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Since the end of the COVID pandemic, golf has undergone a global growth spurt, attracting and, most impressively, retaining a considerable number of new players. Outside of the US & Mexico, the sport boasts an estimated 42.7 million on-course golfers, an increase of 3.1 million since 2022 and a 44% increase on the 29.6 million players registered in 2016 (R&A). In the US and Mexican markets, growth is similarly impressive. In 2024, a total of 28.1 million people played golf on-course, with another 19.1 million participating off-course, at driving ranges, simulators, and other similar venues. In these regions, golf is attracting around 3.3 million new players annually (NGF).
Golf’s exceptional growth figures are indicative of a sport in excellent health. But they don’t tell the whole story. New players bring with them new attitudes and ways of engaging with the game. For instance, the shorter nine-hole format is increasingly popular (GCMA), allowing golfers to fit the sport in around otherwise busy lives. Younger players also tend to refresh and revitalise aspects of sport that are perhaps too wedded to tradition.
Nowhere is this more evident than in golf apparel. While golf is rightly proud of its traditions, there has been a concerted move away from the restrictive dress codes of the past, enabling greater self-expression. At the same time, the interest in performance apparel evident across the entire textile sector is particularly noticeable in golfwear. Golfers want clothing that leverages new technology to guarantee comfort, improve focus, and optimize performance.
In this guide, we explore everything players need to know about modern golf apparel and how to build the ideal golf wardrobe for 2026. From the latest aesthetic trends to cutting-edge performance technologies such as Polygiene® StayFresh and Polygiene® StayCool, our golf outfit ideas ensure you’re ready to take to the course in style.
Traditionally, golf attire was formal and typified by muted color palettes, straight trousers, single-shade polos, and classic sweaters. While many of these features remain an important part of the modern wardrobe, attitudes are evolving. Clothing is brighter, bolder, and more technologically advanced. We’ve identified three main factors driving these changes:
Interestingly, these changes are occurring in a sport renowned for its sense of history and heritage. While golf clothing is changing, it is doing so within certain constraints. For instance, many courses and tournaments still impose dress codes. Forward-thinking brands, courses, and tournaments view this as an opportunity. Balancing tradition and innovation requires creativity, and golf outfit ideas that are unique to the sport generate excitement and a sense of identity.
The modern golfing wardrobe includes several on-course staples. However, these classic items are being reinvented to meet the needs of today’s golfers.
The classic polo is the cornerstone on which an on-course golf outfit is built. It’s synonymous with golf and is often required by club dress codes. That said, modern polos now feature a host of improvements on traditional designs. These include:
As our understanding of bio-dynamics and sport science have developed, we’ve become increasingly aware of the importance of the lower half of the body in golf. Our legs, hips, and rear play a major role in stability, power generation, and weight distribution, and need to be comfortable and free to move. As such, shorts and trousers are now designed to provide structure without restricting rotation or bending. Contemporary designs often include:
When it comes to golf outfit ideas for women, golf skirts and skorts are a popular alternative to shorts and trousers, especially in warmer weather. Skorts incorporate supportive inner shorts for improved comfort and confidence and often include innovative features, such as moisture-wicking technologies. Other developments include:
While we all wish we could play in year-round sunshine, that’s not always possible. Consequently, mid layers and quarter-zip pullovers are often used to keep warm when the weather is a little wetter and temperatures are lower. On today’s designs, you might find:
While sunglasses shield the eyes from glare, headwear protects against the sun, and gloves improve grip – all of which are necessary when you’re looking to post the best score possible. In these items, you’ll often see:
With the sheer variety of golf outfit ideas on the market, knowing exactly what you want and need can be challenging. With this in mind, here are our top tips for the technologies and features you should look out for when you’re next making a purchase.
Though golf isn’t the most physically intense sport, sweat and body odor are still big issues. Golfers are often out in warm weather for long periods, put in short bursts of energy-intensive activity, and face stress and pressure when playing shots. All these factors trigger perspiration. That sweat provides odor-causing bacteria with the ideal conditions for growth, resulting in potentially unpleasant odors.
Anti-odor technologies like Polygiene StayFresh are integrated into textiles to prevent bacterial growth and associated smells, keeping you fresher for longer. It’s a great technology for golfers who want to maximize comfort and confidence, and don’t want to have to change or worry about odors after they’ve left the course and are going about their day.
When it comes to golf polos, cotton is no longer your only choice. Brands are manufacturing designs in various fabrics, many of which benefit from natural moisture-wicking capabilities and improved breathability. Bamboo is an increasingly popular choice, as are synthetics that have been specifically engineered for improved breathability.
While more breathable materials allow for greater air circulation, moisture-wicking fabrics enhance the fabric’s ability to transfer moisture away from the skin for easier evaporation. Both keep you cooler while you’re on course.
But you don’t just have to rely on natural fabrics to keep you cool. One of the textile industry’s most significant recent developments is the emergence of thermo-regulatory additive technologies like Polygiene StayCool. Polygiene StayCool improves moisture-wicking capabilities and enhances the evaporative cooling effect, while incorporating a moisture-activated matrix that reduces textile temperature upon contact with sweat.
On long days, in warm conditions, this built-in cooling can have an enormous impact on a golfer’s comfort and performance.
All golfers want to ensure they benefit from as much freedom of movement as possible. When designed poorly, clothing can impair mobility, restricting your swing and preventing you from hitting shots to the best of your ability. Manufacturers have responded to these issues by making better use of four-way stretch materials to support full torso rotation and enhance comfort throughout the swing.
It’s not just stylish golf outfit ideas that are popular. Clothing durability is a hot topic across the textile industry at the moment, with more brands transitioning away from short-life consumables and toward long-life durables. In part, this is due to the increased focus on environmental sustainability. However, it’s also being driven by the fact that consumers don’t want to repeatedly spend money on items that wear out too quickly.
In one respect, durability is about textile choice, design, and the quality of manufacturing. Golf clothing should withstand sun exposure, wet weather, regular use, and the friction caused by the golf swing. Here, elements like reinforced seams and fade-resistant fabrics are valuable. But manufacturers can also enhance durability in other ways. For instance, Polygiene StayFresh’s advanced odor control is designed to ensure golfers do not need to wash their clothes as regularly. As washing machines cause premature wear and tear, less frequent washing can extend product lifespan considerably, resulting in a more durable design.
Polygiene StayFresh is an antibacterial odor control technology that brands integrate into their textiles during manufacturing. This ensures it is IN fabrics, rather than on them, preventing leaching and ensuring the solution doesn’t wash out. Its main active ingredient is silver chloride, which occurs naturally in soil and water and has been used for its antibacterial properties for thousands of years. This technology prevents bacterial growth and the odors associated with bacteria in three main ways:
As most smells we associate with body odor are actually the product of bacteria’s metabolic processes, this keeps clothes smelling and feeling fresher for longer. For golfers, this translates to:
Polygiene StayCool is our groundbreaking cooling technology. It helps regulate body temperature via improved moisture wicking and a unique thermo-reactive polymer matrix that binds to fabric fibers and activates upon contact with sweat, cooling the fabric between 2 – 3°C (4.3 – 5.4°F) almost instantly. Just like our other additive solutions, it is applied to textiles during manufacturing and guarantees long-lasting performance.
For golfers, the benefits are clear.
Golf brands using Polygiene technologyCurrently, a wide range of sports and performance apparel manufacturers integrate Polygiene Freshness technologies into their products. In the golf industry, Bunker Mentality leads the way. A UK-based golf apparel brand, Bunker Mentality focuses on producing high-performance clothing that looks fantastic and is available in a remarkably diverse array of styles. It achieves this through a progressive on-demand manufacturing model. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes, Bunker Mentality polos are made to order, cutting waste and enabling the brand to move quickly and agilely in response to emerging trends. The result is an ever-changing lineup of beautiful polos, all of which are treated with Polygiene StayFresh for advanced odor control.Learn more about Bunker Mentality on our dedicated partner page.
We’re going to end our guide with a quick rundown of great golf outfit ideas for men and women looking to look, feel, and play their best in 2026. If you’re looking to put together a Masters-winning on-course outfit (without the green jacket), here are the key golf clothing trends you need to know.
If you’re interested in learning more about Polygiene Freshness technology, head to our solutions page. Our experienced team is also always available to discuss how Polygiene technology can enhance product value if your brand wants to distinguish its products from the competition and deliver more for customers.
Get in touch today.
