The best men's athletic shirt in 2026 is really three shirts, and the right one depends on where you are going. Wear a collared performance polo anywhere with a dress code, because courses like Harbour Town and Erin Hills require a collar and no T-shirt clears that rule. Wear a synthetic performance tee, like the PILLAR Tim Tee in 88% polyester and 12% spandex, when you will sweat hard in training or heat. Wear an everyday soft tee, like the PILLAR Joey or Nick in 60% cotton, 35% rayon and 5% spandex, for all day comfort where nobody checks your collar. Polo for the course and the office, performance tee for the sweat, soft tee for everything else.
The verdict, three ways
For the course, the club, the office and the client lunch. The only one of the three that clears a golf dress code.
PILLAR pick: David Polo in nylon or Steven Polo in polyester, $76.
For training, pickleball and summer heat. Synthetic fiber holds very little water, so sweat moves off.
PILLAR pick: Tim Tee, 88% polyester, 12% spandex, $46.
Shop the answer
Three polos cover most weeks. Add performance tees for the gym and a soft tee for the weekend, and the drawer is done.
A man needs a collared performance polo for anywhere with a dress code and a tee for everything without one. The part most guides miss is that "tee" covers two different shirts. A synthetic performance tee is polyester and spandex, built to move sweat off your skin and dry fast. An everyday soft tee is cotton and rayon, built to feel good all day. They look alike on a hanger. They behave nothing alike in August.
So here is the plain rule. When you will sweat hard, reach for the synthetic: the PILLAR Tim Tee is 88% polyester and 12% spandex, moisture-wicking and quick-drying. When you want all day comfort, reach for the soft blend: the PILLAR Joey and Nick Tees are 60% cotton, 35% rayon and 5% spandex. When there is a dress code, neither tee is the answer. Wear the polo.
David Polo, Steven Polo
Tim Tee
Joey Tee, Nick Tee
Fiber decides whether sweat leaves your shirt or stays in it. Textile science measures this as moisture regain, the amount of water a fiber holds at standard conditions. Per the moisture regain table in Wikipedia's Yarn conditioning entry, which cites Sara J. Kadolph's Textiles (1998), polyester holds 0.4 to 0.8 percent, spandex 0.75 to 1.3, nylon 66 4.0 to 4.5, cotton 7 to 11 and rayon 11.5 to 12.5.
In plain words: polyester and nylon hold very little water, so sweat moves through the fabric and off it. Cotton and rayon hold water. That is exactly why they feel soft, and exactly why a cotton tee gets heavy when it is soaked. Neither fiber is wrong. They are built for different days.
Each bar runs from the low end to the high end of the published range. Lower means the fiber holds less water.
That chart is the whole reason the sweat pieces in the PILLAR range are the synthetics: the David Polo (84% nylon, 16% spandex), the Steven Polo (88% polyester, 12% spandex) and the Tim Tee (88% polyester, 12% spandex). For how wicking works in practice, read our guide to moisture-wicking fabric and why it actually matters. For the tee side of the argument, see cotton vs polyester T-shirts for men.
No. A course with a dress code wants a collar, and a tee does not have one, no matter how premium the fabric. These three policies were checked live by PILLAR this month.
Sea Pines Resort, South Carolina
Non-collared shirts and T-shirts are prohibited, per the Sea Pines golf information page.
Tee: not allowed. Polo: yes.
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
The golf dress code lists collared sport shirts and prohibits denim, per the Greenbrier dress code.
Tee: not listed. Polo: yes. Jeans: no.
Wisconsin
A collar is required, and the course counts a traditional collar, a raised crew neck or a mock turtleneck, per the Erin Hills FAQ.
Standard tee: no. Polo: yes.
Many public courses and driving ranges are relaxed about tees. You cannot count on it, and the pro shop is a bad place to find out. If you do not know the course, wear the collar. Playing in Arizona? Our Scottsdale golf course dress code guide covers the venues one by one.
Here is where each shirt belongs. The golf rows lean on the policies above. The rest is our judgment, based on the fabric data.
| Setting | Polo (David, Steven) |
Performance tee (Tim) |
Everyday tee (Joey, Nick) |
Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship or resort golf course | Required | No | No | Harbour Town prohibits T-shirts. Erin Hills requires a collar. The Greenbrier lists collared sport shirts. |
| Driving range and a casual nine | Best | Often fine | Often fine | Many public courses are relaxed, but you cannot count on it. When in doubt, the polo never gets you turned around. |
| Gym and training | Skip | Best | Light days | Polyester holds 0.4 to 0.8 percent moisture against cotton's 7 to 11, so the synthetic handles real sweat. |
| Pickleball | If the club asks | Best | Casual hit | Short bursts and lots of sweat favor the synthetic. Wear the polo if your club wants a collar. |
| Office or client lunch | Best | No | Casual offices | A collar reads as business casual. See polo vs button-down for business casual. |
| Travel day | Good | Good | Best | Long hours sitting favor the softest fabric. Layer a quarter zip for the plane. |
| Summer heat outdoors | If a collar is needed | Best | Last pick | Cotton and rayon hold water and get heavy when soaked. Polyester and nylon do not. |
Because more men are on golf courses every year. The National Golf Foundation reports 29.1 million on-course golfers in the U.S. in 2025, the eighth straight year of growth, and total golf participation of 48.1 million, per its Graffis Report as reported by Sporting Goods Intelligence. The NGF also reports that Americans played more than 500 million rounds in 2025, a new high.
Sources: Sporting Goods Intelligence, reporting the NGF Graffis Report; National Golf Foundation, record rounds in 2025.
More rounds means more first tees, more pro shops and more men finding out about a dress code the hard way. The polo is the shirt that makes the question go away.
The best men's golf polo for 2026 is one that clears any dress code and handles the sweat, and in the PILLAR range that means the David Polo or the Steven Polo, both $76. Both have a collar, four-way stretch and a U-cut hem. The difference is the fiber: David is nylon, Steven is polyester. For the wider field, see our ranking of the best men's polos.
A short history
The collar on your golf shirt has a tennis story behind it, told by the Smithsonian.
René Lacoste first wore his short sleeved tennis shirt at the U.S. Open in New York.
Lacoste started La Chemise Lacoste. Source: Emily Spivack, Smithsonian, 2013.
The dress polo
Smooth nylon with spandex and a firm collar. The one that reads like a dress shirt, which is why navy works from the first tee to a client lunch.
84% nylon, 16% spandex. Sweat-wicking, four-way stretch, classic athletic fit, U-cut hem, pre-shrunk, easy care.
View the David Polo
The course staple
The same David build in white. The cleanest possible answer to a course that asks for a collar.
84% nylon, 16% spandex. Sweat-wicking, four-way stretch, classic athletic fit, firm collar, U-cut hem, pre-shrunk.
View the David Polo
The print polo
Polyester with spandex and a textured feel. Brew is one of several named Steven prints, including Floral and Texas.
88% polyester, 12% spandex. Cooling sweat-wicking fabric, four-way stretch, classic tailored fit, U-cut hem, pre-shrunk, easy care.
View the Steven PoloFit and sleeve length matter as much as fabric on a polo, because a collar only looks sharp if the shirt sits right. Our guide to how long a polo sleeve should be covers the one measurement most men get wrong.
The PILLAR rule
A dress code checks one thing: the collar. The fabric decides everything else.
Pick the David Polo in nylon if you want the smooth one that reads like a dress shirt, and the Steven Polo in polyester if you want a textured feel and a print. Both fibers sit far below cotton in the moisture regain table, and polyester is the lower of the two on paper. The full breakdown lives in our nylon vs polyester polo comparison.
The nylon polo
The polyester polo
Teams, companies, events
PILLAR builds logo polos and custom apparel for teams, companies and events. Not sure which route fits? Read stock or custom company polos.
Start a team orderLogo embroidery on stock polos.
Full custom, from the fabric up.
For training, pickleball and summer heat, wear a synthetic performance tee, and the PILLAR pick is the Tim Tee at $46. It is 88% polyester and 12% spandex, moisture-wicking and quick-drying, in a tailored athletic fit. Polo vs tee for the gym is not a close call: the gym has no collar rule, and the synthetic tee is the shirt built for the sweat.
The performance tee
The synthetic tee in the lineup. Ultra-soft breathable fabric that wicks and dries quickly, with durable stretch for the full range of a workout.
88% polyester, 12% spandex. Moisture-wicking, quick-drying, tailored athletic fit, pre-shrunk, durable stretch.
View the Tim TeeNeed a layer over it on a cold morning? Our guide to layering a T-shirt covers what goes on top without trapping the heat.
For all day comfort, wear a soft blend tee. The Joey and Nick are both 60% cotton, 35% rayon and 5% spandex, $45 each. To be straight with you, they are not performance tees. The cotton and rayon that make them feel buttery are the same fibers that hold water, so save them for the days you do not plan to sweat through a shirt.
Joey or Nick
Joey: tailored fit, straight cut hem, four-way stretch, enhanced breathability, true to size.
Nick: slim fit, curved hem, lightweight and breathable, true to size.
Want the cleaner line? Joey. Want it closer to the body? Nick.
More on the fabric trade-off in our cotton vs polyester tee guide.
The everyday soft tee
Ultra buttery soft with four-way stretch and a straight cut hem. The tee for travel days and long weekends.
60% cotton, 35% rayon, 5% spandex. Enhanced breathability, tailored fit, pre-shrunk, true to size.
View the Joey Tee
The slim soft tee
Ultra soft and lightweight, with a curved hem and a slim fit. Clean enough for dinner under a jacket.
60% cotton, 35% rayon, 5% spandex. Breathable, slim fit, curved hem, true to size.
View the Nick TeeOne polo, one short and one performance tee cover a round, a workout and the drive home. Here is the kit we would build, and any two of these pieces clear free ground shipping on their own.
The kit
$177
Three pieces, $76 plus $55 plus $46.
Any two of them clear free ground shipping on orders of $75 or more.
The pairing piece
The short that goes with every shirt on this page. Polyester with stretch, a drawstring and a back zipper pocket.
Body 100% polyester, contrast 88% polyester, 12% spandex. Breathable four-way stretch, lightweight moisture-wicking, 5 inch inseam.
View the Drew Short 5"
The fall layer
For fall rounds, zip the Alec Quarter Zip in Blue over either polo.
View the Alec Quarter ZipThe shipping math
Free ground shipping applies on orders of $75 or more.
A polo alone is $76. A performance tee and a soft tee come to $91. A short and a tee come to $100 or more.
Unworn items can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
Shop all men'sEach PILLAR shirt lists its own fit on its product page, and it is worth reading before you choose a size. Here they are, exactly as the product pages state them.
Polo
Classic athletic fit
Polo
Classic tailored fit
Performance tee
Tailored athletic fit
Soft tee
Tailored fit, true to size
Soft tee
Slim fit, true to size
Not sure what those words mean on your frame? Our guide to athletic fit vs slim fit vs classic fit explains the difference, and the polo sleeve length guide shows where the sleeve should land.
In our opinion, three polos, two performance tees and two or three soft tees carry a man through a week of work, training and one round, with something clean always in the drawer. This is how we would wear them. It is a recommendation, not a statistic.
An example week for a man with a business casual job, two training days and a Saturday round.
From the feed
A reel from February 2, 2026, filmed inside the PILLAR store during WM Phoenix Open week. The caption says it features the all-new, redesigned Steven Polos.
Follow @pillarathleticsThe best men's golf polo in 2026 is a collared performance polo in a synthetic fabric that clears any dress code. At PILLAR that is the David Polo, 84% nylon and 16% spandex with a firm collar, or the Steven Polo, 88% polyester and 12% spandex with a textured feel. Both are $76, so one polo on its own clears free ground shipping on orders of $75 or more.
Not at a course with a dress code. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort prohibits non-collared shirts and T-shirts, and Erin Hills requires a collar, counting a traditional collar, a raised crew neck or a mock turtleneck. Many public courses and driving ranges are relaxed, but you cannot count on it, so wear a polo when you are not sure.
Wear a performance tee when you will sweat hard and a cotton blend tee for all day comfort. Polyester holds 0.4 to 0.8 percent moisture at standard conditions while cotton holds 7 to 11 percent, per the moisture regain table on Wikipedia citing Kadolph, so sweat moves off polyester and stays in cotton. The PILLAR Tim Tee is the performance tee. The Joey and Nick Tees are the soft blend.
The tee, and specifically a synthetic performance tee. A gym has no collar rule, and a polyester and spandex tee like the PILLAR Tim Tee is moisture-wicking and quick-drying. Save the polo for the course and the office.
In our opinion, three. That covers two workdays and one round a week with one in the wash. Add two performance tees for training and two or three soft tees for the rest of the week. This is a rotation we recommend, not a statistic.
Both work, and they feel different. In the PILLAR range the David Polo is nylon with spandex, the smooth one that reads like a dress shirt, and the Steven Polo is polyester with spandex, with a textured feel and named prints. Both fibers sit far below cotton in moisture regain, so both are built for sweat.
It means the fabric moves sweat away from your skin instead of holding it. Fibers with low moisture regain, like polyester at 0.4 to 0.8 percent and nylon 66 at 4.0 to 4.5 percent, hold very little water, so sweat moves through the fabric and off it. Cotton and rayon hold more, which is why they feel soft and get heavy when soaked.
Not at a resort course like The Greenbrier, whose golf dress code lists collared sport shirts and prohibits denim. Pair your polo with a golf short or trouser instead. The PILLAR Drew Short 5" is polyester with four-way stretch, a drawstring and a back zipper pocket.
The PILLAR Post
That is the drawer. Start with the collar, add the sweat shirt, finish with the soft one. Free ground shipping on orders of $75 or more.
For her
40% off select women's styles, applied automatically at checkout.
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