What to Wear as a Beginner on the Course: Finding Women’s Golf Attire on a Budget

When you’re learning to golf, in addition to everything else, one key question that comes up is – what should I wear? Women’s golf attire can be hard to navigate – different courses have different requirements, some items can be very expensive, and if you haven’t golfed before, it’s hard to know what you’ll feel most comfortable in.

Where to start: what do you wear to golf?

Luckily, you can usually start by calling a course or pro shop and asking them about their dress code. Keep in mind that male and female golf attire can have different requirements. It’s likely there is more flexibility for driving ranges and practice areas as composed to playing the course itself. Pro shops are used to fielding these questions, and won’t steer you wrong.

When I started golfing, I started through a ladies’ clinic and I wore the same clothes I’d wear to the gym or a yoga class – yoga leggings, a sports bra, a loose fitting tank top, and my trusty Nikes. Many of the women had gorgeous golf outfits – cute skorts, visors, polos and golf shoes. I wanted to head right out and buy my own outfits, but I didn’t even know if I was going to stick with it. Plus, I didn’t have clubs, and I knew if I was going to keep this hobby up, I was going to need to find a way to afford it all.

Luckily, when I signed up for the league, the pro shop only had one rule – no denim. They said, wear whatever you’d be comfortable in. Many ladies came in workout gear, some came in casual clothes – cotton polos and chinos, and a few had those previously-mentioned wardrobes to aspire to.

After a few weeks, when I knew I was going to be sticking with golf for a bit, and I’d signed up for my first tee time, I knew I had to get at least a a few items of golf clothing for getting out on the course. I looked around the pro shop, which had well-known golf brands and prices that only made sense to me if I were able to golf every day. One day, after the clinic, I asked some of the well-dressed ladies for tips on where to look. I was so happy to find out that they had a lot of great ideas for me, and was surprised to hear that Amazon, Target and even Costco were their go-to places for building a golf wardrobe.

Stores to start with: cute women’s golf outfits on a budget

Amazon has everything under the sun, and that includes a wide selection of women’s golf attire as well. While there are well-known brands like Adidas, Nike and Callway, Amazon carries a number of lesser-known brands with good quality pieces.

A couple of ladies I golfed with would regularly wear Baleaf golf skorts and tops from Amazon. They come in a million cute colors, and look just as nice to me on the course as more expensive pieces do.

I’m a huge fan of golf dresses – I love how easy they are to wear on the course – and this version (in purple!) by Baleaf is in my closet and is one of my most frequently-worn pieces. It’s so easy to just throw on and go.

Target has a great variety of women’s athletic wear that can be used as golf attire. I have this skort in two colors (can you tell I have a skort problem?) I also love these pants – more structured than leggings, but still comfortable to play in.

To my surprise, Costco has turned out to be my favorite source for budget women’s golf attire. They carry a few different skorts that all seem to be constantly on sale or reduced price, and wind up being less than fifteen dollars a piece. Pair them with a moisture-wicking tee and you are good to go. From a price perspective, I have yet to find anything better than Costco. I added a few items to my golf wardrobe this year, and I have been happily surprised with the stylish options at a great price. If you don’t have a Costco nearby, you can order online even if you’re not a member.

Ladies’ golf attire: some tips to keep in mind

You really only need one or two outfits to get started. Make sure that you’re going to stick with golf before making a more significant investment. You may be tempted to buy clothing from the pro shop, but you’ll spend way more there. Wait until you know for sure you’ll get good use out of them. The selection at stores like Amazon, Target and Costco is stylish and affordable, and a great start for your wardrobe. 

Also, think about sticking with a color theme – find ways to mix and match. I’ve never been very good at capsule wardrobes, but it’s a similar idea. I knew I’d only be able to buy a few things, but I wanted to not be wearing the same outfit all the time. I chose blue and grey as the main colors, and made sure that the tops and bottoms I selected all loosely matched. Having a skort and pair of pants in each color, and tops that could go with either color, made it easy for me to have a range of outfits. 

Take care of your feet. It really is wise to invest in wool or moisture-wicking socks. Your feet are going to get wet – either by sweating on hot days, walking through dew-soaked grass, or getting caught in a rainstorm. Your cotton socks aren’t going to cut it.

If you’re going to stick with your hobby, invest in golf shoes. My course didn’t require golf shoes, but I knew I wanted to get a pair once I’d been to a few clinic sessions and was planning to get more familiar with the course. Even though I wore my Nikes a few times out on the course, I was so glad to have golf shoes. I remember being worried about whether I needed spikes – my course doesn’t allow them, and you should do your research about where you’re playing as well.

You can find great deals online. 6PM.com is a sister site to Zappos.com and offers deeply discounted merchandise.  In person, I’ve found golf shoes at DSW, and also have found deals at Dick’s. Over time, if you keep up your game, you’ll probably want to get another pair specific for rainy days. But I’ve found a lightweight pair come in really handy for almost any day of golf.

The bottom line: start your golf wardrobe with budget-friendly options

Golf can be an expensive hobby, and finding some ladies golf attire on a budget can be a smart way to start. Investing in a few pieces can help you feel comfortable as you learn. The recommendations above are tried and true, and while my golf wardrobe has expanded, I still love to wear these pieces.

Where have you found great options as you build your golf wardrobe? I’m always looking for more sites to browse for cute golf outfits.