Did you ever watch a golf game and noticed golfers wearing something shiny on their belts? It can’t be a personal accessory as multiple golfers wear them. “What are those shiny, round objects golfers wear on their belts?” you ask.
Golfers wear a players badge or clip on their belts in larger tournaments that serve as professional ID cards. If golfers don’t wear them and the security doesn’t recognize them, they might be banned from entering. Every golfer in a tournament gets a badge.
Like many things in golf, players badges bear older roots. Today, they have a more practical use. Keep reading to learn about players badges and if golfers have to carry them.
What You Need To Know About Players Badges
Larger golf tournaments, like PGA TOUR, incorporate players’ badges which golfers need to wear in a visible spot. These badges are like IDs, as they don’t tell you personal information about golfers, but they’re a sign a badge-wearer is a golfer.
So, when security doesn’t recognize a golfer, they look for their badge. If they don’t notice one, they will usually stop that person, not knowing they’re professional players.
Belts are the best place for golfers to keep their badges clipped to as belts are visible.
Security can easily spot a badge clipped on a belt rather than anywhere else. Golfers get new badges when they register for a tournament.
New badges should show a tournament’s logo and the current year.
Do Golfers Need To Wear Their Badges?
Nobody can force professional golfers to wear their badges, and in fact, the most famous golfers usually don’t wear them since everybody knows them. For less-known golfers, however, that can create some trouble.
When a security officer didn’t recognize Jonathan Kaye, who didn’t have his badge on him, he didn’t allow him to enter. This episode created a mess that followed Kaye long after the tournament.
So, if you’ve registered for a golf tournament and received a badge, clip it to your belt for good measure.
Players Badges: Tradition and New Necessity
One of the great beauties of golf is the continuity of tradition. In the past, golfers received PGA money clips that served the same purpose as players’ badges. Today, these traditional money clips are more of a status symbol.
However, badges prove to be a practical accessory also. In 2020, the Memorial Tournament in Ohio used RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips in badges that tracked where golfers and spectators were on the field.
Optional Accessories Golfers Wear on Their Belts
Apart from players’ badges, you’ll sometimes notice golfers wearing other accessories attached to their belts. These are usually glove holders with a clip that golfers attach to their belts. Most golfers keep gloves in their back pockets, but glove holders are more practical.
For instance, GOuft makes glove holders with a retractable cord for easier access to your gloves.
Final Thoughts
Professional golfers wear players’ badges on their belts, which are like ID cards. They don’t reveal personal information, but security uses them to identify pro golfers. If golfers don’t have their badges in a visible spot, security can stop them from entering if they don’t recognize those golfers.
Belts are the most convenient place for golfers to keep their badges and be visible. Some golfers also wear glove holders with a clip attached to their belts.