Golfing is a great sport to take up. It’s a great way to improve your fitness; you can be on your feet and walk for hours, as well as use all the muscles in your body to get a good swing. As a hobby, it takes you out of the house and into some natural light and fresh air, which is always important for physical and mental health. You can also make it as fun or competitive as you want it to be, play on your own, or with friends. The equipment also doesn’t take up much room, so your home won’t be consumed by your pastime.
So if you’ve decided to take up golf as a sport, well done – you’ve made an excellent choice for your health and happiness.
But if you’re brand new to the game, you might be a little intimated at choosing what to wear. Some sports are easy – for swimming you need a swimsuit, for horse riding you need jodhpurs. Golf is a bit trickier, so here are some tips for you to find what works best for you.
Comfort
First and foremost, whatever you are wearing must be comfortable. You need full movement when you go about your game, and you don’t want a tight waistband digging in or a shirt that restricts your movement. Breathable layers and lightweight moisture-wicking golf polos can help you stay comfortable without restricting your swing. Golf courses are huge and sprawl over a lot of lands, so you’ll be walking from one hole to the next, possibly taking a golf buggy with you, but that’s not always guaranteed. This means that you’ll be in the same clothes and moving around a lot for a long time, and without the ability to change.
Shoes
The right shoes can be incredibly important for your performance and enjoyment of the game. Women’s and men’s golf shoes have been carefully designed and manufactured over the years to tailor them to the sport’s exact needs. As you’ll be spending so much time on your feet, you really need to invest in a good pair. What you should be looking out for is a pair of shoes that fit well, provide good support for uneven ground, have a firm grip for any wetter areas, and have full flexibility so that you can move your feet naturally and freely. Of course, they should also be waterproof, which isn’t always a given with high-street shoes!
Layers
Light layers are the best way forward. Layers are a great way to regulate your temperature, which will naturally fluctuate as you move around to play, wait for your turn at the hole, try to get out of a bunker, and so on. The weather will obviously always impact the outdoor temperature, but when you’re playing a full round of golf, you don’t always know when you’re going to be building up a sweat and needing to cool off or when you might be standing for a little while and needing to get the chill off. Just make sure you choose loose clothing so that your movements are not restricted. When it comes to playing in colder weather, you should look into layering with thermals next to your skin to make sure that you do not get chilled or need to cut your game short.
Waterproofs
You’re going to be outside a lot of the time, and although you might decide that an approaching thunderstorm means no golf today, it’s easy to get caught out by showers at any time of the year. Carrying a raincoat with you is easy enough to do and something you might have already thought of, but remember that you might like some waterproof trousers too. When it gets wetter, having that extra layer to keep you warm or protect your legs in longer grass can be a great comfort. Whatever waterproof clothing you choose, remember to ensure you have full movement in your body when wearing it; otherwise, your game is going to suffer.
