When you head to the golf course, do you take a hat? It’s such an intuitive thing for golfers to do. You’ll probably find yourself reaching for that lucky Titleist peak when you head out the door, even when it’s overcast outside.
Hats are an intrinsic part of golf, and as long as golfers have been swinging clubs, they’ve been wearing hats. Let’s look at the connection between hats and golf and the popular types of hats you’ll find around the course and clubhouse. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
Why do Golfers Wear Hats? – A History
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The first hats to make it onto the golf course are the classic “bunnet” or flat caps. There are plenty of black and white images of golfing legends like James Braid sporting this style. These hats were a staple in the game right up to the changes in modern fashion in the 1960s and 1970s.
Some players still wear the classic flat cap style, but it’s not common anymore. The visor became the golfing icon in the 70s and 80s, changing to the peak baseball cap design in the late 80s and 90s.
Why Wear a Hat When Playing Golf?
Hats aren’t compulsory in golf, and you don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to. Many people enjoy playing without a cap. However, there are several reasons why you would want to consider wearing a hat on the course.
1. Keep the Sun Off Your Face
Being out on the course for hours on end exposes you to the sun’s harmful UV rays. We’re out here for a good time, not a sunburn. Keep a hat on. Your face will thank you. Or keep it off and age ten years in a few seasons.
2. Reduce Glare
It’s challenging to see the ball over the glare when the sun is high on clear days. You can position the hat’s brim to cut out the sunlight and glare, allowing you to focus on the ball.
3. Better Ball Tracking
When you make your shot, the cap’s peak helps you cut out the sun and glare, allowing for better tracking of the ball.
Why Do the Tour Pros Wear Golf Hats?
The pros wear hats for all the reasons above. However, pros will also wear hats because they offer sponsors premium advertising space.
The cameras will keep the player’s heads in the shot at all times, especially when focusing on their expression after making a shot. A cap with logos is prime marketing real estate for advertisers and sponsors.
What are the Common Types of Golf Hats?
There are several hat designs suitable for use on the golf course. There was a time when you had to adhere to certain dress codes on the course, but the 70s and 80s era changed all that. Before players started wearing dazzling colors on the course, they were only allowed to wear traditional colors like white and green.
Players like John Daly led the revolution in golf fashion, and the visor marks the entrance of 70s fashion and its influences on golf apparel. Today, you can wear anything you want on the course. Here are the common cap designers preferred by golfers around the globe.
Baseball Peak Caps
The baseball peak cap is by far the most popular headwear option on golf courses around the globe. Take a walk around any course, and you’ll see Titleist peaks and many other brands on most players’ heads.
The baseball cap offers the least protection against the sun, exposing your neck to the sun’s harmful rays. However, it’s the most popular and fashionable option. The baseball peak comes from the baseball industry and the popularization of wearing baseball peak caps in the 1980s and 1990s.
You get baseball-style peak caps from the leading golfing brands. These caps feature construction with cotton and other synthetic fibers. One of the primary reasons the baseball cap design is so popular with golfers is the degree of shade it offers directly over the eyes. As a result, you get a better view of the ball and tracking of your shot through your swing.
Baseball caps come in “flex fit” designs with a solid back. You also have models using Velcro or plastic adjustment straps in the rear of the hat to customize the fit.
Visors
Visors became popular with golfers in the mid to late 1970s. The first visors feature colored plastic panels in the peak and later graduated to solid fabrics. They are similar to the baseball cap design but with no top on the cap and a rounder peak.
The visor adjusts with a Velcro strap at the back of the brim. Visors are still available from leading golfing brands, and they are a popular retro choice, especially with young golfers.
Bucket Hats
The bucket hat became fashionable in the late 2000s and early 2010. It replaced the visor in terms of hot fashion headwear on the golf course. They feature a 360-degree brim, with protection for your face, ears, and the back of your neck.
Some models come with chin straps, securing your hat in windy conditions. Bucket hats are useful for keeping the sun off your face, and they also work for playing in light rainy conditions, keeping your face dry.
Wrapping Up – Choose Headwear with a Balance Comfort and Function
Hats and golf go hand-in-hand. If you want to avoid sunburn and keep the sun out of your eyes on the course, you need a hat. Many people have a lucky hat, and they love it so much that they refuse to tee off without it.
Choose a piece of headwear that suits your fashion sense and playing style. A hat should be functional and stylish and a representation of your personality.
The best part about hats? You can have more than one! Become a collector and pick up a baseball cap to commemorate your trips to golfing tournaments and see if you can get the pros to land you an autograph between holes.
