Editor’s Picks: The 5 best high-performance golf shorts for the heat

I’m lucky. My summer has consisted of one thing, and one thing only: golf. I’ve thought about it, wrote about it, struggled with it, and most recently, traveled to play it.

Life is good for a golf writer in the summer. Really good when that golf writer’s August travel plans feature trips to play golf at Pinehurst and Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas, as mine did. I’ve teed it up at a handful of brilliant, gorgeous courses in the span of the last several months, and in that time, I’ve learned a few lessons.

1. It’s important to hydrate. Like, critically important.
2. There’s nowhere more humid than North Carolina in August. Except for the Caribbean.
3. It is possible to soak every portion of your clothes in sweat. If your clothes aren’t moisture-wicking, it’s actually likely you’ll do that.

Instruction

That final lesson — the one about clothing — has come under even further scrutiny in the time since returning from those trips. Most of what I own could be considered “golf performance clothing,” the sort of stuff made from “performance fabrics” with the goal of keeping you cool and at your very best.

But I’ve quickly learned that “performance clothing” can very easily be “poor performance clothing” — items that drag you down, make you itchy and uncomfortable, and that look terrible when inundated with sweat. Fortunately, not all of my clothes are poor performance clothing. While some items have struggled in the August sun, others have shone.

Shorts, in particular, have come under my watchful eye, and below, find five pairs I’ll be taking on all my road trips from the Sahara to Sandals.

5 pairs of golf performance shorts

All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Chervo Giando 575

Chervo places itself at the very top of the golf price point, and for good reason. Each of its products are designed by its founders, a pair of septuagenarian brothers from Italy, and made from the very best fabrics. Everything Chervo does is high-quality, including its beloved shorts.

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Billabong Crossfire Submersible Shorts

Billabong is a surf company, but its Crossfire Submersible shorts are perfectly at home on the golf course. Among its best-selling products, these shorts are made from a breathable, flexible fabric that stays comfortable and cool even when covered in sweat.

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Greyson Montauk

$65

The Greyson Montauk is a premium satin finished four-way stretch woven technical trouser with forward seam construction and slim fit cut. Quarter top slant pockets sit at the front providing easy storage and a clean look.

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Lululemon Commission Shorts 7-Inch

There’s a reason Lululemon is the preferred clothier of the 20-something golf crowd: they’re good. Really good, it turns out. Their Commission shorts will run you nearly $100, but they’ll also be the most comfortable, versatile shorts you own. A worthy tradeoff for some.

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Dunning Hoxton

$75.65

The Dunning Hoxton shorts are designed specifically with players in mind. They provide a comfortable fit, a comfortable amount of weight, and true performance. Performance features include ventilation for heightened airflow, moisture management to draw sweat from the skin, and 4 way stretch for added comfort and freedom of movement. The shorts are designed with a player specific waistband and pockets for carrying small golf accessories and personal items. The durable polyester fabric is machine washable with little to no shrinking. The polyester is also wrinkle resistant so you can spend less time ironing and more time playing.

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• Editor's picks

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine on a broad range of topics. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow, during which time he cut his teeth at NFL Films, CBS News and Fox Sports. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from.

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