You may think that golfers wearing white pants (or white anything) is simply due to it being easy to pair with other colors. Or could there be another reason for it?
Golfers wear white pants to keep their look minimal yet sophisticated. It is the continuation of a legacy that started sometime in 1930. Back then, golf veterans began to replace their plus-four knickers with white trousers to create and complement an official look.
This post discusses factors a golfer should consider while wearing white pants and whether white pants are only for professional players.
Considerations for Wearing White Pants To Play Golf
No matter how confident you feel about adding white pants to your golf wardrobe, there are a few crucial factors to consider before donning them on the course.
Pick the Right Weather
If the weather report includes a rain forecast, you should leave the white pants in the closet. On the other hand, wearing white pants in the scorching heat of a sunny day may give you immense comfort, as lighter colors generally don’t absorb as much heat as darker ones do.
You can also use white on a mildly temperate day if it’s tailored with warm fabric.
Be Mindful of the Spectators
If you’re playing on a course with a crowd that mostly consists of familiar faces, wearing white pants can feel effortless.
However, if the venue hosts fickle spectators from your rival fanbase (meaning there’s a huge possibility of getting colored flakes all over your pants), wearing white might not be the brightest idea.
Keep the Look Minimal
As white pants tend to become the star of the course, you must tone down your other accessories. You can compliment your white pants with a basic polo in darker shades such as navy blue, black, or gray.
Then, pick a white belt, gloves, and a classic pair of white shoes to finalize the look. If you prefer, top it off with a white hat to look sporty.
Prioritize Your Comfort
Not everyone can pull off white trousers. Therefore, if you’re not confident about carrying white deep into the rigors of the golf course, don’t wear it only for fashion.
You can replace them with go-to shades, such as blue, navy, and black, once every three matches to add variation to your look.
Are Professional Golfers Bound To Wear White Pants?
Professional golfers aren’t exclusively bound to wear white pants. It depends on personal preferences and tournament rules that may dictate specific dress codes. For example, some golf courses don’t allow more than one player to wear white pants in a match.
However, in the case of the star players, whatever they wear sets a style standard for the golf wardrobe. For example, Tiger Woods wore blue, black, green, bright coral, and even red pants at each stage of the iconic 2009 British Open Championship, setting up sartorial trends to follow.
Conclusion
Golfers wear white pants in the PGA tournament to stand out from the crowd. So, wearing white pants will defeat the purpose if other players already appear in the same color.
Therefore, consider factors such as the venue, weather, other players’ preferences, rules implemented by particular tournaments, and personal comfort before settling for white pants.