Not all multi-faceted morning decisions involve playing surfaces. Here’s how a few of your peers approach dressing for work.

Working on a golf course is a never-ending and sometimes even an unpredictable job. When you have to think about things like the weather forecast, what plant protectants to apply, where to cut the holes, and how to ensure the soil and turf remain no less than pristine, certain things may consume less of your thoughts. One of those being what you wear each day.

You may not be trying to make a statement or stand out in any way, because you aren’t the one playing golf most of the time. You often blend into the shadows and fall into the background, getting your work done and then going home. But what you wear might be as important as what topdressing sand you select. Functionality, quality, style and comfort are just a few things that you consider when choosing your outfit in the morning, without even realizing it. Recognizing the importance may lead to better productivity and maybe even a little motivation to get dressed in the morning.

Every golf course and maintenance team possess unique traits and quirks. You might have a dress code or guideline, an assigned uniform, or none of the above. Knowing what your course expects can help you prepare and experiment with different options.

For example, Thad Thompson, superintendent at Terry Hills Golf Course in western New York, requires his team to wear some type of shirt with sleeves.

“Me and my assistant really are the only ones that wear collared shirts. Everybody else is pretty much shorts and a T-shirt,” he says. “I do not like the unprofessional look [of no sleeves — we have a reputation as it is.”

For Kasey Kauff at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, his team is all about breaking the superintendent and maintenance team stereotype.

“We are trying to change the look from the khaki pants and collared shirt,” says Kauff, the Texas club’s director of grounds. “We feel the golf course superintendent wearing the khaki pants and collared shirt is now a thing of the past.”

Trinity Forest even began selling the logoed sweatshirts his team typically wears in the pro shop because the members were such fans of the look. “My guys wear more shorts and T-shirts, or shorts and hoodies or shirts and untucked collared shirts,” Kauff explains. “It’s just more relaxed. … Even our club, our members will play in T-shirts out here. It is a very relaxed place.”

By contrast, Toscana (California) Country Club director of agronomy Jared Stanek and Country Club of Detroit superintendent Ross Miller provide their respective teams with collared uniforms.

“Our entire team is outfitted,” Miller says. “They all get five polo shirts each year with the club logo on it. They also get five pairs of khakis as well. Full-time staff get a shoe and clothing allowance of $400 a year so they can get new boots and everything. We provide galoshes and OSHA-approved toe caps.”

David Jones takes the “look good, play good” mentality literally.

The superintendent at Indian Springs Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has played every golf course in the Sooner State and is known for his brightly colored and unique outfit choices while doing it.

“It kind of started with my grandfather in Minnesota,” Jones says. “We would play golf and he would always wear extravagant clothing and everything, even when he wasn’t playing golf. I got some hand-me-downs from him and that was where it started.”

At the start of Jones’ fashion journey almost two decades ago, he had to get a little more creative chasing down his looks. “I would go to eBay or thrift stores to try to find some of the older clothing that was bright colors, but now everybody seems to be selling them so it’s great,” he says.

Making it easier to shop may come at the cost of closet space in his home, though, something he and his wife, Erin, can agree on.

“I always blame her because she kind of started this, too,” Jones says. “Any time I would have a birthday or for Christmas, she would buy me some Loudmouth pants or whatever. She doesn’t do it anymore because I’ve probably got two closets full of stuff compared to her half a closet, so it’s pretty bad.”

“I was working at home during the pandemic and packages just kept arriving like every single day,” Erin says. “I remember saying to him, ‘When is enough enough? You’re already busting out of our closet, our garage is full of shoes.’” Erin compares her husband to Imelda Marcos, a Filipina politician who amassed a reported 3,000 pairs of shoes before she and her husband were deposed from power.

Despite maybe losing some closet space of her own, Erin is fully supportive when his wardrobe gets recognition from fellow golfers.

“I think it’s funny. I really think it’s funny,” she says. “So, I will offer to take a picture, have that person be in a picture with David. I think the first time I saw that was when we were at the PGA Championship here in Tulsa at Southern Hills, and I cannot tell you when we walked over to the merchandise tent and back, the number of people that stopped him.

“There was one guy that stopped him and said, ‘Hey, you’re David Jones! It’s so nice to meet you. I follow you on Twitter.’ People get really amped by it,” she says.

Jones has more than 2,200 followers on Twitter, where he will post his outfits, dogs, and daily superintendent duties on his @GolfsoupJones account. He recently shared his experience at The Open Championship at St. Andrews.

“I just got back from the Open and there were several times when people even took my picture because of my outfit and they just wanted a picture to show friends and family or whoever,” he says. “My wife, it kind of embarrasses her because about every 20 or 30 people will say, ‘Hey, nice outfit!’ or ‘Nice colors!’ so it’s kinda fun.”

But fun is what it’s all about for Jones.

“I just kinda like to be different,” he says. “I hate seeing guys that are just wearing the normal, you know, bland colors. That used to be me when I was in high school and I was like, ‘You know what, I just want to be different,’ so I started doing that.”

Although Jones may not wear candy corn pants and a neon orange top when he shows up for work or just lounging around the house, he does still find small ways to make his everyday wear unique.

“I still kind of wear bright colors, not quite as extravagant as I do when I’m playing golf,” Jones says. “When I’m at home, it’s usually just shorts and a T-shirt. I’m trying to be comfortable.”

“We were at a wedding … and he wore this floral button-up shirt. I saw when he went to the food table, you know, everybody was commenting on his shirt,” Erin says. “But he looked really good! He was wearing a plain pair of trousers and then this floral shirt. It was really fun.”

For those also willing to be bold and express themselves through their clothing, Jones says you shouldn’t be afraid to match everything.

“I would like to see more people match more stuff instead of just wearing a crazy shirt or whatever,” he says. “Accessorize and you know, make everything match, really stand out because you’ll be amazed at how many comments — and it makes you feel good, too. To me, it makes me play better.”

Although Jones might not come close to 3,000 pairs of shoes (or maybe he will?), you can’t put a number on style.

“I want to be unique and that’s why I do it, to kind of stand out a little bit I guess,” he says. “You could probably call it a sickness, but I like to call it a passion.”

If you have women on your team, you may need to consider an alternate uniform option or style.

The Country Club of Detroit provides a stipend to women on the team, allowing them to purchase their own pants.

“(Ross) provides our shirts with the logo on them, they’re polo shirts,” Country Club of Detroit horticulturist Cassandra Budzik says. “Because I’m management staff, we have a better choice of the shirts we want to get, so he’ll let me choose a certain style within reason.

“I would just say it’s hard when some companies, if they don’t have as many women there, it’s hard for them to special order products just for women sometimes. You’re stuck with the menswear, and it just doesn’t fit at all, it doesn’t have the same shape. At least if they allowed for you to have them altered, that would be a nice option for some companies that don’t want to special order something just for women.”

Budzik adds that it doesn’t happen as much now, as companies have begun accommodating women, but it all depends on the course and their budget.

With each course varying in policy, dress code and budget, there’s a lot to take into consideration. Things like functionality, longevity and comfort are atop the list.

“A lot of times it’s hard to find look and functionality,” Budzik says. “Because I’m doing so much more manual labor, I need something a little more rugged and veer more towards functionality. It’s hard to find functionality and style. With Patagonia, I can get a little bit of both.”

Depending on where your course is located, you may value certain items over others.

“I think functionality and comfort go hand in hand,” Miller says. “We don’t do anything with cotton, everything is more polyester, breathable. Again, in the summer, more functionality and comfort. Everyone has a sunhat with the course logo on them.”

“(Functionality) is vital,” Stanek says. “For the crew, it’s long pants and long sleeves year-round because I need to make sure that they are safe and protected when they are running the equipment. Then, you have to be comfortable, so I make sure we’ve gotten the right fabrics for them. I need something that keeps them cool.”

Sun, heat and cold protection are essential. For Kauff, whose course is in Dallas, where temperatures swell past 100, Maui Jim sunglasses are a necessity.

“The ‘mandatory’ thing is sunglasses,” he says. “I need my sunglasses, the one thing that I literally cannot go without. I can go without a hat, but I cannot go without sunglasses.”

For a superintendent in New York, gloves are a must.

“I mean, I probably have six or seven different pairs of gloves in the file cabinet behind my desk,” Thompson says. “Just in case something gets wet, you want to be warm. I’m prepared for almost anything, I think.”

In Southern California, the UV rays can be harmful.

“For us, it’s definitely about sun protection,” Stanek says. “It gets so hot here, so sun protection is vital and that’s kind of how we always approach it here. It’s funny, in the winter, I wear lots and lots of layers, even though it ends up being 80 degrees; in the morning, it’s down in the 40s or even 30s.”

From the top of your head with sunhats and sunglasses to the very bottoms of your feet, a quality pair of work shoes can make or break your level of comfort.

Thompson, a self-declared shoe addict, will even go as far to contact manufacturers about the quality of their shoe.

“I wear the same pair every day until they wear out, but I probably have 10 different pairs of boots and a whole bunch of others,” he says. “They have to hold up to what I’m doing. I have very specific critiques about a lot of different brands of work boots. Carolina work boots are, in my opinion, some of the best but the eyelet will wear out.”

“For me, I have to get a really good orthotic shoe, really good quality,” Budzik says. “I usually try to get waterproof because once you get wet, you’re done. I fluctuate between the two, either a really good waterproof shoe or I have a lightweight, mesh shoe that dries really quickly and also has good foot support.”

It’s clear everyone has their own personal preferences and some value certain traits over the other. You must decide what is important to you when it comes to work wear. There may even be some trial and error before you find the perfect brand or product. Either way, you should make it your own.

Cassidy Gladieux is a Kent State University senior participating in Golf Course Industry’s internship program.