Retro golf style is having a moment, which is a slightly odd thing to say about clothes that were simply what people wore. Here's where the look actually comes from, and which bits are worth keeping.
The 1920s and 30s: Tweed and Plus Fours
Early golf clothing was just outdoor clothing. Tweed jackets, knitted ties, plus fours and argyle socks, because that's what you wore to be outside in Britain for four hours. The look was practical first and became iconic later.
Almost none of it is wearable now, but two things survived: the collar, and the idea that golf has a dress standard at all. Both trace directly back to this period.
The 1950s and 60s: The Polo Arrives
This is where modern golf clothing actually starts. Knitted collars, contrast trim, short sleeves, and a cut that let you swing without a jacket. Colour arrived too — cream, sage, navy, rust.
The details from this era are the ones that keep coming back. Contrast piping down the sleeve. A cream collar against a darker body. Ribbed cuffs. They read as golf instantly, without any logo doing the work.
The 1970s: The Bit Everyone Remembers
Wider collars, bolder colour, textured knits, and a general lack of restraint. It's the era people mean when they say retro golf, and it's aged better than anyone expected.
The waffle and pique textures from this period are the reason a knit like our Rough Tee looks the way it does. Brown and cream is a very 70s pairing, and it's back for the same reason it worked then: it's warm, it photographs well, and it isn't trying to look technical.
What Went Wrong
Somewhere in the 1990s golf clothing became sportswear. Performance polyester, technical claims, tour branding, and a colour palette dictated by whichever equipment company was paying. Function improved. Everything else got worse.
There's nothing wrong with performance fabric — we use it, and for a hot round it's clearly better. The loss was aesthetic rather than technical: golf stopped looking like anything in particular.
What's Worth Bringing Back
Contrast trim. Cream against green, brown or navy. It does more for a shirt than any print.
Texture. A waffle or pique knit has depth that a flat performance jersey doesn't, and it holds a relaxed cut properly.
Earth tones. Coffee, sage, cream, rust. They suit a golf course, which is mostly green and brown, in a way that neon doesn't.
The proper collar. Structured, sitting flat, not a limp band of jersey. It's the difference between looking dressed and looking like you're in sportswear.
What Isn't
Plus fours. The argyle-everything look. Anything that reads as costume rather than clothing.
The point of retro style is borrowing details, not dressing up as 1974. A period collar on a modern cut works. A full period outfit looks like a stag do.
The Bottom Line
Golf already had a good look and mostly stopped using it. The details worth keeping, contrast trim, texture, earth tones, a proper collar, all come from a time when golf clothes were made to be worn rather than marketed. That's most of what we're doing.