What Is Appropriate Golf Attire?

[Fourputt]

I can buy 3 pairs of jeans for that $40. Or 1 pair of jeans and play a round of golf. If I'm a wage earner trying to raise a family and the option is wear jeans or don't play, then I'll wear jeans. Now I happen to be retired, and on a tight budget. Even if the course was open right now, I'm not sure how much I could afford to play. Heck, for women, jeans have long been considered acceptable where men have to wear a jacket and tie. I see nothing wrong with wearing them for an outdoor recreational sport. They darn sure look better and more conservative than some of the ridiculous (and thoroughly ugly) things that ARE considered proper attire on the golf course.

As a lifetime craftsman and wage earner, I just have a different attitude toward what is proper dress. I've spent most of my adult life wearing jeans for work, and jeans for play in the colder seasons. I even wore jeans for skiing back in the day. Right now I'm sitting at the computer wearing them. They are clean, in good repair, and look just fine. Guess we just agree to disagree...

[Juancd75]

i wear slacks or shorts (it gets ridiculously hot here in Miami even in the winter) and ALWAYS a polo. Thats just my preferance. But I could really care less what anyone else is wearing. i am there to play, get better, and have a good time. The last thing on my mind is policing what anyone is wearing. you wear what you want, your perogative.
House rules must be followed however.
On that note, i think courses should make bikini tops and g-strings mandatory wear for all hot women.

[Shindig]

So, I was just thinking of the first time I went to a driving range. My views of attire had been shaped, perhaps unfairly, by some fictional characters from my roommate's XBox version of Tiger Woods 2004 . And I was the type to dress oddly, so I had a brimmed straw hat with a rope that keeps under my chin, and small sunglasses with the string to keep 'em on my head.

Just remembering how hard it was to keep my head down and concentrate...

I guess it's on topic, as a list of inappropriate attire, not due to how it looks, but just how bad an idea it is.

[cdriver]

My home course allows jeans, but most of the membership dresses in slacks. You see a lot more jeans in winter when the weather is sloppy and muddy. As long as the jeans are not worn or torn, my opinion is that they can be just as appropriate as slacks. I actually owned a pair of pleated denim slacks that looked just as nice as my khakis I thought.

I don't think cut-offs, tank tops, etc are appropriate, but I am not sure that jeans or jeans shorts are a total social faux pas.

[Dent]

I know this is a little late reply and all. But I think for Semi-Private and Private courses it is inappropriate to wear Jeans, Denim etc. Slacks and classy pants only. I am 14 and i love how golf is a classy game. Where i golf slacks and polos are required in order to play. if you dont have those you are not allowed to play. Public courses you can wear whatever you want.

[GreensDruid]

I'm usually a muni player and so I don't get very excited over proper dress. As long as the golfers are respectful, move along and follow the rules it's fine with me. Personally, I wouldn't wear normal blue jeans because they're not real handy around the course. My favorite golf pants (and shorts, for that matter) are Cartthart work pants - they fit loose and you can move freely, and the ruler pocket is perfect for fitting in a sleeve of balls. I think they look pretty good, and they come in 2 or 3 different colors. I tend to dress like I would if i were going out on a hike (weather dependent of course). I do always wear a collared shirt, however and golf shoes.

For the few times I play a private club, I'll wear the uniform. I don't like being underdressed but even the private clubs in northern New England, in my experience, don't get real fussed about dress.

I'm also perfectly fine with women dressing to please on the course. On a nice day, shorts or skirts and belly shirts are a perfect complement to the beauty of a golf course.

[letgodsortemout]

Dickies shorts and a t-shirt at public courses. I just don't see how playing in jeans is even comfortable. I think you should dress to match the cost of the course you are playing.

[$2 Nassau]

No jeans on a golf course for me. Don't really care if others do it but I just don't find them very comfortable and never wear jeans that often anyway.

Usually comfortable kacky shorts or pants, casual ones that I would normally wear anywhere else. Collared shirt always, nothing special, just your run of the mill shirt usually.

Once in a while I play a private club and usually try to wear a halfway decent shirt and keep everything tucked in. I'm playing as a guest of someone so I try not to look like a slob.

[Big Lex]

For answers to all of those nagging fashion questions, check out this week's "Thrash Talk" on the main site. Happy reading!!

[M-benzw203]

you can never go wrong w a polo shirt and slacks and still look sharp for any other activite later on

[atlien31]

Only hicks play sports wearing jeans. Shorts, slacks, and collared shirts are a must at all courses around here.

[dmz]

i'm a fan of throwbacks...there used to be a time when everyone was expected to wear a jacket and ties, and then there was the golf course. honestly i think less is expected of us. what happened to plus 4's and ties. golf clothes used to be stylish (harry vardon was known as the stylist), and now they're kinda boring; at least in the states.

i agree that it is up to the course to enact and enforce their own rules, but it is up to the player to check those rules beforehand. i really wish more courses would enforce their own rules. they could make twice the money by selling collared golf shirts

[WhiteSoxFan]

My grandpa taught me to always wear a collared shirt to the golf course. So, I always do - it just doesn't seem right not to, but that's my opinion. I personally wouldn't ever wear jeans, but as long as you are adhering to a courses policies I don't care what you wear. I agree with what others have posted - I care more about other players following proper course etiquette than what they are wearing. Although I guess you could consider dress being part of that etiquette.

[Undr Par]

you can never go wrong w a polo shirt and slacks and still look sharp for any other activite later on

I totally agree, but when it's hot out you may want to change the shirt.....and possibility the undies as well......

[Heat]

you can never go wrong w a polo shirt and slacks and still look sharp for any other activite later on

yeah, I wear my golf clothes everywhere I go now, its much like my school uniform so I'm comfortable wearing collared shirts all the time. You don't see many people wearing golf hats around town but when I do see someone wearing one, i have a sense that they are a little more intelligent than the average person around here.

[doublesuited77]

you can never go wrong w a polo shirt and slacks and still look sharp for any other activite later on

What do you guys think of wearing compression shirts like Tiger Woods wears on the course? technically, without a collar, but often courses will allow you to wear anything they sell in the pro shop.

[lhshurdl3r]

i'll never have denim on if i'm swingin a golf club.. unless i'm playing minigolf and happen to be wearing jeans. at the range i'll always have shorts on. playing a round its always khakis, khaki shorts/cargo shorts, golf shirt.

[stevestrike]

I saw a guy playing in jeans and WORKBOOTS the other day at a muni. OK, so I'm sure he just got off work and wanted to grab a quick 18. To me, it just doesn't fit. I think it shows a lack of respect for the game.

Long "cargo shorts"
Anything camouflage pattern (yeah I know some redneck pro was wearing this a few weeks back)
Tennis shoes, or other non-golf shoes
Jeans & Jean shorts

They should all be banned from the course.