The main reason golfers wear hats is to protect themselves from the negative impact the sun could have on them in addition it is another sponsorship opportunity for the professional golfers.
Each golfer has their preference on the type of hat, but overall there are three main reasons golfers wear hats:
- Protect Themselves from the Sun
- Helps With the Vision on the Course
- Sponsorship Opportunities
- Fashion Opportunity
I am sure you have turned on the television during a weekend professional tournament tournament and noticed that close to 100% of golfers are wearing hats while they play golf.
In the game of golf, especially for the professionals, they are fortunate to play most of their tournaments in absolutely beautiful weather. In January they started off playing in Hawaii and then move onto California and Florida before heading a bit north in the month of April and play the Master during that first stretch in April.
As a result they spend a ton of time in the sun.
Why Do Golfers Wear Hats (4 Main Reasons!)
1 – Protects Themselves From the Sun
LIke we discussed above, golfers spend a lot of time in the sun. The average round of golf takes 4-5 hours and there is a great deal of time in the sun. For the person that even golfers just 2-3 times a week this is 8-15 hours potentially in the sun and this doesn’t take into account the practice time before or after a round.
When talking about professional golfers they find themselves at a golf course 6-7 days a week for many times up to 8-10 hours a day. This could mean 48-70 hours in the sun. We always hear the importance of protecting our skin while in the sun and the hat provides great protection for your head and face.
2 – Helps With the Vision on the Course
Golfers must be able to clearly see the course ahead of them and the ball flying in the air. If either of these are compromised it could lead to higher scores and potential issues on the course.
The hat provides that extra level of vision, when paired with a pair of sunglasses the golfer has optimum viewing in sometimes less than optimal conditions.
Golfers must be able to see where their ball ends up, especially when the ball is hit left or right into the tree or towards a hazard on the golf course. Being prepared as a golfer is essential to playing your best golf.
3 – Sponsorship Opportunities
While PGA Tour players aren’t quite to the level of NASCAR when it comes to sponsorships all over the place, there are still a number of locations that are ideal for a sponsor to spend some money on having their name or logo represensented either on a hat, golf shirt, or golf bag.
The hat is the prime location because oftentimes when on television the network loves those up close views of the face and head as the golf is walking down the fairway towards their next golf shot.
The hat is right there and the sponsor is able to be viewed. Professional golfers are able to cash in on sponsorship opportunities and have the two benefits above by wearing a hat.
4 – Fashion Opportunity
Let’s face it, people want to look good no matter what they are doing. Golfers spend a lot of time and money looking at different apparel to look good and feel good while playing the game of golf.
The hat provides another fashion accessory to build a professional golfers brand or for amateurs to look good while playing in the company outing or another event where you want to help build your own personal brand as a person, employee or golfer.
The hat makes many people look better, especially those that are balding or struggle with their hair. The hat is also easy to keep multiple in the car and throw on at any time if you are headed to the course of the driving range. There are also golfers who enjoy collecting hats of different courses they have played as a way to remember that course.
Related Questions
Are there professional golfers who don’t wear hats?
Over the course of the past 30 years, there have been professional golfers who have gone hatless. Here is quick list of some goflers who decided not to wear at hat at one point or another.
- Jack Nickalus
- Nick Faldo
- Hal Sutton
- Graeme McDowell
- John Daly
- Nick Price
- Fred Couples
- Ian Woosam
- Curtis Strange
- Greg Norman
- Seve Ballesteros
- Tom Watson
As you can see from this list, many of these golfers played in their prime over a decade or two ago. I believe with the more recent information on the importance of wearing a hat and the increase in sponsorship money, the majority of golfers in today’s game have decided to wear a hat. I personally would prefer not to wear a hat while golfing, but do because of reason #1, I want protection from the potential harmful impact of the sun.
Are Sunglasses Helpful?
I know I wear sunglasses whenever possible. Some people are more senstitive to the sun with their vision and I know it can cause a headache or tension if I do not have my sunglasses. We should work to find a comfort level on the golf course and enjoy the game as much as possible. One way to do this is to make sure we have hte right accessories to make us comfortable.
What Accessories Would You Recommend?
Here is the hat and the sunglasses that I think look great and would be helpful.
This is the pair of Sunglasses that I wear from Under Armour. I find them to provide a nice level of protection for my eyes and that the vision is pretty true.
If you are more of an Oakley style person, here is an affordable pair that I have worn in the past that I truly enjoyed.
As far as hats, where is my most recent purchase. I love the Titlesit Brand the look of this hat. The mesh provides extra breathing opportunities to reduce the amount of sweat gathered in your hat.
Here is another option for those that want extra protection from the sun on their neck and enjoy this style.
Take Action
Golf is a wonderful game enjoyed by many golfers across the world. There are some great benefits to play the game such as exercise, social time and the challenge that the game of golf presents to play it at a high level.
As far as your golf game. Can you say yes to any of these statements?
- Are you tired of playing inconsistent golf?
- Are you tired of being the worse one in your group?
- Do you wish you hit the ball further?
- Do you struggle with course strategy?
If you said yes to any of the above 4 questions, check our our recipe to playing better golf today:
What You Can Do Today to Get Better?
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.