Late February is a funny time for British golfers. We are currently slogging through the final weeks of winter rules, navigating temporary greens, and wiping mud off our golf balls after every single shot. But the vibe in the clubhouse is definitely shifting. The days are getting noticeably longer. We are watching the professional tours play under bright blue skies on television, and the group chat is inevitably buzzing with plans for the upcoming spring medal season.
This is the exact time of year we all start auditing our gear. We check if our grips need replacing, we debate whether to invest in a new putter, and we finally think about binning those faded summer shirts we have worn to death over the last three years. But while we are obsessed with finding equipment that might shave a stroke or two off our handicap, we completely ignore one of the most important pieces of gear in our bag. We rarely think about proper sun protection.
If you type “do normal clothes protect you from the sun” into a search engine, the results are a massive wake-up call. Most club golfers assume that if their skin is covered by a standard polo shirt, they are perfectly safe from UV damage. The reality is far more concerning.
The truth about standard golf shirts
The short answer to the question is no. Your standard summer golf shirt does not offer adequate protection from the sun.
A traditional lightweight cotton polo typically carries a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) rating of about 5. To put that in perspective, a UPF rating of 5 means the fabric allows a massive amount of harmful UV radiation to pass straight through the tiny gaps in the woven threads and hit your skin directly. You might not feel your shoulders burning while you are standing on the fairway, but the cellular damage is absolutely happening beneath your shirt.
If you are currently sorting through your wardrobe ahead of the warmer weather, the single smartest upgrade you can make is swapping out those basic tops for purpose-built sun apparel. The technology has evolved brilliantly in recent years. For instance, treating yourself to proper women’s UPF polo shirts for your game of golf guarantees that female players can stay entirely comfortable for a full eighteen holes while actively blocking out harmful radiation.
The exact same technical leaps have been made in male apparel. Adding a few high-quality men’s UPF polo shirts to wear whilst playing golf, from brands like equatorsun, means you get a lightweight, moisture-wicking fit that shields your skin without ever restricting your backswing. When a garment carries a verified UPF50+ rating, it blocks out over 98% of UVA and UVB rays. That is a staggering difference compared to your old cotton gear.
The Great British overcast myth
One of the main reasons sun protection gets overlooked in the UK is our weather. We have a terrible habit of associating sun damage strictly with blistering heat. If we wake up on a Saturday morning, look out the window, and see a blanket of grey clouds, we do not even think about UV rays.
This is a dangerous misconception. Up to 80% of ultraviolet rays can penetrate through cloud cover. You can easily sustain significant skin damage on a cool, overcast Tuesday afternoon in March. UVA rays are particularly sneaky. While UVB rays are the ones that cause the immediate red sunburn you feel on a hot day, UVA rays penetrate much deeper into the skin. They are present all year round, regardless of the temperature, and they are the primary culprits behind premature skin aging and long-term health risks like melanoma. Waiting for a perfectly sunny day to start protecting yourself is a losing strategy.
The golfer’s unique environment
We also have to look at the unique nature of our sport. A typical round of golf is not a quick workout. You are out there for four to five hours at a time. If you tee off at 10:00 AM, your entire round takes place during the absolute peak UV hours of the day.
Unlike tennis players or cricketers who take breaks in shaded pavilions, golfers are constantly exposed. Even if your home club is a beautiful parkland layout with plenty of mature oak trees, you spend the vast majority of your time walking down the wide-open centre of the fairway. Furthermore, the environment works against you. The pristine white sand in the bunkers and the large water hazards act like mirrors. They actively reflect UV rays back up at your face and neck, compounding your total exposure from multiple angles.
The suncream and grips dilemma
Whenever the topic of sun safety comes up in the clubhouse, there is always one traditionalist who insists that a quick layer of sunscreen before the first tee is all you need. Liquid sunscreen is obviously better than nothing, but any serious golfer knows it creates a massive practical problem on the course.
Sunscreen is inherently greasy. Applying it generously to your face, neck, and arms invariably leaves a slick residue on your hands. The connection between your hands and the golf club is the most fundamental part of the golf swing. If your grips feel slippery, you subconsciously grip the club tighter. That tension ruins your swing fluidity, leading to pulled shots and lost distance.
On top of the grip issue, traditional sunscreen degrades rapidly. The moment you start sweating on a warm afternoon, the lotion begins to break down. To maintain proper SPF protection, you are supposed to reapply it every two hours. Be honest with yourself. Are you really going to stop your round on the tenth tee box, dig a bottle of lotion out of your bag, and grease up your hands again while the group behind you is waiting to play? Almost nobody does. This is exactly why wearable UPF protection is such a game-changer. It takes the hassle completely out of the equation.
Athletic performance and comfort
A common worry among players who have never tried technical UPF gear is that it will feel too heavy or restrictive during the peak of summer. It is a fair concern, but modern fabric engineering has completely solved it.
Premium UPF golf shirts are designed specifically for elite athletic performance. They are incredibly lightweight and highly breathable. More importantly, they utilise advanced moisture-wicking technology. Instead of absorbing sweat like a traditional cotton shirt, these technical fabrics actively pull moisture away from your skin and push it to the outer surface of the garment. Once there, the moisture evaporates rapidly into the air.
This rapid evaporation creates an active cooling sensation on your skin. You actually stay cooler and drier in a long-sleeve UPF top than you would in a short-sleeve cotton shirt. When you are standing on the sixteenth tee box with a good scorecard in your pocket, physical fatigue is your biggest enemy. Staying cool, dry, and unburnt helps maintain your focus and energy levels right through to the final putt.
Packing smart for your spring golf trip
As we move toward March, thousands of us are finalizing our travel itineraries. The annual golf trip to places like Vilamoura, Belek, or Tenerife is a sacred tradition. When packing your travel cover, space and weight are always an issue.
Opting for UPF apparel is a brilliant travel hack. It drastically reduces the amount of liquid sunscreen you need to pack, which saves weight and avoids the nightmare of a bottle exploding inside your luggage. A sharp, well-tailored UPF polo shirt transitions perfectly from the eighteenth green straight to the clubhouse bar. You look the part, you respect the local dress codes, and you do not have to worry about nursing a painful sunburn for the rest of your holiday.
Golf is a sport we all hope to play for the rest of our lives. We invest ridiculous amounts of money into our clubs, our shoes, and our memberships. But the longevity of our playing days relies entirely on our health. As you prep your golf bag for the 2026 season, take a serious look at what you are wearing. Protecting your skin is the easiest adjustment you can make, ensuring you can keep chasing pars and birdies for decades to come.
