Oh heavens, no.

DH

 

^^^ This.

 

**Agreed!

 

I don't play golf, but I notice a lot of golf pants, which looks almost like dress pants. Most are made out of some sort of microfiber material, which a lot of "dress" pants are also made of these days. Are the two type of pants interchangeable these days?

Paul

No.

 

Cotton chinos are a crossover (wear them for golf or for casual summer wear). Athletic wear is meant for sport. Even better clothing (say Bobby Jones brand) is manufactured with the intent of playing golf even if the clothes do look better (and more true to the namesake) than Nike or Greg Norman. Don't wear golf clothes unless you intend on playing golf.

 

What about Lululemon pants? I find their Anti Ball Crusher (ABC) pants to be a good substitute for jeans (but not for wool dress pants).

 

I actually wear those as a chino substitute. Very comfortable.

 

Actually, I haven't seen the pants in person, mostly because of time constraint I buy a lot of stuff online. Based on the composition and appearance, they sort of look like dress pants, but I supposed they may be more similar to chinos.

As for the comment that xxx clothing are meant for a particular task and you should not mix them, I have to disagree. Boat shoes are often worn by people who do not have boats. Driving mocs are worn by people not for the purpose of driving. Cardigans started out as a military attire, but morph into woman-wear to be worn with pearls. In the end, one could judge items by how they appear before rendering judgement.

Paul

 

Of course you can wear golf clothes to dinner or business casual or where ever you choose. Certainly a better option than cargo pants and athletic shoes under almost any circumstance.

I would argue that boat shoes and driving shoes are not ideal substitutes for perhaps sandals and dress shoes. Often clothing that may have originated with a functional purpose will be appropriated for a fashion purpose. Sometimes it seems to work better than other times. Nice golf clothes can work well at the clubhouse (original intention) or at most functions since we live in a fairly casual world. Perhaps wear them with spectators and not boat shoes/driving shoes.

 

Can I chime in here and ask what are the best brands of dress slacks? Anything that is in the $100-$150 range and possibly less?

 

I'm a comparatively pretty simple guy, when it comes to dressing myself. Virtually all of my dress trousers come from Brooks Brothers and most have been purchased within the price range you have quoted and, when on sale, at proces below the range specified. One's wardrobe should not complicate one's life.

 

Cotton chinos are a crossover (wear them for golf or for casual summer wear). Athletic wear is meant for sport. Even better clothing (say Bobby Jones brand) is manufactured with the intent of playing golf even if the clothes do look better (and more true to the namesake) than Nike or Greg Norman. Don't wear golf clothes unless you intend on playing golf.

I don't think I can endorse this point. Should a polo shirt only be worn for playing polo? Golf shirts are likewise a staple of (reasonably) smart casual wear. Show up to a summer BBQ in a golf shirt and crisp pair of chinos and you will likely be the best dressed man there among the throng of cargo shorts / t shirts / baseball caps / sneakers-wearing attendees. More importantly, you will be appropriately dressed.

I have a pair of golfing chinos that are crafted from some magical stretchy-yet-breathable material. They are visually indistinguishable from cotton chinos. Only they vastly surpass the traditional cotton alternatives in durability and comfort. Now SOME golf clothing is unforgivably ugly and shouldn't be worn even when playing golf. But in my view, if we could get more men out of tank tops and flip flops and into golfwear the net sartorial benefit would be massive.

 

I do see golf clothes being worn casually and I suppose there are worse ways of dressing.

The original question, though, of whether golf pants and dress slacks were interchangeable would have to be a no.

 

I do see golf clothes being worn casually and I suppose there are worse ways of dressing.

The original question, though, of whether golf pants and dress slacks were interchangeable would have to be a no.

This^^^

To expand on the original question,
microfiber dress pants.
microfiber golf pants.
If you want to wear microfiber dress pants as dress pants, do so.
If you want to wear microfiber golf pants, do so. Just don't conflate the two.

 

Golfing trousers are a more than suitable replacement for chinos/khakis, especially in August temps here in Houston because of their composition. I Prefer dress trousers for more formal occasions.

 

Not today, as noted above, but back in the day, dress and golf trousers seemed interchangeable:

 

Obviously as long as one avoids the novelty golf pants then sure, golf pants are fine for casual wear. They're more comfortable than chinos, so go for it.

They're still wholly unsuitable as a dress trouser alternative (or maybe we need to clarify what we mean when we say "dress trouser".)

DH

(of course, given the proclivities of many AAAC members, we need to further clarify that by "golf pants" we're not referring to plus fours!)

 

I view microfiber pants, golf or otherwise, as pretty interchangeable, and for me personally I don't wear them as dress pants, i.e. with a sportcoat, etc... I would wear them casually. The pretty distinctive wrinkle-free look that technical fabrics provide is still a bit jarring to me, compared to cotton or wool, and I suspect more a testament to my age than any other objective traits. I suspect these fabrics will enter more and more into the arena of "dress clothing" soon enough; there's a lot of engineering going on to make these clothes more comfortable and arguably more attractive. (and we thought non-iron shirts were a bridge too far!).

Even nowadays there are fashion-forward makers and brands that are redefining "athletic fit" as significantly more form-fitting than before, and IMO this is largely due to the ability to use synthetic fabrics with stretch that allow for both a slim fit whilst maintaining/improving on range of motion. It's a different look, no doubt, but one I think will continue to gain traction. Historically attempts at this look have come across as 'sloppy', as it had been hard to set a durable crease in these fabrics, but I think that tech hurdle has been overcome. As mentioned, I still find it weird to see these clothes totally devoid of wrinkles; it seems almost 'plasticky' to me, but maybe over time my perception will change. In the meantime I'll stick with wool.

 

Golf pants as literal dress pants: no. I wouldn't pair any microfiber golf pants with, say, a navy blazer / dress shirt / tie / pocket square.

But paired with the type of casual sport coat one might otherwise wear with chinos? Absolutely.

 

FF - thanks for those classic examples of elegant golf wear. Would that we could see the like today.

 

I do not play golf, but can someone explain to me how synthetics are better for golf than wool or cotton?

 

Probably just easier to clean and won't shrink. I don't know.

I'm with you. I don't play either nor do I understand why people will wear gold gear as casual wear.

 

This was taken during a super-hot morning round last month. At the end of the round both shirt and pants were at most slightly damp and looked dry. I can recall back in the day before synthetics where I would start the round in a royal blue cotton golf shirt that would be pretty much a uniformly soggy navy blue after the round. Not a good look, or a good feel. And both shirt and trousers can be tossed in the laundry and hung to dry to a wrinkle free finish.

And while my form needs work - ahem - any good golf swing is predicated upon a big turn of the hips and an even bigger turn of the shoulders. These are far better accommodated by clothing designed to give with such movement quite readily.

 

If anything looks like the left arm is breaking down a bit at the top and the head is up a bit. Actually a pretty good shoulder turn. Now if you were really brave a "slo-mo" video would be a lot of good fun.

Regarding sartorial decorum, I would argue that golf is one area where the trousers should not be cuffed - unless you like accumulation of dirt in the cuffs.

 

^Where is it acceptable to play golf with one’s shirt untucked? That wouldn’t fly at our club.

And why long pants on a “super hot” day? Even the Tour guys played their practice rounds in shorts last week in St Louis.

 

Speaking as one who has yet to embrace golf, as one of my sports, I think RogerP looks great, from both a form and fashion perspective! On the few occasions I have attempted to play a round of golf, those pesky little white balls have flown around more erratically than the balls bouncing around in the machines that pick our lottery winners! Alas, it just isn't my game.

 

Speaking as one who has yet to embrace golf, as one of my sports, I think RogerP looks great, from both a form and fashion perspective!

One of the things I like about golf is that, as on this Forum, etiquette and tradition matter. And, etiquette and tradition hold that one's shirt is tucked in while playing golf. That's why it's still a rule at most private clubs. Now, the local muni course is a different story....much like the state of men's dressing today that we constantly bemoan on the forum.

 

I’m reminded of Mark Twain’s quip; golf is a good walk spoiled.

 

^^LOL. Mark Twain was indeed, a wise man!

 

JB - slo mo videos are as instructive as they are humbling. I used to play the game a lot and got pretty decent at it. The last several years, however, I've been down to 3 or 4 rounds per season - which is basically not playing at all - and my game has predictably suffered. I'm planning on starting next season with a few lessons just to get properly reset.

eagle - thank you kindly.