This is a beginner’s guide to planning your golf outfit. What you need, what you might not need, and what you might want to consider in the near future if you haven’t already! This guide uses white golf clothing and white golf accessories as an example of what types of choices are out there for you to sport on the golf course!
If you’re just starting out with golf, when it comes to clothes to wear out on the course, you may not need to invest all that much. There’s a good chance you can find golf appropriate attire to wear from clothes that you already own. But different golf courses have different rules, and some may be more strict with attire that they require of you, so it’s always best to check the course you’ll be golfing at.
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>> Search for golf clothes at Columbia GOLF
Basic components of a golf outfit
Side note!
See about the best shoes for hiking in Hawaii and what to wear snorkeling in Hawaii! And for Hawaii vacation ideas, see the best things to do in Waikiki that will give you Hawaii vibes!
Shirt
For women, you can typically wear either a standard short sleeve shirt or a sleeveless shirt as long as it has a collar. For men, you typically need to at least wear a shirt that has sleeves and a collar. Pretty much any nice looking shirt you already own would probably work out just fine as far as acceptable golf attire goes. But just because it looks nice doesn’t necessarily make it the most comfortable for golfing! So what makes a shirt comfortable?
If you’re out on the course for a few hours, especially in the heat of the day, it’s likely that you’re going to sweat. And this is what makes it not such a bad idea to invest in clothing that will keep your sweat from becoming too big of a distraction.
That’s why you want to try to find clothing that will help to wick moisture from sweat away from your skin. If sweat is an issue for you, you especially want to try to avoid cotton as cotton is good at absorbing your sweat which then makes it easy for your wet shirt to stick to your skin.
Consider golf tops like the Puma Pounce Sleeveless Golf Polo and Nike Dri-fit Micro Pique Polo for women or the Nike Golf Victory Solid Polo for men. These shirts are made with material that’s designed to keep you drier than standard shirts would.
Pin the women’s polo for later!
Pin the men’s polo for later!
Golfing in cooler temperatures
In cooler temperatures, you want to start thinking about wearing a long sleeve shirt or jacket that’s not too constricting. When selecting what to wear, you want to choose something that will give you the mobility for your arms in particular that a swing requires. You don’t want the shirt you wear to have any major negative impact on your swing because of your shirt feeling too tight in your shoulders.
When looking for long sleeve clothing, for women, consider the Puma Long Sleeve Golf Polo. For men, consider the Nike Victory Long Sleeve Polo, Nike Therma-Fit Cover-up Jacket, or Columbia Omni-wick Shotgun Pullover. All of these clothes are geared towards the active person and can allow good movement while keeping you warm.
Pin the women’s jacket for later!
Pin the men’s jacket for later!
Shorts or pants
Similar to shirts, you want to wear shorts or pants that will not make your legs feel wet and sticky especially when it’s a hot day. The way to have the best chances of minimizing this is to wear something that’s breathable and slightly loose fitting so that they can be comfortable to wear too.
For shorts, consider Adidas Essentials Bermuda Golf Shorts for women and Adidas Climalite 3-stripes Golf Shorts for men. For pants, consider Adidas Adistar Ankle Length Golf Pants for women and Adidas Climalite Tour Tech Pants for men. Although you will likely feel comfortable in all of these shorts and pants, the Climalite feature is a sure indication that the clothes are made with material that will help to wick moisture from your sweat away from your skin, keeping you drier than your normal clothes.
Shoes
For shoes, if you don’t have golf-specific shoes, running shoes or another type of athletic shoes you have would typically be acceptable to wear on the golf course. But once you want to start investing more into golf, do you really need golf-specific shoes? Or would it be just fine continuing to play in the running shoes or walking shoes you already have? Of course it’s up to you, but here are some points to consider about how golf shoes can possibly help your game.
Golf shoes are designed to take into consideration specific movements that you make while you are playing. This translates to producing shoes that provide more stability and balance. Having more stability in your shoes will help to keep your feet from shifting or slipping unnecessarily as you take your swing. Since form is what matters for your golf swing, from head to toe, having this added assistance in your footing can possibly help your overall swing. Having a level of flexibility in your shoes can also be beneficial if you’re playing on varied terrain, which is taken into consideration when designing golf shoes.
Along with these features, having a pair of shoes that are breathable and comfortable to walk in over long distances can add to your overall golfing experience. The Adidas Response Light Golf Shoes for women and Adidas Adipower Boost Golf Shoes for men are examples of golf shoes that consider the movements and comfort of a golfer out on a course.
Extra golf accessories
Hat or visor
If you’re out on the golf course with the sun shining down on you, it’s a good idea to cover your exposed skin with sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun. It’s also a good idea to protect your face and eyes from the sun’s potentially damaging rays. A visor like the Nike Tech Tour Golf Visor or Nike Tech Golf Visor specifically for women can be an ideal visor to wear when you’re playing golf.
These visors are ideal for when you’re out on the course sweating because it’s made of moisture-wicking material to prevent sweat from building up under your visor. The mesh design also allows for more air flow, making it a more breathable visor. These things mean that it can help to keep you cooler than a standard visor.
If you like the idea of wearing a full hat, opt for a hat like the Nike Dri-Fit Swoosh Perforated Hat that gives you the features that the mentioned visors do in that it’s a moisture-wicking hat to prevent sweat from getting trapped close to your head.
You do want to make sure to wear a golf visor or golf hat if you’re golfing in hot weather out in the sun because you don’t want the sun to zap extra energy out of you! You don’t want your golf game to suffer!
Pin the visor for later!
Pin the hat for later!
Golf towel
It would be helpful to pack a towel so you can easily wipe off your clubs or balls when necessary to clean or dry them. Of course, any towel can do the trick of wiping things. A golf-specific towel like the Under Armour Golf Towel will have a special built-in feature so you’ll be able to clip the towel to your golf bag to use it conveniently without having to dig through your bag to access the towel when you need it.
Golf glove
As with most things about choosing specific golf apparel, golf gloves are a matter of personal choice. You may feel fine without a golf glove, or over time you may feel like you’d like to give a try a golf glove like the Nike Dura Feel Golf Glove for men and Nike Dura Feel Golf Glove for women. Gloves can help to enhance your grip on the club to improve your shot. Gloves can also do their part in preventing blisters from developing.
Just be sure to get the correct glove based on whether you are right-handed or left-handed. You typically want to get the glove for your non-dominant hand.
Compression arm sleeves
You may come across some golfers every now and then who wear arm sleeves when they are golfing. Those are probably not just sleeves to protect against the sun, although that’s not a bad idea! They are probably compression sleeves. There are some golfers who may wear compression socks out on the course, or after they’re done golfing, or both.
The idea behind any kind of compression gear, including compression sleeves like the Zensah Compression Arm Sleeves is that they aid in muscle recovery. Golfers who wear compression sleeves will probably tell you that it helps them to recover better after they’ve worked their muscles hard out on the course. There is some controversy over the true value of compression gear, but those who do use it will tell you it works!
If you decide to get compression sleeves, make sure you’re buying a pair, and not just a single sleeve.
Pin the compression sleeves for later!
Golf GPS watch or laser rangefinder
So the more time you spend out on the golf course, you may decide you like the idea of being able to use some golf technology to improve your game. You could go with a golf GPS watch like the Garmin Approach S4 GPS Golf Watch or Callaway GPSy Golf GPS Watch. Or you could go with a laser rangerfinder like the Nikon Coolshot 20 Golf Laser Rangefinder.
Whether you want to go with a watch or a rangefinder comes down to what you are looking for in this type of golf technology device. A watch can be easier and more convenient to use since it’s located on your wrist for easy access. If you like to track your stats, you may also be in favor of a watch for the amount of numbers it can provide. Depending on the type of course you play on, such as a course that’s not supported by the GPS watch or one with a bit of elevation changes, a rangefinder may be more effective.
And if you use your phone for any sort of golf apps, then it would only be fitting to whip out your phone with a golf-themed phone case for all your golf fun!
Pin the watch for later!
Pin the rangefinder for later!
Pin the phone case for later!
Golf bag
A good golf bag can offer you convenience throughout the course. A golf bag like the Nike Sport Cart III Golf Bag has a bunch of strategically designed pockets, some of which you can zip up. This makes it easier to organize all your items so you can locate them easily. Some golf bags also come with an insulated cooler which can become a great feature to have if you’re playing golf on a hot day. And, if you decide to go with that laser rangefinder, you can find a golf bag with an easy-access pocket for you to grab that device from quickly and conveniently!
HAPPY GOLFING!
>> How to prevent common golf injuries
>> Layer up for winter properly so you stay warm and safe
>> Search for golf clothes at Columbia GOLF
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🐠 Here are things you must consider packing!
- Swimsuit or swimming shirt aka rash guard
- rash guard: swim set for women and swim shirt for men
- Water shoes
- Waterproof phone case (so you can capture pictures of fishies underwater!)
- cheapo phone case OR waterproof camera
- I also have this "camera" wrist float to attach to my cheapo waterproof phone case so my phone won't sink to the bottom of the ocean in case I somehow let go of it. (Mine does stay afloat - test this for yourself before completely trusting it!)
- Swimming goggles or snorkeling mask set
- Reef-safe(r) sunscreen
- lightweight travel towel:
- walking sandals:
I also don't go snorkeling without a personal swim float buoy. Not only does it help to keep me visible, but it makes for a perfect way to rest out in deeper water! Oh, and it also serves as a dry bag so I can take stuff into the water with me.
Another way I have taken valuables into the water with me is to wear a travel money belt that I don't mind getting wet with salt water (it's not waterproof but I have several so I just use one of them) and then I put things in a ziplock freezer bag, and put that freezer bag in the money belt.
There are also designated waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
see more:
- What to wear hiking
- What to wear snorkeling