gets a bit chillier) and the water-wicking athletic shirts, same ones I wear for racquetball or tennis. They are more comfortable, I wear plenty of collars and pants at work, golf is recreation. I like a somewhat looser shirt and the deep pockets afforded by the shorts to store my ball-repair tool, ball marker, spare ball, and tees to keep the pace of play up. I am not at a fashion show and don't expect others to put one on.

And in a social commentary, I find the dress code mindset extremely elitist, exclusionary, and meant to keep out "the poor". Worse, honestly, in some clubs I have been to, it is a bit of a holdover from keeping the "undesirables" out from the small-minded who historically saw colors as less than human and undesirable to our societies collective shame.
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I think this is a little too harsh, and an example of you being a little judgmental in just the same way you don't like the "elitist" folks to do.

As far as me, personally I don't care what other folks on the course wear, so long as they don't look like slobs and they're friendly and have good etiquette. But I almost always wear either golf shorts or slacks and a golf shirt, mostly because I like to look good - because Lord knows my game isn't always good!

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Wasn't it Tiger who once said 'golf is the only game where folks can dress like pimps and get away with it'.
If a golfer wishes to play at a course that has a specific dress code then dress accordingly. Dressing smart does not mean it is expensive. He'll, I have a pair of jeans that cost me twice what I paid for a pair of chinos.
Any such rules are there because the club sees it as appropriate clothing. Other clubs will have different rules.
In life we all have to adhere to acceptable dress codes at some point. Just think how it would look if a high Court lawyer turned up in tee shirt and cargo shorts just because they are comfortable.
I couldn't care less what guys wear on the course so long as it is within that clubs dress code.
 
JMay14 said:
Do people believe and observe a proper golf attire when playing? Over the last few years I have played, I have seen people in wife beaters, jean shorts, cut over shirts, comp shorts, t-shirts on the golf course. My father always taught me that you should wear a collared shirt and either slack or dress shorts. Never jeans and never t-shirts. What is everyone else's thought on this matter?
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This topic comes up often. I still say it depends on what part of the US you live in as to what is acceptable.
 
A few years ago in CA, my friend was told he couldn't play with the board shorts he had on, so he had to buy shorts from the pro shop.

As for me, I observe proper attire. Even started tucking in my shirt.
 
My course allows jeans in good repair, but I wear pants if not in cargo shorts and always a collared shirt that starts tucked in but has on occasion come untucked in the back (not me pulling it out).
 
I always wear a collared shirt and shorts in summer, and in fall/spring I have a few pairs of golf-specific slacks that I wear. Never jeans, only because there's no way I could walk 18 in them.

When threads like this pop up, I think of a pic I have someplace of my father, grandfather, and 2 uncles at a golf tournament held by my grandfather's club out in western MA. All 4 of them are wearing jeans :)
 
I've played with people in jeans and t-shirts who fixed every divot and kept a nice pace of play and I've played with well-dressed jerks who can't be bothered to fix a divot, spend 15 minutes reading every putt and generally look out for no one but themselves. And vice versa.

Wear what's appropriate and acceptable for the course you're playing... and try not to judge a book by it's cover. Seems simple enough.
 
5150 said:
I've played with people in jeans and t-shirts who fixed every divot and kept a nice pace of play and I've played with well-dressed jerks who can't be bothered to fix a divot, spend 15 minutes reading every putt and generally look out for no one but themselves. And vice versa.

Wear what's appropriate and acceptable for the course you're playing... and try not to judge a book by it's cover. Seems simple enough.
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Right on man.

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I learned a long time ago to be the best dressed person in the room anywhere I go. Within reason of course. I don't think at this point it has anything to do with etiquette, other than the rules of the course. You never know who you might meet on a golf course, so why not put your best foot forward? I'm still a newb, but honestly, it makes me feel good to be dressed well.

That being said, in the summer, there is no way I can wear slacks on the course. I dehydrate VERY quickly and run hot when I'm outside in the sun. I would likely get heat stroke very quickly.
 
Proper golf attire

Fair enough NewGlfr. Different strokes for different folks (pun intended). In both my personal and professional life I make a conscious effort to be myself. So I tend to wear what I'm comfortable in within reasonable boundaries of what's appropriate for the situation and leave it at that.

Life's too short for me to worry about impressing others with my attire. Just my opinion though - to each his own. Cheers :)
 
I really don't care what others wear as long as it's within the dress code. My club requires collars, belts, and shirts tucked in. Denim and cargo shorts with large or baggy pockets are not allowed.
 
The muni courses around here mostly just have one requirement, a collared shirt. Most of the actual Country Clubs and nicer public venues have top to bottom dress codes and it's never been an issue.
The issue is people who insist on judging others based on their clothes, bags, clubs, etc. Jeans doesn't mean the guy is a neanderthal thug and nice slacks + visor doesn't mean the guy is elitist scum.
 
I usually go with a polo and shorts. When the weather gets colder I have some Dickies and in the event that my Dickies are in the laundry, I have broken taboo and wore jeans.
 
darthweasel said:
I am so against the dress codes them it is not even funny. I see people in this thread mocking the 3-some wearing 3 outfits I think are more than acceptable and much, much more pleasing to the eye than some of the abominations that pass for "proper golf attire" such as the stuff golfknickers puts out, some of the garish colors and patterns that are popular...and with some notable exceptions, my personal (yes, your experience may vary, this is what I have experienced) the people in the slacks/tucked shirts/visors have more often than not been people I prefer to never play another round with. With that said, when not in my group I seldom notice what anyone outside my party is wearing and don't care what the guys within it wear as we most likely already have some history together.

I personally enjoy a round far more wearing athletic shorts (or sweats when it gets a bit chillier) and the water-wicking athletic shirts, same ones I wear for racquetball or tennis. They are more comfortable, I wear plenty of collars and pants at work, golf is recreation. I like a somewhat looser shirt and the deep pockets afforded by the shorts to store my ball-repair tool, ball marker, spare ball, and tees to keep the pace of play up. I am not at a fashion show and don't expect others to put one on.

And in a social commentary, I find the dress code mindset extremely elitist, exclusionary, and meant to keep out "the poor". Worse, honestly, in some clubs I have been to, it is a bit of a holdover from keeping the "undesirables" out from the small-minded who historically saw colors as less than human and undesirable to our societies collective shame.
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I buy my golf clothes at end of season at WalMart and Sam's and they last for several seasons (so far). I bought a ton of shirts I paid an average of less than 10 bucks for (as low as 5 bucks), and same for the shorts.
 
arydolphin said:
I think more serious players still believe in the attire that your father recommends, but more casual players don't follow it all that much. It also depends on the type of course that you're playing, in my experience. I usually play one of 3 different municipal courses around here in Boston. Earlier this week, I played one of those courses that is 9 holes, and one of the guys that I got paired up with was an older guy that was wearing sweatpants the entire time, and I had to look at the top of his butt crack for all 9 holes. But he was a nice guy, kept up fairly well with pace of play, and shook my hand at the end of the round. That meant more to me than his appearance.
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I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that was at William J Devine. That place is sweat pant and tank top central.
 
goodearth said:
Has any one been refused at a course because of dressing improperly?
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I actually was, at Tomahawk Hills here in KC. Back in my younger days I had a cutoff t-shirt and they told me I had to have sleeves. We went someplace else.

Now I understand.
 
I always wear proper golf attire. A few years ago I had a "BubbaGolf" t-shirt, and one afternoon wore it for my after-work 9 w/my buddy. I was self conscious about it the whole time and never wore it to play again.

Somebody made a comment about "elitist". I have to tell of two occasions I would agree.
1. I was in the Cadillac Cup matches GA vs. SC at Augusta Country Club (the one that shares a border w/ the National), which is a pretty exclusive place itself. One of my teammates (who also played at my home club) was on the practice green getting ready for his match. A voice came over the stinkin' intercom, blaring that he could not play in the shorts he was wearing (coaches shorts). I'm sure he was mortified - why couldn't they have done this quietly? Luckily for him I had brought extra navy blue shorts and we were the same size (rain was in the forecast so I was prepared), so he didn't have to buy any. Still, a little discretion from the staff would have shown the class one would expect at a nice club.
2. One year in my club championship, the second and last day. We are about to tee off and our assistant pro comes out to the first tee and tells a young guy in our group (who was a course employee) that he couldn't play because he didn't have on a collared shirt. The kid was wearing a buttoned up IZOD shirt with truly no folding collar, but obviously a quality and pretty expensive shirt (definitely nicer than the rest of our group had on). The asst. pro was simply a guy who rarely missed an opportunity to be an a-hole and had workplace authority over the kid, and sadly he prevailed and the kid had to WD. This all happened in about the time frame that David Duval was making changes in golf fashions.
 
Slammin'SAM said:
I always wear proper golf attire. A few years ago I had a "BubbaGolf" t-shirt, and one afternoon wore it for my after-work 9 w/my buddy. I was self conscious about it the whole time and never wore it to play again.

Somebody made a comment about "elitist". I have to tell of two occasions I would agree.
1. I was in the Cadillac Cup matches GA vs. SC at Augusta Country Club (the one that shares a border w/ the National), which is a pretty exclusive place itself. One of my teammates (who also played at my home club) was on the practice green getting ready for his match. A voice came over the stinkin' intercom, blaring that he could not play in the shorts he was wearing (coaches shorts). I'm sure he was mortified - why couldn't they have done this quietly? Luckily for him I had brought extra navy blue shorts and we were the same size (rain was in the forecast so I was prepared), so he didn't have to buy any. Still, a little discretion from the staff would have shown the class one would expect at a nice club.
2. One year in my club championship, the second and last day. We are about to tee off and our assistant pro comes out to the first tee and tells a young guy in our group (who was a course employee) that he couldn't play because he didn't have on a collared shirt. The kid was wearing a buttoned up IZOD shirt with truly no folding collar, but obviously a quality and pretty expensive shirt (definitely nicer than the rest of our group had on). The asst. pro was simply a guy who rarely missed an opportunity to be an a-hole and had workplace authority over the kid, and sadly he prevailed and the kid had to WD. This all happened in about the time frame that David Duval was making changes in golf fashions.
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I guess my take on that is why attempt to do something that you know will not be welcomed at these places? You go to Augusta, which as you pointed out is pretty exclusive, not adhering to the dress code. Maybe discretion could have been used, but the bottom line is, they were probably pretty miffed about it. Is it right? It's their place, so yeah. If you have a problem with that as a player, choose not to go. Same as the other place. Expensive or not, if they require a collared shirt, why would you show up not wearing one? This is a common idiom in golf, and if you are a player of higher level you should know that. Why ruffle the feathers in someone else's yard?
 
5150 said:
Fair enough NewGlfr. Different strokes for different folks (pun intended). In both my personal and professional life I make a conscious effort to be myself. So I tend to wear what I'm comfortable in within reasonable boundaries of what's appropriate for the situation and leave it at that.

Life's too short for me to worry about impressing others with my attire. Just my opinion though - to each his own. Cheers :)
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Haha, got it! I also make an effort to be myself, but when I know there are rules to follow, I follow them. I guess I'm not a good enough golfer to flaunt the rules, yet, LOL.

Soooooo, you wouldn't happen to be a Van Halen fan would you??
 
NewGlfr said:
Haha, got it! I also make an effort to be myself, but when I know there are rules to follow, I follow them. I guess I'm not a good enough golfer to flaunt the rules, yet, LOL.

Soooooo, you wouldn't happen to be a Van Halen fan would you??
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Whatever do you mean? ;-)

Card carrying Van Halen Nut here... Ed inspired me to pick up the guitar. He's the master.
 
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