Golfers love a good logo. Whether it is embroidered on their polo, stitched into a cap or proudly displayed on their driver head cover, most of us indulge one way or the other.
But are there unwritten rules about which club logos golfers should wear and when they should don them?
Logos are possibly the most obvious way of telling the rest of the clubhouse a little bit about ourselves: where we have played, who we know and, sometimes, even the company we keep out on the course.
An emblem can evoke memories of a favourite course, or a special golfing trip, yet they can also communicate less sentimental things – like status, exclusivity and a desire to be recognised and accepted by our fellow golfers.
George Peper, former editor-in-chief of Golf Magazine and author of The Best Logos in Golf, has spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the significance of club branding. He has explored the etiquette surrounding merchandise culture in the game.
For him, they’re not just decorative extras or designs that hold appeal because of how they look but rather because of the additional meanings they portray. He believes there should be some rules when it comes to wearing club logos.
“It’s okay (to wear your own club’s logo when visiting another club), but not if you’re going to a nearby club of which you are not a member, and is perhaps a lesser club,” he explained when speaking to The NCG Top 100s podcast.
“I think that’s bad form.”
He also advised against pairing multiple logos together. It’s a move that risks looking as though you’re advertising your golfing credentials in a rather bullish manner.
“You should never wear, first of all, more than two different logos of two different clubs,” he said. “But if you do happen to have two, the total ranking of the two should not be below 20. Don’t wear Pine Valley on your head and Cypress Point on your shirt. That’s really obnoxious.
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“Don’t do that (pairing different logos together). That’s really bad. Even for Americans, that’s obnoxious.
“And you don’t buy a driver head cover of a course you’re not a member of. That’s bad.”
The line between paying tribute to a golf club and showing off
For a lot of people, wearing their club’s emblem can be a way of preserving memories or paying tribute to a venue of which they may be a member. But when does that appreciation run into showing off?
“It appeals to our narcissism,” he said. “Everybody wants to be asked, ‘What’s that?’ or wants to say, ‘Yeah, I’ve been there.’”
A logo can prompt a conversation about a certain course or experience, but its meaning can also go beyond. Peper believes it has become a way for someone to achieve a certain status. It can signal exclusivity.
“I can only say that the narcissistic ’90s is when that all started to take place, when belonging to club became much more prestigious, and people started to flaunt that,” he said.
“I do think it’s a little bit out of hand, but people sure enjoy their badge of honours or whatever. I belong to this club and you don’t. That whole aspect, there’s an emotional, psychological, thing going on here.”
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What do you think? Is it acceptable to wear a golf club’s logo for a course that you have never played before? And when is it both appropriate and inappropriate to wear another club’s logo at a different course? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch with us on X!
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