Turn over the collar of the two garments you take out on a March morning. On one, the label says polyester. On the other, it says wool, or cashmere. Both will be used on the same day, and nobody has ever told you which one is for when.
Fabric is chosen by the job it does in the outfit: a polo that handles sweat, a knit for warmth. Synthetic, wool and cashmere can all come along on the same round, with different precautions.
We keep both camps in the same wardrobe
Here, polyester and cashmere hang on the same rail. The people who only make synthetics will explain that wool is something your grandfather wore. The people who only make knitwear will explain that synthetic is just plastic. Each of them is describing their own stock.
A fibre has its strengths and its limits. We prefer to choose each layer for the job it does.
Synthetic: what it does well, and what it does badly
What it does well, in a fabric made for sport: it dries fast and helps move sweat away. Over four hours of walking with a bag on your shoulder, that is a real comfort criterion, along with the cut.
Add a share of elastane and you get the second thing we ask of it: recovery, the property that puts the garment back in place after the backswing instead of leaving it bagged at the elbow.
For a polo, the one you keep on from the 1st to the 18th, our preference goes to a technical synthetic. The composition alone still does not tell you everything about comfort.
Now what it does less well. Smell. A technical polo worn two Saturdays running without a wash can remind you of that before you even get near it. Fast drying does not replace washing: dry to the touch does not mean clean.
Above all, do not leave a damp polo at the bottom of the bag. Let it dry if you are not washing it straight away, then follow its label. For our technical pieces: low temperature and no fabric softener.
Cotton, for its part, absorbs moisture and dries more slowly. Our Stella polo is cotton: we prefer it for dinner, or for a mild day.
The cashmere sweater on a golf course: what you are really buying
A pure cashmere sweater can be worn to play in cool, dry weather. Our April Tradition cardigan brings that warmth as a mid layer. But the knit asks for consideration: keep it away from the hook and loop on your glove, and away from a bag strap rubbing on the shoulder for hours.
You also buy it for the rest of the day, for the terrace while the cards are being counted. It can pill where it rubs. That can be looked after, but it is worth knowing if you carry your bag for the whole round.
Merino wool opens another possibility: a thin layer designed to be worn next to the skin. Woolmark describes that sporting use. So it can replace a synthetic base layer, not just cover one. We do not offer one: our quarter zip goes over the polo instead.
Odour resistance is also among the properties Woolmark describes. It does not exempt the garment from care. Air it after the round and wash it according to its label, without automatically giving it the technical polo’s programme.
On warmth, the label does not decide on its own. Wool or synthetic over the polo? Look at the thickness too, at the freedom across the shoulders, and at whether you can put the piece away when the temperature climbs.
Wool or polyester: which fibre at which point of the day
A day of golf changes temperature. Think about the moments when you are walking, the moments when you are waiting and the moments when you sit down.
The cold morning. Two layers, two jobs. The one touching the skin has to move moisture: your technical polo. The one on top keeps the heat in, and a natural knit does that very well. The quarter zip has one decisive advantage: it adjusts without coming off.
The middle of the day. If the temperature climbs, the technical polo may be enough on its own. Put the top layer away before it gets too warm, then bring it back out in the shade if you need it.
After the 18th. Wool comes back. Shoulders cool down all at once, and the sweater left in the car decides whether you stay on the terrace.
Winter, or the mountains. Tell a base layer built for effort apart from a sweater. Synthetic or fine merino can work next to the skin; the sweater brings the warmth over the top. Try the whole set in movement: adding layers achieves nothing if they compress the shoulders or become hard to take off.
What to remember
- To play: a polo suited to the effort, a knit chosen for the cold.
- Cotton dries more slowly. Better when you are not sweating much.
- Cashmere suits cool tee times and the hours after the round, as long as rubbing is limited.
- Next to the skin, a layer built for effort: synthetic or fine merino.