History of Polo Shirts and Golf Shirts That Are Favorite Uniforms and Promotional Items in Tampa FL

Polo shirts and golf shirts, like custom t shirts and embroidered shirts, are favorite uniforms and promotional items in Tampa FL. But do you know how they came to be?

Acually, polo shirts and golf shirts are almost identical. They are also sometimes called tennis shirts. Obviously, this is because they were, and still are, used by players of these sports around the world and here in Tampa FL. The same articles of clothing are also often referred to simply as t-shirts, or even tee shirts. The former may be because they are often made of the same material as collarless t-shirts, and the latter may be slang or a reference to golf shirts. In any case, all of them are very popular as casual wear in Tampa FL. They are so popular, in fact, that there are many wholesale t shirt suppliers in Tampa FL.

What we call polo shirts or golf shirts today are short sleeved pullovers with a soft collar and buttons at the neck opening. They often come in cotton knit material but also in several blends of soft materials.

The first such shirt was designed by the French tennis champion Rene Lacoste in 1926 for the US Open championship. Previously, tennis players wore white long sleeved button-up shirts with ties and flannel trousers on the court, merely rolling up their sleeves to play. Lacoste’s shirt was much more comfortable and quickly became popular. By 1927, he added the crocodile emblem on the left breast of the shirt to acknowledge the nickname “Crocodile” which the US press gave him. After Lacoste retired from professional tennis in 1933, he began to mass produce and market his shirts under the Lacoste brand.

When Lacoste’s tennis shirt became popular, polo players started to wear it for their sport, too. Before then, polo players traditionally wore long-sleeved shirts made of thick Oxford cotton with a button-down collar. Ironically, the tennis shirt soon came to be better known as the polo shirt. This name was further popularized when American designer Ralph Lauren launched his Polo brand which also featured shirts of the same design but this time sporting an emblem of a polo player on the left breast.

Golf wear followed the path taken by tennis wear and polo garb. Golf players also took to wearing what was already being called the polo shirt. What became known as the golf shirt, however, had a slight variation in design. Whereas the polo shirt usually had a soft collar made of one-ply ribbed knit cotton, the golf shirt had a stitched collar made of a double-layer of the same fabric as the shirt’s body, often mercerized cotton, polyester, or a cotton and polyester blend. The golf shirt also had a longer neckline plaque with three to four buttons whereas the polo shirt usually had only two to three.

Since then, the polo shirt and golf shirt have evolved into many minor variations but have retained their basic features. They are now commonly worn as casual wear by men and women alike, and are even deemed acceptable as “business casual” wear for more informal industries. In fact, they are even being used as uniforms in many technical firms, retail firms, hotels and resorts, health centers, as well as schools.

When polo shirts or golf shirts are used as uniforms or promotional items, they often include embroidery of the company, school or organization’s logo or emblem. Companies that supply wholesale t shirts often supply polo shirts and golf shirts, as well as embroidered shirts and custom t shirts, in Tampa FL. It looks like these articles of clothing are here to stay.