A golf tournament shirt can be as traditional or as fun as the event itself. Some tournaments call for a classic polo with a small embroidered logo, while others are more casual events where everyone comes together for a day of golf, fundraising and some friendly competition.
That leaves us plenty of room to have fun with the design.
Whether you’re organizing a company golf outing, charity tournament, annual fundraiser or a friendly tournament, the shirt can do more than carry a logo. The tournament name, year, course, sponsors and even a good golf joke can all become part of the design.
Here are some ideas to get you started.
Golf Tournament Shirt Design Ideas
Put the Tournament Logo on the Left Chest
A small tournament logo on the left chest is a classic choice for a golf polo. It keeps the design clean and gives the shirt a polished, understated look while leaving plenty of room for other design elements.
The design might include the tournament name, year and a small golf-related element. A flagstick, golf ball, crossed clubs or another simple motif can all work if they fit the event.
For a company outing, the company logo can take the main position. For a charity tournament, the charity’s logo might be paired with the tournament name and date.
Put a Large Design on the Back
The back gives us much more room to work with a larger design.
You could put the tournament name with the date and location underneath, surrounded by a golf-related illustration. You could feature the clubhouse, a golf cart, a flagstick, a golfer’s silhouette or a simple outline of the course.
A small logo on the front and a larger design on the back is also a practical layout when there are several sponsors to include.
Celebrate the Course
If the tournament takes place at the same course every year, you can use that location as part of the design.
The course name can be the main feature, with the tournament name and year underneath. You could also include the signature hole, clubhouse or a simple illustration of the course.
Include a Fun Golf Phrase
Golf lingo offers plenty of material for fun phrases and puns, which is why you’ll see so many golf shirts built around familiar terms from the game. A short phrase can work as the main design or pair nicely with a golf illustration.
Here are some ideas:
- Fore the Cause
- Teeing It Up for [Charity]
- Fairways for a Good Cause
- Swinging for [Charity]
- Par-Tee Time
- Golf. Give. Repeat.
- Tee It Up for [Charity]
- Good Drives, Good Times
- Birdies for a Better Cause
- On the Green for Good
- Fore More Good
- Grip It & Rip It
- Play It Where It Lies
- Bogeys Welcome
- Keep Calm and Putt On
- Putt for a Cause
- Drive for the Cause
- Tee Time
- Par-Tee People
- Shank You Very Much
- May Your Drives Be Straight
- May Your Putts Be Short
- 18 Holes, One Great Cause
For a charity event, “Fore the Cause” and “Teeing It Up for [Charity]” are easy to build into a larger design. For a casual company outing, something like “Par-Tee People” or “Shank You Very Much” can give the shirt more personality.
Make the Year Part of the Design
For an annual tournament, the year gives you an easy way to make each shirt distinct. Work it into the tournament logo, make it a prominent part of the artwork, or create a commemorative design for a milestone year.
You can also include details like the tournament name, course and charity, along with wording like “Annual Golf Tournament” or “25th Annual.” For a long-running event, something like “Since 1998” can be a nice addition.
This approach works especially well for charity tournaments where participants return year after year and the shirt becomes a souvenir of that particular event.
Use the Tournament’s Cause
For a charity tournament, the cause itself can inspire the design.
Use the charity’s colors, logo or recognizable imagery alongside the tournament name. A wildlife charity might use an animal illustration. A children’s organization could use a playful graphic. A community fundraiser might incorporate a recognizable local landmark.
This can give the shirt a stronger connection to the reason everyone is out on the course in the first place.
Create a Dedicated Staff Shirt
The people running the tournament have a different job from the players, so give them a shirt that makes them easy to find.
A contrasting shirt color with “Tournament Staff” or “Volunteer” printed on the front or back can help players spot the right person when they need directions, have a question about the contests or need help at registration.
For a larger charity tournament, this can be especially useful. Staff shirts can also be more casual than the player polos if the course allows it.
Give Sponsors a Clear Place
Sponsor logos can become part of the shirt without taking over the entire design.
Give the presenting sponsor a prominent location, then place supporting sponsors in a smaller group on the back or sleeve.
For example, the front could feature the tournament and presenting sponsor, while the back lists the supporting sponsors underneath the main artwork.
This gives sponsors recognition while keeping the shirt readable.
Design Around a Golf Contest
Many tournaments have side contests, and they can provide some fun design inspiration.
If your event has a big Longest Drive or Closest to the Pin competition, you could incorporate those phrases into the shirt design.
You could also make a special shirt for contest winners, with “2027 Longest Drive Champion” or “Closest to the Pin” on the back.
Use a Simple Golf Illustration
You don’t need a complicated graphic to make a tournament shirt feel unique.
A line drawing of a golf cart, flagstick, golf ball, golf clubs or golfer can sit behind or beside the tournament name. A simple illustration is also easier to reproduce with screen printing or embroidery than a highly detailed image with lots of tiny elements.
If you need some help getting started, our Design Studio includes a library of clip art with plenty of golf motifs you can use in your design. You can combine those elements with your tournament name, logo and other artwork to create something that feels specific to your event.
Choose a Polo or T-Shirt?
Polos are the traditional choice for golfers, particularly when the tournament is held at a course with a dress code. A polo also works well for corporate outings, charity tournaments and events where the shirt doubles as a participant gift.
T-shirts can work well for casual tournaments, volunteers, staff, spectators or people who aren’t playing. They also give us more room for the artwork. A large golf illustration, colorful charity graphic or tournament slogan can fill the front of a T-shirt in a way that’s harder to achieve with a small polo logo.
The event itself can help guide the choice. A group of clients playing 18 holes at a private club may call for a traditional polo, while a casual charity event with golf, food and fundraising may leave more room for T-shirts. If you’re ordering shirts for the golfers themselves, check the course’s dress requirements before choosing a T-shirt.
Some of Our Favorite Polos
If you’re looking for a polo for your tournament, here are some of our best-selling polos.
The Gildan 8800 DryBlend 50/50 Jersey Polo has a classic fit and smooth jersey fabric that works well for screen printing. It’s a practical budget option for ordering shirts for a larger group.
The Sport-Tek PosiCharge RacerMesh Polo is a lightweight 100% polyester option with moisture-wicking fabric and breathable mesh. It’s well suited to outdoor events and warm-weather tournaments.
The Port Authority Silk Touch Polo is made from soft 65/35 poly-cotton pique and comes in a wide range of colors and sizes. It’s a versatile option for golf tournaments, corporate outings and other events where you want a polished polo.
Screen Printing or Embroidery?
The decoration method should follow the design.
Embroidery is a natural fit for a small tournament logo on a polo. A charity or company logo on the left chest gives the shirt a classic golf look, and embroidery can also work well for staff shirts or sponsor logos.
Screen printing gives us more freedom when the design is larger. It’s a good option for a large graphic on the back, a full-front tournament illustration or a T-shirt with several colors and elements.
If your idea is a large graphic with the tournament name, year, golf illustration and a fun phrase, a printed T-shirt may be the simplest way to bring the whole thing together.
If the idea is a clean little tournament crest on a polo, embroidery is a natural choice.
A Few Practical Golf Shirt Tips
Before placing the order, check the course’s dress code. Some golf clubs have specific rules around collars, sleeves and other parts of player attire.
It’s also a good idea to collect everyone’s sizes before ordering. A tournament group can include a pretty wide range of sizes, and guessing the breakdown can leave you short on popular sizes.
If sponsors are involved, get their logos early. It’s much easier to build them into the design from the beginning than to squeeze five new logos onto an approved shirt at the last minute.
And remember that the people wearing these shirts are going to spend several hours playing golf. Lightweight fabrics and comfortable fits can make a big difference, especially for summer tournaments.
Have Fun With It
A golf tournament gives us a lot to work with. There are the 18 holes, the scramble format, the clubhouse, the charity or company behind the event, the course itself and all the little traditions that develop around an annual tournament.
We can keep the shirt simple with a small embroidered logo, build a large back graphic around the tournament name, or turn a good golf joke into the entire design.
Start with the kind of event you’re planning and the people who will be wearing the shirts. Once you know whether you’re going for classic, casual, funny or somewhere in between, the rest of the design usually starts to fall into place.