As golf popularizes and expands, its dress code is evolving.
In 2017, the LPGA released a statement to its players outlining a strict dress code for which they received considerable backlash. The policy stated, in part, “Length of skirt, skort, and shorts MUST be long enough to not see your bottom area (even if covered by under shorts) at any time, standing or bent over.” The LPGA has since revoked that mandate.
Today, LPGA players’ skirts must adhere only to an “appropriate golf length.” This is curious, considering there’s no codified skirt-length requirement in the greater golf world. Or at least none that we’re aware of.
To better identify any trends in club/course policies, I contacted the top 15 courses in GOLF’s ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the U.S (13 are private, two are resort courses). Surprisingly, only six of those clubs had guidelines outlining the length of women’s golf shorts or skirts. Of those six, only half had specific length requirements ranging from 2-5 inches above the knee.
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Representatives from two of the clubs with whom I spoke said they don’t have a specific length requirement, but they do require a “conservative length” and even specified “no tennis skirts.” But how different, really, is a golf skirt from a tennis skirt? Many observers would go as far as to say they’re interchangeable. Others would beg to differ. Length is the only factor here. That’s where conservatism comes into play.
Trouble is, there is no universal definition of “conservative.” When courses don’t specify a length requirement, they’re most often evoking the spirit of the game’s long-standing traditions of unspoken etiquette. What matters most, it seems, is maintaining an image of respectfulness. It’s up to golfers to decide what that means to them.
So, ladies, wear what makes you feel comfortable and swing freely. But out of respect for the course you’ll be playing, there’s also no harm in calling ahead and asking about any course dress policies.