Choosing the Best Clothing Material for a Comfortable Day of Golfing
What Are the Best Materials for Golf Clothing?
Finding the most comfortable clothing for playing golf is often more challenging than one would expect. But considering the demands required of golf clothing, from the course to the clubhouse and often back to the office, it’s easy to see why you might struggle finding the perfect ensemble.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of finding shirts and pants that blend style, fit, and comfort with athletic performance is choosing between the numerous types of materials these garments are made from. Which materials are best for golf shirts and pants and how do you match them with your needs? The key to choosing the perfect golf attire is awareness of the options, especially when it comes to types of material available. We’ve put together this guide to choosing the best clothing material for a comfortable day of golfing to make it easy for you!
Common Golf Shirt Materials
Golf apparel is made from a wide range of materials, but anyone who’s spent a hot summer day on the course can tell you some materials are noticeably superior to others when it comes to golf pants, shirts, shorts, and skirts.
Synthetic Blends
Synthetic blends such as polyester, spandex, and rayon have come to dominate the world of performance fabrics for golf shirts, and for good reason. These performance fabrics are lightweight and often incorporate moisture-wicking technology for breathability, which delivers high levels of comfort even in the heat.
With that said, the synthetic fabric blends are often not moisture wicking on their own—they have to be sprayed with chemicals to maintain this property. Because of the chemicals in these performance fabrics, some people may experience skin problems or discomfort. But more importantly, they simply don’t perform as well as some naturally moisture-wicking material alternatives. Also keep in mind, the more you wash these materials, the more they lose their ability to wick moisture. Examples of these synthetic blends include most of the big brands, including Nike, Puma, Oakley, Callaway, Under Armor, Adidas, and more, because they’re economical to produce. While these are a solid choice over fabrics like cotton that trap moisture, there are some better alternatives.
Bamboo Viscose
When you’d prefer a material that features moisture-wicking and breathability without requiring harsh chemicals, bamboo viscose has you covered. Even better, this material is 100% biodegradable, making it sustainable, and non-irritating to the skin, along with having natural odor-blocking abilities.
Bamboo viscose is often blended with cotton to create shirts that provide the comfort and softness of cotton while providing the moisture-wicking, breathable aspects of performance fabrics. If that’s not enough to convince you, bamboo viscose also provides natural UPF 50+ sun protection, preventing you from getting burned while out on the course. Superior breathability keeps you cool and comfortable, and fast drying moisture-wicking properties with anti-odor technology keep you looking (and smelling) your best when you have to head to the clubhouse or office after your round.
Cotton
We’re all familiar with this classic material. But, when it comes to golf clothes, it can be one of the worst choices if you’re playing in the heat. While comfortable and breathable when dry, once cotton gets soaked with sweat, it doesn’t dry quickly. Worse, it doesn’t have natural moisture-wicking properties to draw sweat away from your body, so it gets wet fast once you get hot.
Once you start sweating on the course, cotton absorbs the sweat and holds it right close to your skin. Aside from being uncomfortable, it’s also not the professional look you want whether on or off the course. Cotton shirts are comfortable when dry, but that comfort fades fast in the heat. Because of this, cotton is a material that’s best when blended with other materials that can add moisture-wicking properties, or when the temperatures on the course are cooler.
Golf Pant Materials
The most common materials when it comes to golf pants, shorts, and skits are cotton, polyester, and blends of the two, unlike golf shirts that have materials pushing the boundaries of fabric performance. Let’s cover what you’ll find and which options might be best for you.
Cotton Twill
Cotton twill is most commonly used in the construction of fashion chinos, and are composed of 100% cotton. These materials are often found in solid colors or plaid patterns, are soft to the touch, have a forgiving texture, are relatively eco-friendly, and provide comfort in cooler temperatures. This makes a dependable material whether on or off the course, but isn’t the best choice for hotter temperatures, as it doesn’t wick moisture or dry quickly once soaked with sweat.
Cotton and Elastane
Cotton blended with elastane has a similar look and feel to cotton twill, but the addition of Elastane enables the material to stretch when you move, providing more comfort whether you’re taking swings or driving to the office. Typically, the Elastane accounts for 3%-10% of the material, and can be found in solid colors or plaid patterns. The material has a soft, stretchy feel and quality texture, making it great for both on and off-course wear.
Polyester
Polyester is commonly used in high-end sportswear and golf clothing. This material features a nice sheen along with lightweight when compared with cotton. Colors range from solid colors to plaid patterns, and the fabric is extremely breathable, moisture-wicking, and soft with a luxurious texture. While the merits are strong for on-course wear, their sporty appearance makes them less appropriate for transitions to the office.
Polyester and Elastane
Featuring a similar look and feel to polyester, the addition of a percentage of elastane enables this fabric to stretch with the movement of the body, delivering greater freedom of movement than polyester alone. This material has a nice sheen and is lightweight in contrast to cotton, and comes in similar color options to regular polyester. Similar to polyester, clothing made from this material blend lends itself better to the course than boardroom.
Enhance Your Golf Experience with the G-Rok Golf Cart Speaker
Once you’ve found the most comfortable clothing for a day on the course, it’s time to cue up some good tunes. With the G-Rok golf cart speaker, you can wirelessly stream music from your phone to the canopy of your cart by magnetically mounting it to the roof supports or anywhere else with magnetic metal. From home to the course, this powerful little speaker can fill your space with sound.
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Jessica Petyo
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