Putter & Tweed

Hole 12 · Since 1920

Golf trousers and pants: tailored slacks, loud prints and baggy again

1920s to today

Golf trousers are the long, tailored slacks that replaced plus fours on the course. They are the quiet default at most clubs, Loudmouth's prints have made them the loudest thing in the bag since 2000, and in 2026 Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy took them wide again.

John Daly in orange, green and white argyle trousers at the 2013 Greenbrier Classic
John Daly in orange, green and white argyle trousers at the 2013 Greenbrier Classic. B Wendell Jones / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. CC BY-SA. Source.

What it solved on the course

Long trousers cover the legs, keep the swing free and answer club dress codes that ask for slacks rather than shorts or breeches. Cut well and made with a little stretch, they move with the hips and knees through the swing. In a bold pattern they carry the whole outfit when everything else is plain.

History

Long trousers took over from plus fours on the course, and the breeches survived mainly as a throwback. Payne Stewart was the throwback's champion (see plus fours), and when he died the PGA Tour made tailoring part of his memorial. In 2000 it established the Payne Stewart Award, given each year to a player who shows respect for the traditions of the game and a professional, meticulous presentation of himself and the sport through his dress and conduct.

The other half of the story is color. Loudmouth Golf, based in Sonoma County, California, is known for colorful trousers. Scott "Woody" Woodworth, then a graphic designer, founded the company in 2000. When John Daly was suspended from the PGA Tour for six months in 2008, he was forced onto the European Tour, and in 2009 he played there in Loudmouth's loud clothing before signing a formal endorsement deal. The prints left golf altogether in 2010, when the Norwegian curling team wore Loudmouth's red, white and blue diamond trousers as their uniform at the Winter Olympics.

On the PGA Tour, Rickie Fowler carried the bright look into the next decade. By the end of his first full season in 2010 he was as closely tied to orange as a traffic cone, and GOLF.com called him the one-man rainbow coalition.

The width comes and goes. Plus fours caught on in the 1920s because they let golfers move more freely than knickerbockers, and in the 1970s bell-bottom pants reached the fairways. In the 1990s the stars wore baggy, pleated golf pants: Golf Digest names Fred Couples, David Duval and Ernie Els. At the 2016 Players Championship Rory McIlroy played his opening round at TPC Sawgrass in cuffed pants and shoes that looked like trainers, and Rickie Fowler followed the trend with cuffed pants of his own. Skratch says slim five-pocket performance pants have dominated for over a decade.

In 2026 the leg widened again. By April Tommy Fleetwood was wearing Lululemon's Daydrift Relaxed-Fit Pleated Trouser round after round. In October McIlroy turned up at the DP World India Championship in New Delhi in wide trousers of his own. He said he had watched and admired Fleetwood's switch and wore wide or straight legs away from golf already. His new pair, he admitted, hit a little low and maybe ran a little short, and technical fabric is harder to tailor. Nick Faldo joked that his mother, a dressmaker, asked what they had been cut with: a knife and fork? McIlroy called them a work in progress and gave one more reason: “We need air flow this week. It's hot and humid.”

Fans at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Loudmouth's red, white and blue diamond curling trousers
Fans at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Loudmouth's red, white and blue diamond curling trousers. Kenny Louie / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. CC BY. Source.
Grantland Rice, Paul Gallico, Westbrook Pegler, Babe Didrikson and Braven Dyer in 1933: Rice in plus fours, the other men in pleated, belted trousers
Grantland Rice, Paul Gallico, Westbrook Pegler, Babe Didrikson and Braven Dyer in 1933: Rice in plus fours, the other men in pleated, belted trousers. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, UCLA Library, CC BY 4.0. CC BY. Source.
Rory McIlroy holding his finish at the 2014 Players Championship in slim gray trousers and a lime and gray striped shirt
Rory McIlroy holding his finish at the 2014 Players Championship in slim gray trousers and a lime and gray striped shirt. Active Magazine / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. CC BY. Source.
Tommy Fleetwood hitting an approach at the 2018 BMW International Open in slim gray trousers
Tommy Fleetwood hitting an approach at the 2018 BMW International Open in slim gray trousers. Axel Schümann / Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Public domain. Source.

Who wore it best

  • John Daly

    Played the European Tour in Loudmouth's loud clothing in 2009, during his PGA Tour suspension, then signed a formal endorsement deal with the company.[2, 4]

  • Rickie Fowler

    Made orange his color in his first full season in 2010, and GOLF.com called him the one-man rainbow coalition.[3]

  • Tommy Fleetwood

    By April 2026 was wearing Lululemon's Daydrift Relaxed-Fit Pleated Trouser round after round, after more than a decade when slim pants dominated.[7]

  • Rory McIlroy

    Wore cuffed pants in his opening round at the 2016 Players, during the slim decade, then turned up in wide trousers in New Delhi in October 2026, saying he had watched and admired Fleetwood's switch.[6, 8, 9]

How to wear it now

  1. Keep the cut slim but not tight, with a clean break over the shoe. A tailored trouser reads sharpest against a simple shoe.
  2. Going wider? Get the length right, with the hem resting on the shoe. McIlroy's new wide pair hit a little low and maybe a little short, and he says technical fabric is harder to tailor.
  3. Let one loud element lead. Bold trousers with a plain polo and a neutral belt, or plain trousers with a patterned shirt. Never both at once.
  4. Look for stretch fabric so the seat and knees move freely through a full swing, and check the waistband sits flat when you turn.
  5. Tuck in on the course and match the belt to your shoes. Check the club's dress code first; many still ask for tailored trousers rather than shorts.

Where to buy

New

Vintage

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Sources

  1. Payne Stewart, Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  2. Loudmouth Golf, Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  3. Loud & Proud: Rickie Fowler's on-course style evolution, GOLF.com. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  4. John Daly (golfer), Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  5. In defense of ... baggier pants, Golf Digest. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  6. New golf fashion? Rory McIlroy plays in cuffed pants and trainers, Aussie Golfer. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  7. Tommy Fleetwood's Lululemon pants at the Masters, Skratch. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  8. Sir Nick Faldo teases Rory McIlroy over new look: "What gives?!", GolfMagic. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  9. Rory McIlroy says Tommy Fleetwood inspired his new baggy pants look, but it's 'a work in progress', CBS Sports. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  10. Evolution of golf fashion at The Players Championship, PGA Tour. Retrieved 2026-10-15.

Updated .

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