How to choose a golf polo shirt

The polo is the most worn thing in any golfer's wardrobe. It is the one layer that is on show for the whole round, in every photograph, at every handshake on the eighteenth. Most people own a drawer full and think about it for about four seconds a year. A little more thought pays off for a long time.

Here is how we would choose one.

Start with the fabric

Fabric decides almost everything else. It sets how a polo feels at the eighth hole in July, how it holds its shape after fifty washes, and whether it still looks right when you walk into the clubhouse afterwards.

Two families are worth knowing. A classic cotton pique has structure and a dry, honest hand. It breathes, it presses well, and it ages into something better. A performance jersey, usually a fine polyester blend with a touch of stretch, moves with the swing and pulls moisture off the skin on a warm day. Neither is more serious than the other. They simply suit different rounds.

What matters is the weight and the weave. A shirt that is too light goes limp and clings. Too heavy and it holds heat. A mid weight with a close, even knit is the one that behaves in most British conditions, and it is the one that still looks tidy after four hours of walking.

Get the fit right

Fit is where most polos go wrong, in both directions. Too boxy and it billows in the wind and reads as borrowed. Too tight and it fights every full turn and shows every lunch.

Aim for clean, not slim for its own sake. The shoulder seam should sit on the corner of your shoulder, not halfway down your arm. The sleeve should finish around mid bicep and skim rather than grip. The body should follow your shape with enough room to raise both arms over your head without the hem climbing off your waistband. Length is the quiet one: long enough to stay tucked through a swing, short enough to wear out over shorts without looking like a nightshirt.

If you are between sizes, size to your shoulders and chest. Everything below that is easier to live with.

Collar and colour

The collar is the detail that carries the whole shirt. A collar with a little internal structure stands up on its own and frames the face. A soft, unlined collar looks relaxed on day one and curls by the third wash. On a premium polo, the collar is where you can feel the money.

On colour, the golf world in 2026 has quietly agreed with something we have always believed. Whites, bones and soft neutrals are doing the heavy lifting, with restrained colour used as an accent rather than a shout. A white or stone polo is the most versatile thing you can own. A deep navy or a warm mid tone earns its place next. Lighter shades also sit cooler under a high sun, which is no small thing in August.

A shirt with two lives

The best golf polo does not announce that it is a golf polo. A subtle logo, a clean collar and a considered colour mean the same shirt works with tailored shorts on the course and under a jacket for dinner. That is the real value of buying well once rather than often. One good polo replaces three ordinary ones and earns its keep long after the round is over.

It is also the honest test of quiet quality. If a shirt only looks right on a fairway, it is a costume. If it looks right anywhere, it is clothing.

Where to start

Our polo shirt collection is built around this thinking. For a classic pique with a proper collar, the Mallory polo is the natural first shirt. If you want a little texture and a more finished look, the jacquard Herald polo holds a crease and a compliment. And for warm, competitive rounds where you want performance without losing the tailoring, look at the Bullock tour polo.

Buy the fabric your rounds actually call for, size to your shoulders, and choose a colour you would happily wear off the course. Do that and you will not think about your polo again, which is rather the point.