Golf may be the only sport where you can get turned away at the door for wearing the wrong shirt.
That dress code is exactly why people go hunting for cheap golf clothes. You need a collar, you need the right pants or shorts, and the pro shop wants $90 for a polo with a tiny logo on it. Good news: golf clothes are one of the easiest things to buy secondhand, and a lot of it shows up brand new with the tags still on.
More people are golfing than ever
This isn’t a niche problem. The National Golf Foundation counted 29.1 million Americans who played on a golf course in 2025, and 48.1 million who played golf in some form once you add driving ranges, simulators and places like Topgolf.
They’re playing a lot, too. The NGF reports that 2025 was the sixth year in a row with more than 500 million rounds played at U.S. courses, and the fourth record year in five.
That many golfers means a lot of golf clothes being bought, gifted, won at tournaments and never worn. A good chunk of it ends up on resale racks. That’s where you come in.
What you actually need to get on the course
Before you shop, know the rules you’re shopping for. Most public courses keep it simple:
- A collared shirt. Many courses also accept a mock neck.
- No denim. Jeans are the classic “sorry, not today.”
- Golf pants, chinos or tailored shorts. Not gym shorts.
- For women, a skort, golf skirt, pants or shorts, with a polo or sleeveless golf top.
Private clubs can be stricter, so check the course’s website before your tee time. Once you know the list, you’ll notice most of it doesn’t need to come from a pro shop at all.
Why golf clothes are a great secondhand buy
They’re made to take a beating
Performance golf shirts are usually polyester blends built to handle sweat, sun and wash after wash. That’s why they hold up well used. Cotton piqué polos are fine too, but check the collar, because that’s where they wear out first.
So much of it barely gets worn
Think about the golf shirt your uncle got at a charity tournament, or the quarter-zip that was a gift in the wrong size. A lot of golf gear gets worn once or never. In our own shop, a big share of the golf pieces we list are new with tags.
Brand names show up often
Nike, Adidas, Greg Norman, Bad Birdie, Johnnie-O and Ralph Lauren’s RLX line all pass through resale regularly. We covered which names hold up best in our list of brands worth buying secondhand.
Two full course outfits, priced from our shop today
We wanted to prove this with real prices, so we built two outfits from what’s on our shelves right now.
His: $97.98 for the whole outfit
- Greg Norman Ultimate 5-Pocket Stretch Pants, khaki, 32×32, new with tags: $27.99
- Nike Dri-FIT Atlanta Braves polo, navy: $69.99
That’s a collared performance shirt and real golf pants for less than a lot of pro shops charge for the shirt by itself.
Hers: $70 for the whole outfit
- DSG Activate high-rise skort with built-in shorts, lavender: $25
- Bad Birdie sleeveless quarter-zip golf polo, blue, new with tags: $45
Add the Bad Birdie Colorado rope hat for $33 if the sun is out. Sizes are one of a kind, so what’s here today may be gone tomorrow. That’s just how resale works.
Fall golf means layers
Cooler mornings are the best golf weather of the year, and the right layer makes an 8 a.m. tee time a lot less painful. Look for quarter-zips, vests and light jackets you can take off by the back nine. A few we have now:
- Oakley Gravity Range quarter-zip, silver sage, XL: $75
- Nike Therma-FIT Repel full-zip golf jacket, men’s small: $110
- Bad Birdie softshell golf vest, men’s medium: $110
Building a whole cool-weather closet this way? Our fall wardrobe for under $100 guide works for golf layers too.
What to check before you buy used golf clothes
- Collar: curled, frayed or stretched collars are the first thing people notice. Pass on those.
- Pilling: check under the arms and along the sides where a golf bag strap rubs.
- Sunscreen stains: look at the inside of the collar and the cuffs for yellow marks.
- Stretch: gently pull the fabric on performance pants. It should spring back, not stay baggy.
- Price: not sure it’s a deal? Check eBay sold prices first, the same way one lawyer built a six-figure side hustle.
Our 7-point condition check walks through the rest.
Shopping for a golfer this Christmas?
Golf clothes make an easy gift because golfers always need one more shirt. If you want something fun, we have the Good Good Santa holiday golf polo in a men’s large, new with tags, for $60. It’ll be the loudest shirt at the club’s holiday scramble.
Steal this: Buy golf clothes by the dress code, not the logo: a performance polo and a pair of golf pants from resale gets you on any public course for under $100.
Ready to shop? Browse our full golf apparel collection or check this week’s shop picks. We add new pieces all the time, and you’ll catch plenty of brand-name golf gear on our live Whatnot shows too.