admin Writing about the best golf clothing brands in 2023 is a much heartier and more entertaining endeavor than it would have been, say, a decade ago when the industry was still dominated by sportswear giants and conservative pro-shop brands. Those icons still loom large, and many for good reason (sometimes you just want a damn good golf shoe), but mixed in are a suite of new-guard brands that bring streetwear, nostalgia, and humor into their designs, and inclusivity into their brand ethos, in an effort to revolutionize the sport’s conservative and elitist codes.
Now, instead of a sea of shiny, boxy polo shirts, you’ve got bucket hats, rugby-inspired polos, and workwear-inspired golf pants. You’ve got knits that fit, and T-shirts that help you spread the gospel of golf when you aren’t on the links. Mix and match to create your flyest, and most functional, golf wardrobe ever. (And if you need styling inspiration just look at these three.) These are the brashest, boldest, and all-around best golf clothing brands on the planet right now.
If you want a nod to the ‘90s Golf Dad aesthetic without actually buying striped performance polos and pleated khakis from the pro shop, Adidas Golf will send you in the right direction. The shoes are chunky, the shorts are knee-length, and you’ll find boxy polos and half-zip pullovers as far as the arm can swing.
Macklemore fell in love with golf a couple of years ago, and because he’s a Grammy-award winning rapper and loves to Get Dressed (his biggest hit remains “Thrift Store”), he naturally started his own golf apparel line. The aesthetic is dressy, bright, and retro in a way that’s hard to find in an industry dominated by nondescript tan pants, not to mention fun.
Last year, the NFL’s greatest quarterback debuted the first play in his post-retirement plans: Brady Brand, a Dao-Yi Chow-designed label committed to the kind of minimal-leaning athletic gear that appeals to pros and amateurs in equal measure. Brady’s retirement didn’t last long, but for those of us who don’t have an obsessive relationship with on-field glory (or who can only dream of spending every Sunday on the links), the line’s sterling selection of golf gear remains a standout, chock full of slick knit polos and the sleekest pants you’ll ever see on the back 9.
With Eastside Golf, Detroit-based founder Olajuwon Ajanaku aims to make the sport not only more stylish, but also more inclusive. The line of tees, hoodies, and accessories feature Ajanaku, a Black man, wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and gold chain in mid backswing. “There has never been a brand like us to speak authentically and knowledgeably to both sides—golf and urban culture,” Ajanaku told GQ earlier this year.
If you’re the kind of fella who winters in Aspen, summers in Nantucket, and spends the time in between jetting off to the finest courses in the country (or, you know, just want to dress like you do), your golf gear should be up to snuff. J.Lindeberg bridges the gap between capital-M menswear and performance-oriented sportswear, and its boldly-printed polos and racing-inspired jackets are built to help you stand out in the clubhouse. Even if you’re just getting in a few rounds at your local muni, you’ll feel like a guy used to closing million-dollar deals on the green.
Founded in the early aughts by Norwegian Olympic skier Lasse Kjus and Swiss entrepreneur Didi Serena, Kjus will make you feel like the Daniel Craig of your golf club, your ski club, and any other club you happen to be staking out. Think: simple, clean silhouettes, luxury fabrics, lots of navy and black.
You’ve got to hand it to Lululemon which, despite its legacy as a women’s yoga-pants brand, really brings the heat when it comes to stylish, high-performing, men’s athletic wear. While Lululemon doesn’t designate pieces exclusively for golf, it’s pretty easy to see that the brand’s famous ABC pant and breezy mesh polo shirts are primed for the green.
With Nike and Champion collaborations under its belt, and frequently sold-out drops, Malbon Golf, launched in 2017 by Stephen and Erica Malbon, feels like the independent golf brand most poised to become a future standby. It also helps that the brand has a complete collection of performance golf apparel, from socks and headwear to bags and technical pants.
Ever gazed wistfully at a picture of Arnold Palmer and wished you could look that cool on the course? Thanks to Manors Golf, now you can. The upstart label is dedicated to preserving the game’s stylistic hallmarks (sans the snobbery), all while injecting them with a jolt of much-needed youthful swagger. Think retro-doused harrington jackets, collegiate-inspired knitwear, and geezer-y sweater vests, clothing you can wear after a full 36 holes—and, more importantly, will actually want to.
Metalwood’s ‘90s-inspired collection of tees, sweatshirts, and tech-y shorts skews more golf-appreciation merch than performance wear, but that’s kind of good thing. Especially if you like watching, thinking about, and evangelizing golf as much you like actually playing it, or if you just can’t get into preppy clubhouse-wear.
Golf isn’t the most fashionable sport in the game—after all, there are no paparazzi-lined tunnels or GQ fashion awards—but Nike will change your perception of what its capable of with its sleek, futuristic line of golf attire that, most impressively, includes some excellent links-friendly sneakers.
Peter Millar is a North Carolina-based brand that launched in the early aughts. It sells heavily in resorts, which makes sense given the fact that it’s built around cashmere sweaters, polo shirts, and performance golf apparel. But they also have e-commerce and a price-to-quality ratio that’s hard to beat. (Peter Millar also owns, G/Fore, another popular, Mr Porter-stocked, US-based golf line.)
No one pleases the pros, the pro-shop novices, and the menswear heads like Ralph Lauren. That’s why the brand is the official outfitter of the U.S. Olympic team and countless major sporting events and pros, including Tom Watson and other golf greats. Wearing Ralph Lauren on any field, court, or course is basically like wearing an American flag around your body (and sometimes that’s not even a figurative statement).
If you’re the kind of guy who puts as much thought into your golf gear as your mid-century modern furnishing, then Quiet Golf represents the best way to conquer the links in equally considered style. The Orange County-based brand adorns its polos and throwback mock-neck shirts with tasteful, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them graphics, which makes for clothing that looks killer on the course—and even better on weekends you can’t fit in a round.
If you’ve got Nike taste but a Ralph Lauren golf club, Mr. Lauren’s more technical RLX Golf line is here for you. It’s sleek, modern, and performance-oriented, but with that preppy taste poking through with a quilted vest here and a contrast-color polo collar there, and plenty of navy.
Radda Golf’s polo shirts look more like rugby shirts than the typical pro-shop polo (think ultra-thin stripes and slippery fabric), which is to say you’d want to wear them off the course and outside of the clubhouse, too. Combine one with the brand’s headwear or bright golf pants and you’ve really changed the game.
Random Golf Club’s aim is to make golf more fun and inclusive through educational content, local meetups across the country, and of course, sick merch. The brand’s thematic collections include accessories like putter covers and towels, along with tees, hats, and sweatshirts that spread the RGC gospel.
Like plenty of other golf labels, Students offers a solid mix of logo-adorned polos and caps, but the coolest clothing the brand sells are the wild-style tees that would never make it past the dress code at your local country club. The cheeky graphics and trippy color combos are ripped straight from the parking lot of a Grateful Dead concert, catnip for the type of golfer who loves the game but would never lose sleep over a botched putt.
Korea’s Sunlove Tour is part of a cohort of next-gen golf labels that uses the sport as a mere jumping-off point for its whimsical polos, sweaters, and jackets. So much so, in fact, that across its arsenal of printed hoodies and soccer jersey-inspired shirts, you’d be hard-pressed to find the word “golf” stamped anywhere. You will, however, find a mix of gear that’s bold and plain fun, and most importantly, unlike anything else lining the racks at your local pro shop.
Uniqlo might not have a fully realized golf apparel collection, but the Japanese retailer’s investment in performance fabrics, not to mention its obsession with polo shirts, makes it a solid place to buy new gear. The Dry-Ex collection, for example, wicks away moisture, neutralizes odor, and has a weightless feel you’ll be grateful for during a high-summer round.
You could easily mistake Whim’s collared pullovers, suede shoes, and t-shirts for beautiful, everyday clothes, which makes sense given the brand’s tagline: “for people who might like golf”. Technical, standard-issue country-club wear this is not. And thank the golf gods for that.
