If you’ve played a reasonable amount of golf, then you’ll know about the dress code. Most golf clubs insist that players adhere to its dress rules, which almost always include wearing smart, long pants instead of jeans or shorts.
For the pros, it’s always been the same story. Tune in to the PGA Tour and you’ll see the world’s best golfers walking the fairways in long pants.
In the article below, we are going to cover all you need to know about why golfers wear long pants and other golf attire questions. We have a lot to cover so let’s jump in!
Does The PGA Make Professional Golfers Wear Long Pants?
Other tours do now allow their players to wear shorts during competitive action, but if we’re talking about the PGA Tour, it’s long pants and long pants only. Why is this?
Well, as far as the PGA Tour is concerned, it’s about professionalism. These are the top professionals in the game and they must appear professional during tournaments, and for the PGA Tour, looking professional means wearing long pants.
It’s got a lot to do with tradition. Unlike many sports which have seamlessly transitioned into the 21st century, golf remains a little in the past, and is very much steeped in tradition.
Just like tradition means that golfers wear collared shirts during a round, it also means that they wear long non-denim pants.
The PGA Tour is fully invested in maintaining this tradition, which is why it insists that all players wear long pants while competing.
What Type Of Pants Can Golfers Wear?
Visit most golf clubs, and you’ll be told that you can’t wear either denim pants or track pants. The majority of golf clubs demand that their players wear long slacks that are smart
. Some public courses don’t impose a dress code, which is great for casual golfers, but for the pros, there’s little choice.
The PGA Tour used to be incredibly strict, stating that players must wear proper pleated pants, though in recent years, things have changed slightly.
It is still a fact that only long pants are acceptable, but you’ll now see players wearing a variety of pant styles.
Lots of players still wear the traditional type, but some pros wear slimmer golf pants now, some of which even look like track pants.
Others players wear tapered pants that sit above the shoe, which is not something you’d find a few years ago.
Will The PGA Ever Allow Shorts?
As things stands, the PGA Tour states that players must wear long pants during all competitive rounds, though they did change their stance slightly in 2019. Nowadays, players can wear shorts during non competitive rounds.
This is why you may now see some golfers dressed more casually, donning shorts during the practice rounds ahead of a big tournament.
Even then, though, players must adhere to a dress code, which states that shorts must be both knee-length and tailored.
Will shorts ever be allowed during a tournament? Who knows, but right now, this is the PGA Tour’s stance : “players shall present a neat appearance in both clothing and personal grooming.
Blue jeans, shorts, cutoffs, T-shirts or shirts with no collar shall not be worn.”.
Why Are Female Golfers Allowed To Wear Shorts And Skirts?
Traditionally, women wore longer, ankle-length skirts when playing golf, but as you can easily imagine, that’s somewhat restrictive.
The golf swing requires flexibility and body movement, and ankle-length skirts kind of go against that.
Therefore, women’s golf skirts rose above the knee to prevent restrictiveness and allow optimum movement. For the same reason, female golfers are allowed to wear shorts.
Female golfers do not have to wear skirts or shorts, they can indeed wear long pants, and many do. However, unlike the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour does not stipulate that long pants are a must for every player during a competitive round.
Do Golfers Need To Tuck In Their Shirts?
As an amateur it depends where you play. Traditionally, most golf clubs would require you to tuck your shirt in, though things have gotten a lot more relaxed in that respect.
Nowadays, many clubs won’t bother asking you to tuck your shirt in. Some will. It really does depend on where you’re playing and the level of importance that the club places on typical golfing traditions.
For those plying their trade on the PGA Tour, it’s a little different.
Just as they must wear long pants during competitive rounds, players must have the shirts tucked in.
Again, during practice rounds or pro-ams, they have more freedom, thanks to the recent relaxing in rules.
If you’re watching a pro-am or a practice round in 2022, then chances are, you’ll definitely see plenty of shorts and untucked shirts, as players enjoy the freedom not yet afforded during tournaments.
Why Do Golfers Wear Outrageous Pants?
Just because golfers must wear long pants and have their shirts tucked in, it doesn’t mean they can’t have some fun and get creative with their tournament outfits. Gone are the days when golfers wore dull, block colors.
The game has reached a point where more and more golfers are wearing some truly outrageous stuff.
Neon yellow pants, multicolor striped pants, pants covered in crazy patterns, the PGA Tour is now awash with some crazy attire.
Why do some golfers do this? Well, there’s not really a reason. Many like to make a fashion statement, some like to stand out, and some just think “what the hell, it’s fun!”.
As long as golfers adhere to the long pants rule, there’s nothing in place that stops them from wearing cool patterns and striking colors, so why not have some fun.
Why Do Golfers Wear Such Outrageous Clothes?
Now that we covered pants, lets take a look at golfers outrages clothes in general. In the past, golf had an image of being a boring sport, played by older retirees. However, in the past couple decades golf has become a younger, more vibrant sport.
Golf is not the same boring sport many associate it to be, and the attire of today’s golfer proves that.
Now not all golfers where outrageous or ridiculous clothes, but it is very common for today’s professionals to make a statement with what they wear.
This trend has spilled over into mainstream golf fashion and will likely be seen at your local golf course.
Certain golfers on tour are known to wear brightly colored and patterned clothes, but why? The answer is surprisingly simple. People wear clothes that fit their personality and taste. You will notice that a player’s game will be a lot like their outfit.
Methodical players almost always will wear neutral colors whereas players willing to take risks will often be in more flashy attire. Some golfers find themselves wear odd outfits to make a statement. Rarely will you
Why Do So Many Golfers Wear White Pants?
White pants aren’t quite as flashy as other color choices while still not being an overly common color to wear. So why is it that so many golfers’ wear white pants? That answer is surprisingly simple.
Golfers wear white pants to stay cool on the course. White pants reflect sunlight whereas dark pants will trap heat from the sun. Golfers wearing white pants will be noticeably cooler than others wearing darker clothes on a hot summer’s day.
The effect of the color difference really only matters on very hot, sunny days. In fact, the opposite is true on cooler or cloudy days. You will rarely see players wearing white pants in an Open Championship as its almost always chilly and windy during the open.
Given what we learned above, you may wonder why some players still opt to wear other color pants on a hot and humid day. While white pants are great for hot days, they do have their issues.
The main concern with white pants is keeping them clean or sweating through the material. For these reasons, make sure you purchase quality white pants if chose to wear them.
Has The Golf Dress Code Changed?
While there are still traditional rules in place on the PGA Tour, such as long pants, shirts being tucked in, things have changed. In general, the dress code is a little more relaxed these days.
In recent seasons, we’ve seen players playing with tapered pants, while the golf shoes worn by many of the top pros are looking more and more like sneakers each season.
It’s also becoming more and more common to see golfers on the PGA Tour wearing hooded sweatshirts, or wearing pants made from a more sports-like material than the traditional tailored slacks.
Things have certainly changed and the sport in terms of its dress code is indeed more modern now than it ever has been. So who knows, perhaps in a few years, we’ll see shorts being worn on the PGA Tour.
Final Thoughts
In summary, golfers wear long pants mainly because of tradition. The PGA Tour has always been big on keeping up with tradition.
Sure, they’ve changed some things and have become more relaxed, after all, players are afforded much more freedom than now than they once were in terms of attire, but long pants remain a must.
Will this change at some point? maybe, maybe not. Time will tell, but for now, if you switch on the PGA Tour, expect to see the best in the business striding up and down the fairways wearing the traditional long pants.
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