Best golf pants for on-course style and comfort

By: Justin Park

April 26, 2023

A good pair of golf pants serve several purposes, including completing your look and helping your game — or at the very least not hurting it. Golf pants have come a long way since “knickers,” which gave golfers of old freedom of movement via baggy pants. Modern materials allow golfers to wear more fitted pants that stretch enough to prevent restrictive walking or swinging.

Modern golf pants also help manage moisture from the inside and protect against rain, wind, and sun from the outside. Styles range widely from fashion-first options that work just as well away from the links to performance athletic wear pants from major brands like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. Almost any pair will serve you well these days, but which you choose will depend on your personal style and local climate. Read on to learn more about our favorite golf pants in a range of categories.

Top 10 golf pants

Staff favorite: Nike Dri-FIT Victory Men’s Golf Pants
Best khakis: FootJoy 5-Pocket Pants
Best budget: Amazon Essentials Men’s Slim Fit Stretch Golf Pant
Best high-end: KJUS Men Javier Pants
Best classic: Glenmuir g.Cuthberts Mens Lightweight Performance Golf Trousers
Best patterns: LoudMouth Heritage Pant
Best for hot days: Callaway Mens Lightweight Stretch Tech Pant With Active Waistband
Best big and tall: Callaway Opti-Stretch Golf Pants
Best for cold weather: Under Armour Men’s ColdGear Infrared Showdown Golf Pants
Best for rain: Adidas Go-To Five-Pocket Pants

How we chose the best golf pants

There are many options when it comes to golf pants, and we pored over manufacturer specifications, including sizing, styles, tailoring, and more, to create a shortlist of the top golf pants available. Then, we sifted through product descriptions, ratings, and reviews to find the best golf pants for each category.

Staff favorite: Nike Dri-FIT Victory Men’s Golf Pants

$80.00

Benefits
— Sweat-wicking
— Moderate price point
— Stretchy fabric

Drawbacks
— Basic style and colors

Nike’s Dri-FIT Victory Men’s Golf Pants are everyday, everyman golf pants with a relaxed fit and simple style that works on- and off-course. Coming in five solid colors that pair with almost any top, these sweat-wicking, lightweight trousers are 100% polyester.

They deliver all the breathability and moisture management of synthetic fabric but with a classic, sporty look that threads the needle between casual and serious. The inherent stretchiness of polyester helps the Victory pants move with you, but the classic cut allows them to pair with anything from a pair of Nike sneakers to golf shoes to formal loafers on the 19th hole.

Material: 100% polyester | Features: Sweat-wicking | Colors: 5 | Size range: 30W x 30L to 42W x 32L

Best khakis: FootJoy 5-Pocket Pants

$98.00

Benefits
— Stretchy fabric
— Casual look

Drawbacks
— Solid colors only

Khakis deliver the relaxed fit of jeans in a lighter package that’s much more versatile than heavy, stiff denim, and they just happen to make great golf pants, too. While khaki has come to mean simultaneously a style of pants and color (the definition is loose), the often tan cotton twill pants like FootJoy’s 5-Pocket Pants are designed specifically for golf.

Instead of cotton, these trousers are a stretchy polyester and spandex blend, but they emulate the traditional khaki style with a flat front and relaxed fit. The deeper jeans-style pockets securely hold your phone or a scorecard and deliver a more Western look. While you can get them in the traditional khaki color, they also come in five other solid colors.

Material: 88% polyester, 12% spandex | Features: 4-way stretch | Colors: 6 | Size range: 30W x 30L to 42W x 34L

Best budget: Amazon Essentials Men’s Slim Fit Stretch Golf Pant

$17.85-$30.80

Benefits
— Very affordable
— Stretchy fabric
— Option made from recycled materials

Drawbacks
— Not a sports-specific brand

You might hesitate when you see that these pants only cost about $25 on Amazon. But if you need golf pants and get sticker shock seeing that the cheaper pairs from major brand names usually cost $70 or more, you may want to give these a shot.

Thankfully, the Amazon Essentials Men’s Slim Fit Golf Pants look the part and don’t give away their price tag with any Amazon branding. You get the expected performance stretch, thanks to a polyester spandex fabric blend, plus the usual front and back pockets. And while they’re obviously a budget option, you can get a pair made from Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified materials for less than $10 extra.

Material: 98% polyester, 2% spandex | Features: Stretchy fabric | Colors: 10 | Size range: 28W x 28L to 42W x 34L

Best high-end: KJUS Men Javier Pants

$249.00

Benefits
— Water-repellant
— 4-way-stretch fabric
— Cotton-like feel

Drawbacks
— Pricey

On the far opposite end of the price spectrum are the Men Javier Pants from KJUS, which retail at about 10 times the cost of the generic option from Amazon Essentials. These fashionable golf chinos use a polyester elastane blend that’s heavy on the elastane to ensure the snug, tailored fit doesn’t hinder movement. The materials are woven to give the synthetic fibers a classic look and mélange feel with a soft cotton-like touch against your skin.

The face is also treated with a durable water-repellent (DWR) treatment to bead water away on rainy days without having to slip on hot, bulky rain pants. The price is steep, but these are pants you’d be comfortable wearing out to dinner or to the office if you feel like you’re not getting your money’s worth just wearing them on the links.

Material: 86% polyester, 14% elastane | Features: Stretchy fabric, DWR treatment | Colors: 3 | Size range: 30W x 32L to 40W x 32L

Best classic: Glenmuir g.Cuthberts Mens Lightweight Performance Golf Trousers

$112.00

Benefits
— Wide range of sizes
— Traditional look
— Moisture-wicking

Drawbacks
— Expensive

If you prefer the look of traditional golf attire, Glenmuir offers apparel that harkens back to the game’s origins in the UK. The g.Cuthberts Mens Lightweight Performance Golf Trousers (they’re trousers, not pants, OK?) come in a blue-green tartan if you want to really go all in Scottish.

But even the solids have a classic straight-leg cut and simple four-pocket design that’ll help you fit in at any golf club in the world. Despite the traditionalist feel, these are fully synthetic performance stretch pants with moisture-wicking fabric to give you the performance you expect from modern athletic wear.

Material: 95% performance polyester, 5% elastane | Features: Functional wicking yarn | Colors: 5 | Size range: 32W to 42W in short (29L), regular (31L), or long (33L)

Best patterns: Loudmouth Heritage Pant

$118.00

Benefits
— StretchTech fabric
— Moisture control
— Wrinkle-free

Drawbacks
— Not appropriate for all courses

If your style is more John Daly or Bill Murray than Sir Nick Faldo, you may find the ordinary golf pants available a bit lacking in flair. Luckily, you can wear one of the brands Daly and Murray have shocked with, and craft a bold style with wild patterns that’ll turn heads and distract your partners. The Loudmouth brand busts convention with its bright colors and designs, but the Heritage pants still feature performance synthetics with a StretchTech blend and relaxed fit.

Material: 100% StretchTech polyester | Features: Stretchy fabric, moisture-wicking, wrinkle-free | Colors: 5+ | Size range: 28W x 30L to 46W x 34L

Best for hot days: Callaway Mens Lightweight Stretch Tech Pant With Active Waistband

$80.00-$130.00

Benefits
— UV protection
— 4-way stretch
— Moisture-wicking

Drawbacks
— Limited color options

Nothing exposes you to the sun and heat quite like a long summer day golfing. And for this reason, Callaway offers a lightweight stretch pant with UV protection built in and a light fabric blend that helps pull moisture away from your legs.

The Lightweight Stretch Tech Pant’s style is straightforward, with four pockets and a slightly tapered leg, but the Opti-Stretch material delivers four-way stretch for athletic movement. The stretch waistband also features grip material on the inside to help ensure your shirt stays tucked in.

Material: 89% polyester, 11% elastane | Features: 4-way stretch fabric, UV protection | Colors: 3 | Size range: 30W x 30L to 44W x 34L

Best big and tall: Callaway Opti-Stretch Golf Pants

$108.00

Benefits
— Large sizes only
— 4-way stretch
— Moisture-wicking

Drawbacks
— No extra-tall lengths

Most golf pants are fairly tailored, and many stop sizing around waist size 42. Luckily, Callaway offers a golf pants option that starts at waist size 44 and goes up to size 56. These didn’t just make our list for their obligatory plus-size options, though.

These golf pants from Callaway incorporate the brand’s usual fabric technology, with Opti-Stretch four-way stretch fabric and Opti-Dry moisture-wicking properties for better movement and increased dryness. Choose from four neutral colors, all equipped with belt loops to perfect your fit.

Material: 66% polyester, 26% cotton, 8% elastane | Features: 4-way stretch fabric, moisture-wicking | Colors: 4 | Size range: 44W x 30L to 56W x 30L

Best for cold weather: Under Armour Men’s ColdGear Infrared Showdown Golf Pants

$67.64-$93.99

Benefits
— Quick-dry, sweat-wicking
— Stretchy fabric
— ColdGear Infrared lining

Drawbacks
— Limited colors

If you golf in a Northern climate or just push through winter and stay on the course year-round, there will be times when regular golf pants just won’t cut it. Under Armour’s Men’s Showdown Golf Pants use body heat-retaining ColdGear Infrared lining to conduct and retain your body’s natural heat energy.

Because the lining is thin and uses traditional flat-front tailoring, they still look like regular golf pants rather than ski pants. With quick-dry, sweat-wicking material, you’ll stay dry and warm no matter what the weather throws your way.

Material: 91% polyester, 9% spandex | Features: Heat-retaining lining, stretchy fabric, quick-dry, sweat-wicking | Colors: 2 | Size range: 30W x 30L to 42W x 36L

Best for rain: Adidas Go-To Five-Pocket Pants

$99.99

Benefits
— Stretchy fabric
— DWR coating
— Recycled materials

Drawbacks
— Limited color options

There’s plenty of rain gear for golf, but they usually come in the form of baggier, steamier rain suits. If you want water-resistance in a normal-looking pair of golf pants, Adidas’ Go-To Five-Pocket Pants deliver a DWR coating while remaining breathable and stylish. They’re also made primarily with Adidas’ Primegreen line, using high-performance recycled nylon to avoid virgin materials.

Material: 95% recycled nylon, 5% elastane twill | Features: Water-repellent | Colors: 2 | Size range: 28W x 30L to 44W x 34L

Get a leg (or two) up

Golf pants pull double duty in that they help complete your look and provide performance benefits that (hopefully) translate to better scores. We chose the Nike Dri-FIT Victory Men’s Golf Pants as our best overall because they’re an everyday pant with a relaxed fit and simple style that works both on and off the course.

How to pick the right golf pants for you

Each golfer has different priorities when selecting a pair of golf pants, so how you weigh different factors will affect your decision about which pants are best for you. Whether it’s the style, particular features, fabric, or cost, learning what matters in each attribute below will help you zero in on your perfect pair.

Price

For some, price is paramount, and while golf apparel isn’t cheap, you do have options. You need not spend more than $150 on a pair of golf pants, and while they can cost several hundred dollars for the more high-end, high-fashion options, most pants from major brands cost between $70 and $120. And for the most budget-conscious golfers, there are solid options as affordable as $25.

Fabrics

Almost all modern golf pants use blends of synthetic fabrics to achieve breathability and stretch while retaining light weights. If you see pants with primarily cotton fabric, use caution as they may not have the stretch and moisture-wicking properties you expect from activewear. Most manufacturers list the material blends and percentage of stretchy fabrics, such as elastane and spandex, to give you a sense of just how elastic a pair of pants may be. Even in the stretchiest of pants, however, the bulk of the fabric will usually be polyester or nylon.

Features

While a pair of golf pants won’t usually have an impressive list of features, there are some common attributes to look for. Moisture-wicking properties are important to help keep you dry while exerting yourself. Some pants will feature water-repellency, usually indicated by a durable water-repellent coating. Four-way stretch is another feature to look for that can provide the confidence that the pants won’t bind you when golfing and walking the course.

FAQ

What’s so special about golf pants?

Any pants can be golf pants if you try hard enough. However, pants designed specifically for golf often look like slacks but are true activewear meant for sports activity. Golf pants don’t typically have a ton of golf-specific features aside from the occasional dedicated scorecard pocket. Still, they’re activewear with moisture-wicking properties, water-repellency, or four-way stretch to perform differently from a regular pair of pants, such as jeans.

Are golf pants supposed to be baggy?

The original golf pants were very baggy and often cuffed just below the knee, but modern ones have evolved to a more tailored fit. That said, there are plenty of options with more relaxed fits to better accommodate certain body types. Often, the fit you choose comes down to personal preference.

Are khakis good for golf?

Khakis is a broad term that often refers to a color as much as a style of pants, and they’re fairly common on golf courses. Whether they’re the traditional tan color, pants that go by the name khakis are usually suitable for golf — just be sure they’re made specifically for golf or other sports and have a stretchy material since regular casualwear khakis may not permit the range of motion needed to golf comfortably.

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Justin Park

Golf.com Contributor

Justin Park is a journalist with more than 20 years experience covering politics, environmental issues, hunting and outdoors, sports, and fitness for newspapers, magazines, and digital-first outlets. Since earning his M.S. in New Media from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School in 2008, he’s also applied his storytelling skills to video, producing, shooting, and editing for PBS, USA Today, Reebok, and more. He received the 2016 Associated Press Sports Editors’ Investigative Award as part of a team covering the Rio Olympics for USA Today Sports.