Proper Women’s Golf Attire: Golf Apparel Explained with Images

Women’s golf attire must be a hugely profitable industry. Golf courses create their own proper golf attire rules and regulations, and often their dress codes seem a bit vague.

Proper Women's Golf Attire

What is Proper Golf Attire for Ladies?

The following words and phrases come up often in various courses’ women’s golf dress codes:

  • Collared
  • Presentable
  • Modest
  • Minimum length
  • Appropriate
  • Tailored
  • Proper
  • Toned-down
  • Tucked-in

Their objective is always to maintain tradition in an evolving cultural environment… in other words,  keep it classy.

Women’s Golf Attire Etiquette

Proper golf attire is part of golf etiquette.

We try to break down the different elements of proper ladies’ golf attire for you here. If you go to a golf pro shop, you may get a bit of “sticker shock,”  but you can definitely find great looking golf apparel at affordable prices. You can often find exactly what you need, second-hand, at a thrift shop or online. Believe it or not, sometimes golfers simply stop golfing for some reason, and then they sell all of their apparel, accessories, and equipment at a fraction of what it is worth.

Elements of Proper Women’s Golf Attire:

Ladies look sharp with a golf dress; shorts or slacks and an appropriate golf shirt are fine, too. With a golf dress, you can be 100% certain that you are observing proper women’s golf attire. Here is a nice, classic example of a golf dress by Callaway, a major golf apparel brand:

Collared golf shirts are the best choice for proper women’s golf attire.

Ladies actually have more leeway than gentlemen regarding golf attire, so ladies are able to wear several types of top:

Short-sleeved collared golf shirt (example below):

Long-sleeved collared golf shirt (example below):

Sleeveless collared golf shirt (example below):

Golf blouse or top:  the definitions are a bit loose, but women’s golf tops are varied, and smart-looking!

Golf-specific T-shirt: This is a risky choice. Although, as mentioned above, women’s golf attire policies at most courses are more flexible than the men’s rules, you are treading on thin ice if you show up in a T-shirt. That said, Tiger Woods’ “mock neck” or “mock turtleneck” style of golf shirt has opened up the T-shirt discussion at many courses. They are probably the least popular, however: we can’t even find a suitable image for you! It doesn’t look as though there is any ladies’ version of the Tiger Woods’ mock neck golf shirt. There are so many other flattering, practical, and acceptable styles of golf tops for women. Here is the closest thing we could find for women who are considering a mock neck T-shirt for golf:

Long Sleeved Golf Mock Neck Pullover: Ladies love to layer – the stereotype is that we’re always cold! There are some really stylish layers out there to slip on when the breeze picks up, including the mock neck look popularized by Tiger Woods. Check out this flashy pink one – but there are plenty of toned-down colours and patterns in case you like a more conservative look:

Golf pants should be “slacks” and not leggings. Many courses accept leggings but to be on the safe side, why not get some proper women’s golf apparel? Golf pants are also supposed to have belt loops.

Check this out – we found this nice, classic look in ladies golf pants with (ahem, not that you need it!) “tummy control.” If it says PGA on it, it’s probably fine for the most posh golf course – see below for these sharp-looking “PGA TOUR Women’s Pull-on Golf Pant with Tummy Control:”

The golf skort is perhaps the very best option for proper women’s golf attire, as long as the weather is warm enough to wear one. A “skort” is a combination of skirt and shorts: they are as stylish and fun-looking as a skirt, but they have very soft and comfortable shorts underneath, so that you can move freely with no worries about the breeze! Remember, some golf courses are sticky about the length of your shorts, skirts, or skorts. The word “modest” gets used a lot. Below are a couple of examples of nice, classic golf skorts with pockets for your convenience, and if you click the image, you can check them out at Amazon and have a sneak-peak at the comfortable shorts underneath the skirt:

The rule of thumb for the length of a golf skirt is that it must be at least long enough that your fingertips at least reach the bottom of the skirt when you are standing straight with your arms down at your sides.

Tennis skirts may be interchangeable with golf skirts, but they can be shorter than permissible at a golf course, so make sure you get your measurements correct.

Frankly, we can’t even find a non-skort golf skirt on Amazon (where we are able to grab helpful images for you). Below are some more golf skorts …because they are awesome!

First, here is a golf skort that looks sharp, looks “modest,” has some awesome pockets, and really looks just like a skirt:

Second, here is the PGA skort which is specially for golf, so the length should not be any problem – but it doesn’t seem to have pockets, which is a deal-breaker for Ali (!):

Golf shorts are not always permitted at golf courses, but as you can imagine, most golf courses allow them, especially in view of hot weather. There are caveats, however: not too short and not too tight. Golf shorts must be just slightly above the knee and must be loose fitting like business-casual slacks. Think: “Bermuda shorts.” One other thing: golf shorts should have belt loops. This is not necessarily enforced, but it is considered “proper.”

Here is a good example of women’s golf shorts:

Golf shoes are almost never mandatory, but they are highly recommended. It is not out of the question to play golf with ordinary athletic shoes, but it is frowned upon! Golf shoes have cleats and really do help with your swing… plus you look natty on the golf course.

Here are some utterly classic looking women’s golf shoes (they come in pure white also):

Here is a pair of awesome, new-tech women’s golf shoes with a different lacing system that gives you extra stability in your swing (again, they also come in pure white):

You can wear pretty much any kind of hat you like on the golf course, but there are certain popular or classic-looking golf hats that will make you feel fabulous while you shield your face from the elements.

Here is a popular golf hat style (my favourite! I have two!): it’s a “visor,” which won’t squish your hair or overheat your head but gives your eyes a break from the sun, so that you can see your ball. If you have long hair you don’t even really need to tie it up when you wear this hat, but if you have a pony tail or even a bun or top-knot, you’re good:

Here is another option if you want “coverage” and a classic look: a Nike “Classic99” golf hat:

Golf gloves really are a must, even though they are not mandated as attire at the course; they simply help your game. White gloves are a classic look, like these Callaway Optiflex women’s golf gloves:

I like black gloves, though, because they wear-out before they show any sign of wear. My first glove was white and didn’t stay that way for long and I always felt grubby. In fact, I like to wear two black gloves because it feels weird to me to wear only one. I can’t say it’s good for your game because I’m not a good golfer, but nobody seems to notice or care. I might consider pink next time… here’s a cool women’s golf glove:

Cool women's golf gloves in pink