By now, most would agree that the hoodie has not only become acceptable attire on the golf course, it’s become encouraged. Golf stodginess will always remain at the most elite clubs in the world, but even at the stuffiest places, you’ll likely find a logoed hoodie in the pro shop.
That said, are there still times you want to avoid pressing your luck? Situations where the hoodie might be deemed a bit too casual? A prompt from a member of the Golf Twitter “BurnerVerse” threw some gas on the golf hoodie flame last week. Unfortunately, there is a NSFW word in the tweet in question, so I won’t post it below or even name the Twitter user, but it went a little something like this…
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“Golf thought of the day: golf hoodies are acceptable at your home club but not on the road. Going to be a guest at someplace nice? Put a ¼ [quarter] zip on.”
A true classic of the BurnerVerse genre. A thought so specific it assumes everyone reading it is constantly getting invited to nice places and finds themselves staring at the hoodie in their closet like the bat suit before leaving. All you peasants who frequent public courses can continue rocking your hoodies on the regular. This isn’t about you.
All kidding aside, I’m sure this is a situation many reading have found themselves in. I know I have. Hoodies are so acceptable now and so versatile, that it’s hard not buy them as your go-to item in every pro shop you step in. Suddenly, you find yourself with a collection of golf hoodies that you can get away with at work, a top 100 club or even a nice restaurant. You lull yourself into the belief that a piece of clothing that was once deemed casual is now fashionable. Why wouldn’t a hoodie with, say, a Baltusrol logo be acceptable to be worn at Winged Foot?
My take on this: if the club you’ve been invited to sells hoodies with the club logo on it in the pro shop, that is explicit permission for hoodies to be worn at said club. Of course, as my The Loop podcast co-host Alex Myers was quick to point out, it’s hard to know if hoodies are sold at a club you’ve never been to before. Assumptions can be dangerous in the guest-at-a-nice-club game.
“It depends who invited me, plus where I’m going,” Myers said. “You could rub someone the wrong way, and I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, but just in case, I don’t want to be the guy who they’re like ‘that guy wore a hoodie?”
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Stephen Hennessey, our resident top 100 course expert who loves a good hoodie and even asked if it was OK to wear one when he and I won the media lottery at Augusta National (it wasn’t), mostly agrees with Myers.
“If it was our Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde inviting me to Winged Foot, I probably would not wear a hoodie,” said Hennessey.
In other words, if there is any consternation in your mind over wearing a hoodie, maybe don’t tempt fate. The goal any time you get invited to a nice place is to be such a good guest and playing partner that you get invited back. You’d lose sleep if a piece of fabric was your undoing in that department.
Do you have a “stupid” golf problem? A question you’re too ashamed to ask your close friends? A conundrum that needs to be talked out in a public forum? We’re here to help. If you have etiquette-related inquiries or just want to know how to handle some of the unique on- or off-course situations we all find ourselves in, please let us know. You can email me ([email protected]) or send me a DM on Twitter/X (@Cpowers14) or on Instagram (@cpthreeve).
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com