If you don’t own a pair of traditional or modern golf pants, you may be wondering if you can wear a pair of jeans to your next outing. While it may not seem like a big deal, golf attire is taken quite seriously by many clubs and courses. So before you head to the golf course, it will be useful to know if you can just slip on that pair of jeans, or if you should continue digging through your laundry to find something else.
Can You Play Golf in Jeans? The short answer is no, jeans and denim are not allowed to be worn on most private and high-end public courses (like country clubs, resorts, etc). They have strict dress codes that prohibit players from wearing jeans. However, there are some public and lower-end golf courses that do allow jeans on their golf course.
Whether they are blue or black jeans, they are still jeans, so you must conform to whatever the rules of the course are. Generally, the more expensive a course is to play, the better chance that course has a dress code, which means no jeans or denim allowed. A good tip is to find out before playing a course you’re not familiar with. You can do that simply by calling the pro shop. It’s humiliating otherwise to find yourself rejected from a golf course.
Why Are There No Jeans on Golf Courses?
Most golf courses that prohibit jeans are typically concerned with upholding a certain appearance. Without a dress code, many of these exclusive places would have players walking around in unprofessional attire, which would reflect poorly on the course/club. This is why most places don’t allow jeans.
When you think about it, private clubs belong to the members or shareholders. Resort clubs belong to corporations. They can have any dress code they want. The course you’re playing is their course. Most pros wouldn’t recommend jeans anyway, as they don’t provide as much flexibility, let alone breathing room. Modern day golf pants are made for performance and style. They typically are made with stretch material for ease of movement through the golf swing. These pants tend to be made of polyester blends, so they are lightweight and breathable.
Turns out walking a full golf course in Jeans isn’t all that fun
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) June 15, 2018
They often have moisture wicking properties to keep you from getting sweaty. Jeans just aren’t good for hot weather. Golf pants usually have five pockets for golf balls, tees, a glove, and a scorecard. What’s great about golf pants is you can wear them for casual occasions. In a nutshell, jeans are not practical for the golf course.
What Other Clothing Items Are Often Banned On Golf Courses?
Jeans are not the only piece of controversial clothing on the golf course. In fact, there is a long list of clothing items that many courses and clubs prohibit members from wearing. Some of these items include:
- Tank tops
- Athletic shorts or sweatpants
- Cargo shorts
- Short shorts
- Shirts without a collar
- Hats worn backwards
Believe it or not, there are even more items than we’ve featured on this list, which can make these items hard to keep track of. So, here’s a pro tip, if you are ever confused on whether or not a golf course will allow you to wear something, assume the course you’re going to play doesn’t allow any of these articles of clothing. You would rather be safe than sorry.
So What Is With Golf Course Dress Codes?
Now we’re getting to the heart of the subject of dress codes in golf. Again, it’s their course. You must play by their rules. From the perspective of the club membership, there is a perceived obligation to be guardians or stewarts of the game. They want their players to look nice and professional on the course. This is done to preserve its integrity, in their view.
Because golf is an individual sport, there has always been the opportunity to express oneself. Jimmy Demeret wore colorful clothes. Doug Sanders wore colorful golf shoes. Payne Stewart was retro chic. There has always been great latitude in sartorial standards.
And golf has evolved, mostly for pros. On tour, beards have emerged. Shorts are okay for practice rounds. This last year, Tyrrell Hatton won a European Tour event while wearing a hoodie. Social media debated the golf hoodie for weeks. Golf “joggers” are now creeping into the game. A certain amount of evolution is good for growing the game of golf, but where should the line be drawn?
Will you wear joggers, high-tops or tights on the course?
RT = Oh yeah!
Like = No way!https://t.co/ShCwnKL0YT pic.twitter.com/1015jaZMMg— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) February 17, 2016
Golf is not a menial job. And it’s not a sweat sport. Traditionally it was considered a gentleman’s game (or ladies game). Golfers, after all, are expected to call rules on themselves.
Baseball has an umpire. Fans look upon spitballs and loaded bats with bemusement. And the players wear uniforms. Golf uniforms will never happen.
Golf, however, is held above other sports. Golf courses are hallowed grounds, especially the ones sculpted by the likes of Donald Ross and Alistair MacKenzie. Some members of these exclusive clubs believe that slovenly dress defiles their places of golf worship.
As an added benefit of a dress code to a club, every once in a while the pro shop gets to make a sale of a collared shirt or proper length shorts to the unprepared or ill prepared golfer. It’s reasonable to expect that if you can afford to play a high end club, you can afford appropriate golf attire.
Why Not Drop the Dress Codes?
A good case can be made for that. We need to grow the game, which has seen a decline since the “Tiger Boom.” Do kids want to start playing a game that is known for stuffiness and elitism? It’s important for young golfers to know the rules and etiquette. (There are plenty of well dressed golfers that don’t follow the rules and don’t rake bunkers or fix ball marks.) This twitter denizen perhaps has the right perspective:
“You let children play in hoodies and tracksuit bottoms?”
“Yeah, we do”
It’s the playing thats important ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/lgNskIBIu8
— Thomas Devine 💙 (@ThomasDevinePGA) May 11, 2019
What Should You Wear If You Don’t Have Golf Pants?
There are plenty of alternatives to golf pants out there for those of you who don’t own a pair. In fact, many golfers don’t own a pair of regular golf pants. But it’s a good idea to invest in a pair of golf pants. More serious golfers should purchase a couple pairs. You can get golf pants online. Here are some choices:
or for more colorful pants:
Expect to pay around $80-90. You can get end-of-season or previous year pants on discount golf stores for around $65. Loudmouth pants will cost around $110. But there’s no need to spend that kind of money. Dockers from Amazon will work. Dockers might not be produced for athletic performance, but they adhere to dress codes, they will keep you warm, and the khakis will go with anything. Some good advice is to dress for golf. It’s not hard, and it can actually be fun. Jimmy Demeret, Doug Sanders, and Payne Stewart had fun with it.
