Pants or Shorts in Summer

Hey all,

I was wondering whether shorts are uniformally preferred during the hot days of summer. I live in Houston, TX, where it is extremely hot and humid over the summer, and have always worn shorts. I read somewhere that the new golf pants from nike/UA/adidas/etc could be a cooler option than shorts. The reason being that the pants block the sun from directly hitting your skin, and the new technology in the pants make them very breathable. Thoughts on this?

Secondly, are there any non-big marketing company pants that anyone would highly recommended? I'd love to wear nike/UA/adidas, but can't justify spending $65 on a pair.

Thanks!

I wear shorts normally

IZOD makes a great golf pant.  Feels like you aren't wearing anything.  I picked them up at the outlet for $22

Pants, only because I don't like wearing shorts golfing, more comfortable in pants, and I don't notice any extra heat by wearing pants

It depends on the day and tee time.  Overall I like pants so I don't have to worry about bug bites and sun burn.  If it's a late morning tee time and very hot I'll opt for shorts and sunscreen.

LOL

Yeah, and when you're as white as I am and burn as fast as I do, then pants are a must for 4 hours in the sun.

Also great when there are a lot of mosquitoes about

Shorts

Only time I golf in pants is if I am golfing before going into the office.  But those days are rare and usually result in soaking up the dew on your pant legs.  I typically roll the cuff up once to try and avoid the early morning dew.

Shorts.  As soon as it's reasonable.  Whatever you say, they have never made a pair of slacks that is as cool and comfortable as shorts to play golf in on a day when the mercury is pushing or topping 100°.  I wear shorts, golf sandals, a polo, (or sometimes even a Hawaiian shirt for the added ventilation it provides), and sunscreen.  Also a wide brim Tilley hat to help keep the sun off my face and neck.  I'm not there to set any fashion statement, I'm there to play golf and stay as comfortable as possible.

I'll let the guys with the 6-pack abs set the styles.  My 12-pack plus is best left more to the imagination.

What brand do you guys recommend? Do you all wear one of the big names? Or is there a less expensive option, but with the same quality? I mean, Nike doesn't make anything. It's just a marketing company, so there's gotta be a generic version of their pants.

I'm with fourputt, shorts and golf sandals!

Usually shorts, but I have a couple light-colored, light-material pants I might try this year, mostly to avoid having to try to apply sunscreen to hairy legs.  I have some lightweight, just off-white pants that I like for golfing in.  They're not "golf pants," just pants from an ordinary store, which probably knocked $20 off the price.  They're not any special material, but they breathe well and are just fine comfort-wise.  If you shop around a bit, you should be able to find something similar without paying the pro shop premium.

pants are too hot for me when its hot outside, even the expensive breathable ones. Its like wearing a long sleeve shirt and saying its cooler than a short sleeved shirt

Some people handle heat different to others.

Depends on the pants too.....good golf pants are breathable and cool you off

I've worn pants exactly once while golfing and it was because it was COLD (well, for us Florida folks at least) outside. Now, if I had some of these wonder-pants being discussed, that might change things.  I wouldn't mind trying it out, but they would have to be able to be had for cheap.  I'm plenty comfortable with shorts on, no way I'd pay $50+ for a pair of pants just to golf in them.

All that being said, I can see what Iacas said about "feeling more like a Pro".

It also depends on the environment.  If you're out in glaring sun in a dry climate (like, e.g., southern California), a lot of your heating comes from direct radiation from the sun.  Shading yourself under light-colored clothing will help with that, and the air is dry enough that you can essentially sweat through the clothing.  In a humid climate, your clothes will not dry very well, so pants are more likely to impede sweating and keeping bare skin will be more effective.  In those places, too, the moisture in the air will probably reduce the direct heat you receive from the sun, so the shading effect will be less helpful.

Well, Nike is a marketing company, but they also have contracts w/ companies that they licence product from.  For example, Nike designers will develop an idea for a type of pant and they will ask a manufacturing company to create it for them.  The manu company then signs a contract saying, among other boring things, that they will not licence their fabric to any other "marketing" company for a specific term.  Now, there are obviously many different manu companies, which is why there are different versions of the same type of pant sold by different marketing companies, but they are never EXACTLY the same, unless as noted above, the contract for licencing the product has run out.  In rare cases, a marketing company will develop a truely unique product and will be able to secure a patent on it, but this doesn't happen much anymore, with so much "prior art" already on the market.

That being said, moisture-wicking fabrics have been around for long enough now that you can probably find nearly identicle or at least comparable versions thru smaller-brand companies.

56 degrees last Sunday when I teed off for the first 9 of the year and shorts it was. Usually is unless it is freezing out.

if you wear shorts that are the same moisture wicking material, like nike, UA etc they will keep you more cool outside than pants of the same material. If this wasnt the case then golfers would be wearing long sleeve shirts instead of short sleeve to keep cooler. Only thing pants do is protect your legs from getting sun burnt

btw - Why can't pro's wear shorts during competition? Basketball you wear shorts, tennis, baseball you dont because you have to slide on ground and would ruff up your legs. There isnt really any physical reason for pro's to have to wear pants