Putter & Tweed

Hole 5 · Since 1890

Golf dresses: from petticoats to the course-ready dress

1890s to now: petticoats, then ankle hems, then dresses cut for the swing

Golf dresses started as whatever women wore at home: crinolines, bustles and long skirts that made a full swing hard. It took a century of rising hems, and a few rule-breakers, to get to a dress you can actually swing in.

Ellen Clapsaddle illustration of a woman driving in a long white skirt and red jacket, with two boys caddying
Ellen Clapsaddle illustration of a woman driving in a long white skirt and red jacket, with two boys caddying. Ellen Clapsaddle / Schlesinger Library, Harvard University. Public domain. Source.

What it solved on the course

The problem was the swing itself. Long skirts and stiff petticoats got in the way of a full turn and dragged through wet grass, and every change since, from shorter hems to stretch fabric, has been about freeing the player to move.

History

Mary, Queen of Scots is the first woman golfer known by name. For a long time after her, women played in what they wore at home, which in the Victorian years meant crinolines, wired bustles and layers of stiff petticoats. Scottish Golf History's verdict is that this gave "little opportunity for a free swing" and shaped the golf women could play at all. In 1902 a Scottish Law Lord was still arguing that women should stop at about 70 yards off the tee, since a full swing in fashionable clothes was unseemly.

The younger players cut it down to straw boater, white blouse and long black skirt, and by the early 20th century many wore the men's oversized flat caps too. Then ankles became acceptable, sooner in America, which eased the muddy hem problem a great deal. In the 1920s the usual outfit was a blouse, a cardigan and a pleated skirt to around the ankle.

Burberry pushed the idea that women's golf clothes shouldn't restrict the swing. Skirts above the ankle were eventually allowed on courses.

On October 3, 1933, Gloria Minoprio stepped out of a yellow Rolls Royce at Royal North Devon, Westward Ho!, in a navy beret, a turtleneck and black trousers. She was the first woman to wear slacks on a British course, and the Ladies Golf Union put out a statement deploring the lack of decorum. Her outfit is now in the British Golf Museum at St Andrews.

The skort came along in the 1960s, and hems kept rising after that.

Who wore it best

  • Isette Pearson

    The founder of the Ladies Golf Union played in a full-length wide skirt with a double-breasted men's jacket, a white collared shirt and a bow tie, when most women golfers wore a plain blouse and black skirt.[5]

  • Gloria Minoprio

    Wore black trousers to a women's championship in 1933. Asked about it later, she said: "Trousers are freer than skirts, and they aren't blowing around in the breeze and taking my mind off a shot."[6, 1]

How to wear it now

  1. Check the shorts first. The inner short should stay put through a full swing, with a flat waistband and enough leg that it doesn't ride up when you crouch to read a putt.
  2. Most clubs set a minimum length, often around mid-thigh. Check yours before you buy, and try the dress on by bending over as if to tee up a ball.
  3. A dress with some stretch across the back and shoulders swings better than a stiff one. Sleeveless cuts need a collar at most private clubs.
  4. Layer a thin quarter-zip or cardigan over it for a cold first tee and take it off at the turn.
  5. Finish with a cap or visor and spikeless shoes. The dress is the whole outfit, so keep the rest plain.

Where to buy

New

Vintage

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Sources

  1. History of Women's Golf Dress or Fashion, Scottish Golf History. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  2. A Stylish Look at the History of Golf Fashion, 18 Birdies. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  3. The Evolution of Female Golf Fashion, Women's Golf Project. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  4. A Retrospective: The evolution of women's Golf fashion, Aphrodite Hills. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  5. The history of golf attire in the UK, The Golf Business. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  6. Gloria Minoprio: The One Club Wonder in Slacks, Lyle Lovick. Retrieved 2026-09-30.

Updated .