30 Golf Shirts That Aren't Your Father's Polos (2024)

What counts as an appropriate "

golf shirt" in the modern era of the sport? Depending on where you're playing, the course (or club) may provide you some direction, but amid a long overdue dress code reckoning, golf's cultural overlords are finally loosening their grip on the pretentiousness of yesteryear.

That means, yes, polos are still appropriate, but they're getting cooler just like golf is. But it also means mock necks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and even button-downs of the short-sleeved variety can be styled into a "golf shirt" with ease. Gone are should be the days of looking around at the crowd outside the starter hut and peering through a sea of pre-school prints and poly blends. Honestly, grabbing a shirt that works double-duty for you on the golf course and in your everyday isn't just a good wardrobe decision, it's an economical one, too. (Eat sh*t, inflation!)

Don't get us wrong. Many of the best golf shirts of 2023 come from household names in the Golf Shirt Business, like Nike, Ralph Lauren, and Bonobos. But with an injection of brands like Australian newcomers Walker Golf Things and Left of Field, and classic menswear pillars like GANT, Sid Mashburn, and Tommy Hilfiger, it may just be—dare I say it?—the most exciting time in recent memory to wear a polo shirt.

Just remember, if you're ever in doubt about a golf course or club's dress code, dress yourself exactly how you want to, and then throw a collared shirt in your trunk in case one of the bad guys calls you out.

An affordable golf shirt you can probably get delivered in two days for that tee time you have in three days.

If you're looking for a little edge, look no further than Devereux. This signature skull'd and tipped polo is a great representation of a brand that doesn't take itself too seriously.

A luxe-looking, luxe-feeling, all-around great golf shirt. A testament to what good fabric and construction can do, this polo hangs naturally and neatly, and has a substantial and sturdy collar.

From the brand that owned the whole shirt conversation at the 2023 Masters, here's a more subdued but still interesting option from J.Lindeberg, who makes some of the most exciting shirts in golf.

A no-frills, no worries, moisture-wicking performance polo.

In lightweight, breathable fabric, your favorite brand in high school is cool again (ICYMI) and they make shirts that are perfect for the golf course.

If you're looking for a golf shirt that makes you easy to find in the fescue, look no further than Bonobos' rose-covered polo, inspired by elite Englishman Justin Rose.

The place where you're guaranteed to find something you love (Uniqlo) makes no exception in the polo department. Here you've got a reliable golf shirt for less than $30 from a brand you can trust. It doesn't get much easier.

A polo that speaks for itself.

This golf shirt is a perfect example of a few great things happening in the sport right now: 1. It's a full-placket button-down, not a regular ol' polo shirt. You may have thought to buy this for vacation, but put a white tank underneath and add some pleated trousers and you're ready for the first tee (and a cigarette?). 2. It harkens back to the most stylish era of golf, when guys like Arnold Palmer and Chi Chi Rodriguez strutted the fairways looking more like Hollywood Cool Guys than high performing athletes.

Sid Mashburn is no secret to menswear aficionados, but it might be simultaneously one of golf's most hidden gems and the best brand for anyone looking to walk the walk on all that "on and off the course" baloney. Sid makes a no-notes piqué pocket polo that pairs perfectly with the classics, for golfers who want to look like grown-ass adults.

Channel your inner Bond-era Connery and drape yourself in Oliver Spencer's Terry cloth polo. It'll take care of sweat like your favorite beach towel while your playing partners dunk their heads in the water hazard for a reprieve.

The best part about Brooks Brothers' best golf shirt isn't that it's their time-tested polo, but with a little more stretch. It's that it comes in three different fits, making it, probably, the most universal polo on this list.

Criquet took a Nicklaus era style and fit it for the modern game. We appreciate the opportunity it presents to take it down one more button.

It's right there in the name—a versatile golf shirt that comes in two different cuts and twenty-two (22!) colors.

From the legendary shirtmakers at GANT comes a perfectly simple, yet slightly more stee*zy golf shirt in the form of a sun-faded polo that says "I've spent some time on the course" whether that's true or not.

If you're a streetwear head who loves to show that Stone Island tag hanging off of your sleeve, but you moonlight as a golf sicko, this is the best golf shirt to buy (and flex).

It's not quiet luxury, but it's quiet and it's luxe and AMI makes some of the best no-fuss, clean-cut clothing out there. They don't market this for golf but there's no reason not to wear it to play.

Ask the coolest golfer you know to name someone changing the perception of what it means to be a golfer and they're likely to say "Cole Young." Young's Metalwood Studio—a one-man vintage golf club curation Instagram account turned full-on fashion brand you can buy at Dover Street Market—makes some of the most exciting garments in menswear right now.

Malbon has quickly become the most ubiquitous name in golf's "new wave," i.e. the surge of brands that have popped up in the past half-decade to challenge the game's old guard. This golf shirt from the peoples' champ brand shows it does subtlety as well as it does statement pieces.