Summer is on life support. No one can agree on a signature cocktail, poolside playlists leave much to be desired, corporate America is already rolling out pumpkin spice, and Labubus are on my last nerve.
So Business Insider is looking back at one of the few enduring fads of the season: golf polos.
Specifically, the kind of finance bro, golf course merch that screams, “I have money,” “I work at a bank,” or “my family and/or friend has access to an exclusive country club.”
The shirts — which sport logos of courses like Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills, or Sleepy Hollow at breast-pocket level — are the status symbols that sent Wall Street buzzing this summer. My colleague Emily Stewart called out this casual sign of success in July, highlighting how many New York men are wearing them at the office.
As Emily reported, men in the know follow a few sacred golf polo rules: It’s blasphemous to wear the logo of a course you haven’t played; you shouldn’t own two shirts with the same logo unless you’re a member of the course; and it’s sacrilegious to buy one off eBay. Plus, if the shirt has a corporate emblem on the sleeve, it belongs at Goodwill.
So long as you respect the rules and sport a prestigious enough course, a golf polo can earn you the adoring respect of your finance bro peers. Game recognizes game.
Business Insider hoped to find some of the golf polos in the wild, so we visited a few hotspots: the Wall Street stock exchange, Madison and Park Avenue during rush hour, and the Hamptons on a summer weekend. Golf enthusiasts were surprisingly coy — many wearing polos didn’t want to be photographed or share their names. Several “really had to be somewhere.”
Their elusiveness just upped the intrigue. In an era of AI slop and never-ending brain rot, a sparse digital footprint is the ultimate display of luxury.
Those who stopped to talk shared why polos are important to their wardrobe: Some agree they’re a status symbol, others appreciate the comfortable moisture-wicking fabric, or keep the shirts as reminders of a perfect day out on the green. A few described themselves as collectors and buy polos every time they visit a new course. Members were proud to sport the club they belong to, and nonmembers were grateful to have a connection at such coveted locations.
Below are snapshots of golf polos in action.
The vacationing pastor
Lanna Apisukh for Business Insider
Ed Zumwink stood in front of the Wall Street stock exchange in his baby blue Congressional Country Club golf polo. The 60-year-old pastor was visiting New York on vacation with his son, and repping his favorite course felt like the right thing to do.
Congressional is a membership-only club in Bethesda, Maryland, that hosts prestigious tournaments like the PGA. Zumwink isn’t a member himself, but he has an “in” at the course and will take any opportunity to practice his swing on the “perfectly manicured turf.”
“Golf is a spiritual discipline to slow myself down,” he said, adding. “My handicap? I’m terrible.”
The breathable fabric connoisseur
Jeremy Garretson for Business Insider
Larry, 73, was sporting a lavender PGA National shirt on his day in Bridgehampton. He bought the polo years ago while renting a house in Palm Beach Gardens. Larry doesn’t see his polo as a status symbol; he likes the shirt’s lightweight, breathable fabric. Cotton shirts wrinkle easily, he said.
The nostalgic golf enthusiast
Jeremy Garretson for Business Insider
A 30-something in Southampton isn’t a member at Cypress Point — an exclusive club in Pebble Beach, California — but said he has an “in.” After a day playing at one of the top 10 courses in the world, he couldn’t resist buying a memento.
The Hamptons local with a secret
Jeremy Garretson for BI
A Southampton local wore a pastel pink Shinnecock Hills Golf Club shirt accompanied by a matching hat. His wife said he owns “tons” of golf polos and that they’re a wardrobe staple. In a twist, the 38-year-old said he isn’t a member at Shinnecock — he actually belongs to the course’s rival, the Southampton Golf Club, which he said is preferred by residents in the area.
We’ll let Hamptonites fight it out.
Jeremy Garretson contributed reporting.
