The Polo, Reconsidered

The golf shirt used to be one thing: cotton pique, three buttons, a fold-over collar, roughly the same since the 1950s. In the last decade it's fragmented into half a dozen genuinely different garments, and most people are still buying the one their dad wore.

The collar decides the shirt

The classic fold-over collar is still correct everywhere and will never be wrong. The problem is that in soft modern fabrics it goes limp and curls up at the points, which is what makes an otherwise fine shirt look tired. Look for a collar with some structure — either a firmer knit or a light internal stay.

The self-collar — same fabric as the body, no separate knitted piece — drapes flatter and reads more modern. It also can't curl, because there's nothing rigid to curl. Very good in merino.

The mock neck is the one that changed everything. Tiger wore one, then everyone did. It looks sharp on the right frame, keeps sun off your neck, and is now accepted at most clubs — but not all of them. Traditional clubs with a strict "collared shirt" rule may still refuse it. Check before you turn up somewhere you've never played.

The banded or johnny collar sits between the two and is the sleeper pick — softer than a mock, less fussy than a classic.

Fit, honestly

Golf shirts run in three broad fits and the labels are close to meaningless between brands. Judge them on the body, not the tag.

The trap is buying for how you look standing still. A shirt that looks perfect at address can pull badly at the top of the backswing. Make a full turn in the changing room. If the fabric pulls across your back or the hem comes untucked, size up or find a cut with more shoulder room.

The opposite trap is buying for comfort and ending up with a tent. If there's a fist of loose fabric at your waist, it's too big.

What the fabrics actually do

• Polyester performance knit — wicks best, dries fastest, cheapest to make. Can look plasticky and hold smell.
• Cotton pique — the traditional one. Looks best off the course, breathes, but soaks and stays soaked.
• Merino — best of both, warm when cold and cool when warm, barely smells. Expensive, and needs washing properly.
• Bamboo and Tencel blends — very soft, drape beautifully, moderate performance. Increasingly the nicest-feeling shirts on the rack.

What to buy

If you're replacing your rotation, a sensible set is two plain in neutral colours, one with a subtle pattern, one long-sleeved, and one mock or banded neck for the days you want to look sharper.

Buy fewer, better. Five shirts you actually like beats fifteen you're indifferent to, and the indifferent ones are the ones that end up looking scruffy because you don't care enough to retire them.