Summer has arrived, so you better prepare yourself for those hot days on the golf course. A hat, sunglasses, moisture-wicking shorts, and a shirt are necessary.
In this post, I prepare you for the heat by unveiling our top 6 best golf shirts that will help you stay cool in hot weather.
You can maximize your comfort levels by wearing shirts that wick moisture and encourage optimal airflow. The golf polo shirts listed below are breathable, comfortable, and offer excellent UV protection to shield your skin from the sun’s rays.
What to Look for in a Good Golf Shirt
UV Protection
Before I discuss the comfort elements of a golf shirt, let me get the protective qualities out the way. When you are playing in warm weather, sun protective clothing is vital. I recommend golf shirts that provide SPF 50+ protection.
Materials that offer this protection block out approximately 98% of type B ultraviolet (UVB) rays. This is the most effective sun-fighting material on the market. If your golf shirts do not possess this level of protection, you may become sunburned during your round.
Moisture Wicking Material
The best golf shirts for hot weather contain material that wicks moisture away from the interior. This keeps you dry, refreshed, and comfortable while on the links. When your shirt fails to wick moisture, you become drenched and large wet patches grace your polo.
That look is neither comfortable nor attractive. However, it can easily be avoided with moisture-wicking fabric.
Breathability
Sticking with comfort. Breathability is the next core factor to look for in a golf shirt. This means that the material encourages maximum airflow through the material to cool your skin down.
Therefore, you do not risk overheating and sweating profusely. If you reach this point, the moisture-wicking qualities of the shirt fail, and you become drenched. That leaves you uncomfortable and miserable and can ruin your round on a beautiful day.
Stretch Fabric
Golf apparel is about more than fashion and comfort. Your shirt and pants can impact your golf swing if they lack stretchability. Golfers require the stretch fabric to optimize freedom of movement while walking and swinging.
This fabric does not restrict your movement on your backswing and follow through. As a result, it helps you maximize your power for a superior strike. Ideally, you should look at 4-way stretch golf shirts for optimal freedom on the golf course. However, these products may fetch a higher price than 2-way stretch material.
Manufacturers typically boost the stretch of their golf shirts by employing a dash of elastane or spandex. These materials outstretch well without damaging, ensuring longer-lasting clothing.
The 6 Best Golf Shirts for Hot Weather
1. Under Armour Playoff 2.0
Top pick
The Under Armour Playoff 2.0 golf shirt is a blend of polyester and elastane designed to provide comfort and optimal freedom of movement. Plus, the material keeps you cool and dry while you navigate the golf course.
Soft, anti-pill fabric is ultra-lightweight, which promotes increased airflow through the shirt. Therefore, it is incredibly breathable to keep you dry and cool during your round. In addition, the material is quick-drying to avoid drenching you on a warm day.
Moreover, the fabric wicks away moisture from the interior, preventing the build-up of sweat. This keeps you dry, refreshed and comfortable for 18-holes.
Under Armour created the Playoff 2.0 line with 4-way stretch material to encourage maximum range of motion during your swing. The stretchable material prevents arm restriction on your backswing and follow through. This enables maximum clubhead speed generation.
Ultimately, this is a relatively pricey shirt and for a good reason. It keeps you comfortable and promotes excellent freedom of movement. Lastly, it is moisture-wicking and breathable.
Pros
- Breathable
- Moisture wicking
- 4-way stretch
- Machine washable
- Multiple colors and patterns
Cons
- Moderately expensive
- It does not contain anti-odor technology
2. Puma Golf Grill to Green Polo
The Puma Golf Grill to Green Polo is packed with technology built to keep you dry, cool and protected from the sun. This design keeps you comfortable on the links and prevents your skin from roasting under the summer sun.
Puma employed DRYCELL technology to ensure dryness throughout your round. Technical performance fabric extracts the moisture from your skin, maintaining dryness and comfort.
Further enhancing your experience is a performance fit design that contains wider shoulders, sleeves, and a chest area. This allows you to produce optimal upper body rotation during your swing without restrictions. As a result, it helps you boost the power of your swing for a straight, long golf shot.
UPF 40+ material means that the shirt blocks out 1/40th of the sun’s radiation to which your skin is exposed. Therefore, you stand a higher chance of walking off the golf course with limited sunburn. Lastly, the Puma Grill to Green Polo is easy to maintain thanks to its machine-washable fabric.
Pros
- UPF protection
- Drycell technology
- Moisture wicking fabric
- Maximum freedom of movement
- Moderately affordable
Cons
- Reduced breathability
- It does not contain anti-odor technology
3. Nike Dri-Fit Victory
Nike Men’s Dri-fit Victory Polo
The Dri-Fit technology wicks sweat away from your skin, keeping you dry during your outing on the golf course. Lightweight polyester materials welcome airflow through the shirt to cool you off when sweating.
Buy on Amazon
Nike constructed their Dri-Fit Victory golf shirts from recycled polyesters to highlight the company’s commitment to reducing emissions.
This moderately priced golf shirt features Dri-Fit technology to wick sweat away from your skin, keeping you dry during an outing on the golf course. Furthermore, the lightweight polyester materials welcome airflow through the shirt to cool you off when sweating.
In addition, the polyester material encourages a maximum range of motion, preventing upper body restriction on your swing. Plus, the performance fit of the shirt frees up your shoulders and chest to produce excellent rotation on your backswing and downswing.
Furthermore, the Dri-Fit Victory is a machine washable shirt promoting hassle-free maintenance. Simply throw the shirt into the washing machine after every round to keep it spotless and smelling fresh.
Pros
- Sweat-wicking material
- Crafted from recycled polyester fibers
- Stretchable
- Freedom of movement
- Breathable
Cons
- Moderately expensive
- It does not possess anti-odor technology
4. Adidas Performance Primegreen Polo
Adidas kept up with their apparel rival Nike by crafting the Primegreen Polo. Like the Nike Dri-Fit, this Adidas golf shirt is crafted from high-performance recyclable materials. Adidas suggests that shirts constructed from Primegreen comprise 40% of recycled materials.
The Primegreen features a rib-knit collar. Plus, the shirt is constructed with lightweight jersey fabric to encourage airflow through the material. The constant airflow cools your skin down, which goes a long way to keeping you dry.
Moreover, the material possesses moisture-wicking qualities to remove sweat from your skin and the shirt’s interior. This keeps you and your shirt dry for 18-holes. The combination of moisture-wicking and quick dry qualities leads to exceptional comfort.
Pros
- Constructed from recycled materials
- Breathable
- Moisture wicking
- Quick dry
- A wealth of color options
Cons
5. Columbia Omni-Wick Drive Polo
The stand-out features of the Columbia Omni-Wick Drive polo are sun protection and moisture wicking. Therefore, the outdoor apparel giant presents a golf shirt that is protective, comfortable and offers a host of colors to select from.
The star of the show is the Omni-Wick technology which extracts sweat from your skin and the shirt’s interior. As a result, the technology helps you remain dry, even in the hottest conditions.
Aside from keeping you dry, this shirt is fitted with Omni-Shade protection to shield your sensitive skin from the sun’s harsh rays. The Omni-Shade technology deflects 1/30th of the fire ball’s radiation to prevent burn and permanent skin damage.
Finally, the Columbia Omni-Wick Drive Polo is machine washable and available in 26 colors.
Pros
- UPF 30 sun protection
- Omni-wick moisture removal
- The shirt keeps you dry in hot weather
- 26 colors to choose from
- Machine washable
Cons
- Reduced breathability
- The material does not possess anti-odor qualities.
6. Callaway Ottoman Performance Polo
Our final golf shirt pick for warm weather is the Callaway Ottoman Performance polo. Callaway crafted a comfy, moisture-wicking, sun protective shirt to use in the summer. Therefore, it takes longer for the sun’s rays to burn the skin on your upper body, and you remain refreshed and dry.
Opti-Dri technology features to extract sweat from your skin and the interior of the polo. This performance avoids large sweat patches from building up around your shirt.
Furthermore, the material possesses UPF 15 sun protection, which blocks out 1/15th of sunlight rays. Although it is better than nothing, it is a far cry from the UPF 40 and 50 protection of competitor golf shirts.
A ribbed texture material offers a stylish look to improve your fashion sense. Plus, it pushes airflow through the shirt, ensuring all moisture is removed from the skin. In addition, the Ottoman consists of stretch fabric designed to enhance your range of motion during your swing.
Finally, the Callaway Ottoman Performance Polo features a generous, comfortable fit to improve your experience.
Pros
- Moisture wicking
- Sun Protection
- Breathable
- Comfortable fit
- Maximum stretch
Cons
Matt Stevens
Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.