Heat dome! Record high temperatures! These are phrases dominating headlines right now, as a massive heat wave is striking much of the United States this week, particularly east of the Mississippi.
Hot temperatures in the summer are obviously nothing new. Growing up in New Orleans and playing junior golf, there was a constant debate about whether you wanted an early morning tee time or a later afternoon time. Early morning was, in theory, less hot than midday, but afternoons tended to have a breeze.
Junior Golf, college golf, and amateur golf are all different than the pros in many aspects, one of which is the ongoing pants vs. shorts debate. If it gets hot, players in the groupls just mentioned wear shorts.
The U.S. Girls Junior Amateur was recently played at Atlanta Athletic Club, and the U.S. Boys Junior Amateur was recently held at Trinity Forest in the Dallas area. Players in both events felt the wrath of the July sun.
The PGA Tour is playing three of the next four events in the Southeast in the August heat and humidity. Those events are in Greensboro, Memphis, and, after a week in Baltimore, Atlanta.
Yes, the players are wearing pants, not shorts, in the sweltering heat in the FedEx Cup finale and two of the three playoff events.
In short, the reason is tradition.
But would you believe that the pants/shorts debate is a talking point professionals, especially the PGA Professionals that are club professionals, all take strong positions on?
To say that professionals cannot wear shorts is not entirely true, though. PGA Tour players can wear shorts in "noncompetitive rounds." DP World Tour players can wear shorts in practice rounds and in the event itself if the temperatures are high enough. Players in U.S. Open qualifying can wear shorts, but not in the event itself.
LIV Golf has allowed players to wear shorts in competition since its first event in 2022. Those thinking that the LIV-PGA Tour competition would see shorts find its way to the Tour, but no.
PGA of America events are a bit haphazard. In competitive rounds, like the PGA Championship, Professional National Championship, Playing Ability Test, and Ryder Cup, players must wear pants. Some PGA Sections, including mine, allow players to wear shorts. Some allow shorts certain times of year, some at the discretion of the host club, and some depending on the weather forecast.
Professionals wore shorts in various made-for-TV events. In the original "Showdown at Sherwood" match between David Duval and Tiger Woods in 1999, Tiger wore shorts. In the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity event, played while the 2020 PGA Tour season was suspended, all four players wore shorts … and carried their own bags.
Caddies have been allowed to wear shorts for many years. It makes sense to an extent. The caddies lug a golf bag around, unlike the players. Periodically, the caddies are permitted to optionally not wear their caddie bib. While that makes the title sponsor of an event unhappy – one less spot for their logo – it can help avoid issues of heat illnesses.
Since shorts are allowed at certain times, the question can change some: should there really be a pants only policy? The answer might be a bit more complex than you think than a firm yes or no.
Some events, some sponsors, some facilities might feel that they should be pants only. Players or the Tours would be wise to acquiesce to such requests.
Let’s say the PGA Tour plays four events in a row in May in Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, and Dallas. I wrote more about this here, but the PGA Tour finds a sponsor and a host facility. If either the sponsor or the host facility insists on pants, the Tour go along with such arrangements and require the players to wear pants. Or the Tour could decline the arrangement and find a different venue or a different sponsor.
If the event in Miami decides players should wear pants, but Boston is okay with shorts, it would look odd to see a bit of flip-flop, especially in our scenario. Of course, players could enter these events and be okay with such arrangements, or could decide to pass. If the event is a major, signature event, or key to the player, they might have to deal with being hot for a week. Or the Tour could decide to pass on playing in Miami.
Fitting example is a player whose caddie who might insist on caddying at events where they can wear shorts. If that is the case, would they really skip The Masters and wearing the white jumpsuit?
As one might say, pants comes with the territory.
But should players be allowed to wear shorts?
When I'm working, it's pants. And when I'm in competition, I try to wear pants whenever I can. But when it gets so hot that I feel I would be at a competitive disadvantage by not wearing shorts, then shorts it is.
Jay Monahan has made it clear that pants remains the dress code. When he steps down in 2026, perhaps Brian Rolapp will lead a change. Perhaps the DP World Tour’s decision to allow shorts in certain cases will find its way to the PGA Tour.
New Orleans will host a LIV event in June 2026. With the players allowed to wear shorts, perhaps the heat and humidity will be mitigated enough that the PGA Tour becomes an interested observer. If players wearing shorts at the LIV event is viewed more positively than expected, in the eyes of the PGA Tour, perhaps the Tour schedule could be a bit more southerly than the present.
Either way, if you want a healthy debate, with strong opinions, with professionals on a non-controversial topic, ask about shorts.