Custom printed golf shirts can make an awesome uniform, promotional product or piece of merchandise for fundraising. I was curious about the origin of the custom golf shirt and did a bit of digging, and learned the surprising drama about custom golf shirts, planting it between two other competitive sports.

 

Custom Golf Shirts were Invented by Tennis Players… Right?

 

The custom golf shirt as we know it is a light-weight, durable tee, but before the 1920s, golf players wore thicker shirts with a less standard design. These heavy shirts would get sweaty and didn’t look great!

 

There are conflicting stories on who invented the custom golf shirt, Lacoste insists that it was pro-tennis player Rene Lacoste who invented the sportswear staple. Rene Lacoste was killing it, winning seven Grand Slams and becoming the Michael Jordan of tennis. According to Lacoste’s story, Rene Lacoste wasn’t happy with the long-sleeve woven shirts and flannel pants that made tennis a sweaty affair. Lacoste worked with designers, creating the short sleeved, breathable design we know and love today.

 

The Lacoste brand added that iconic embroidered crocodile in recognition of Rene Lacoste’s nickname “the Crocodile” (for his snappy serve.)

 

Golf players noticed the comfy new tennis shirt and quickly adopted it as the standard apparel for the golf green. The new custom golf shirt had a collar to protect the neck from the sun, buttons to open on hot days and breathable fabric to prevent sweat and discomfort. The short sleeves give golfers a wider range of motion for the perfect swing. One change golfers made was adding the pocket, seen on many polo shirts. The pocket on custom golf shirts is perfect for holding tees while playing and walking between holes.

 

Or were Custom Golf Shirts invented for Polo Players?

 

We’ve heard Lacoste’s story, but another company has a history of their own. The Brooks Brothers claim that custom golf shirts (or polos) were invented in India in the 1800s, the birthplace of polo!

 

This history certainly makes sense, in a hot and humid climate like India’s, it wouldn’t make sense to wear traditional long-sleeve cotton shirts. The Brooks Brothers maintain that players shortened the sleeves to deal with the heat, added collars to protect from the sun and added buttons to keep everything still in the wind.

 

According to the Brooks Brothers, a grandson of the founders saw the modified shirts at a polo match and brought the design to Europe, creating polo dress shirts while Rene Lacoste was still a toddler.

 

Who’s Right?

 

We may never know who invented the custom golf shirt. Both tennis players and polo players enjoy the extra maneuverability and breathability. Personally I think it makes sense that polo players would have invented such a shirt, considering the climate in India and the athleticism required to play polo. Maybe someday a sleuth will find out the truth.

 

In the meantime…

 

Nobody has claimed that a golf player invented the custom golf shirt, but golf players have certainly taken it as their own! Whether it was polo players or tennis players who invented the custom golf shirt, we can agree it’s the perfect apparel for all three sports.

 

These days, custom printed golf shirts and embroidered polos are used as company uniforms, worn on tradeshow floors (where it gets hot!) and out in everyday life.

 

Customizing Golf Shirts

 

Adding logos and designs to custom golf shirts goes back in history as well! From silk-screening which has it’s roots in China during the 960s, to embroidery which goes back to ancient Greece!

 

Today, custom printed golf shirts are screen printed in a process similar to original silk-screening. Of course, modern golf shirt printing involves a lot more computers, motors and plastics, but the method is essentially the same –  ink passes through a porous material to create designs on your custom golf shirt.

 

Embroidery has changed too, involving highly complex embroidery machines to sew designs into your custom golf shirts. It does run on the same idea as historic embroidery though, pass a needle through fabric and leave a design behind!

 

Order Custom Golf Shirts

 

Whether you love golf, polo or tennis, and whether you want custom printed golf shirts or embroidered polos, Artik is your custom golf shirt supplier. Visit Artik.com and get your design on custom golf shirts!