Golf is a game of tradition and history, be it one of the oldest sports still played regularly today. It is documented that golf was invented as far back as 1457, so clearly it has gone through a lot of changes since that more primitive time. Even in the past 50 years, there has been a lot of advancements with golf technology including the addition of metal golf clubs, soft core golf balls, and more recently GPS technology. But one thing is always consistently ebbing and flowing in the golf industry and that is clothing. The clothing industry always tries to stay one step ahead of the market in golf and promotes their new looks by sponsoring professional golfers to wear on tour.

It's an incredibly successful way to market, most commonly seen by Tiger Woods. As arguably the best golfer of all time, whatever Tiger wears on the course is what amateur golfers all over the world want to wear. But golf is a sport that has some classic staples in its wardrobe that will always be around. Other golf trends are just signs of the time and come and go just like the 1980s had big hair and the 1990s had neon. Yes, some of the items that you see in golf stores now will no longer be offered in just five years from now because the market will have already changed. So if you're in the market for some new golf gear, this article will give you 10 suggestions of things to buy that will be a lasting look, while also providing 10 items that are sure to look stupid five years from now.

(Note: This article is geared toward men's clothing, there will be another article featuring women's golf trends forthcoming)

20 Lasting Look: Black Golf Slacks

One of the most classic looks in golf is the sleek black golf slacks.  While this look is often seen more on the PGA Tour than at your local golf course due to the fact that most amateur golfers choose to wear shorts for the comfort factor, but this is a look that will always be around no matter what year it is.

It's a staple in the golf world and new golf apparel companies like Travis Matthews and Nike offer more modern takes on this classic look to add more comfort and lightness.

If you're looking for a golf staple to add to your wardrobe, a safe bet is some sleek black golf slacks.

19 Ridiculous: Collarless Golf Shirts

Let's start this off with the look that has the golf world buzzing in 2018. Yes, the collarless golf shirt has been all the rave since Tiger Woods debuted it early in the 2018 season. While these shirts technically do have a small collar, they are far from the classic collared golf shirts and instead look much more like soccer jerseys. While these shirts can look great on golf model physiques like Tiger Woods, they can look a bit sloppy and too relaxed for some golf clubs.

In fact, there have been many courses that still adhere to their clothing guidelines by forcing golfers to wear a full collared shirt.  These look cool but beware wearing them to a nicer course.

18 Lasting Look: Classic Golf Hats

Nothing beats the classic golf hat in the golf wardrobe world. These type of hats include most of the selections you find in a local pro shop or golf store and essentially are plain except for the name of whatever golf brand created it (i.e., Titleist, Ping, Nike). These golf hats are essentials for any golfer as they both look nice and provide sun protection.  Think of how strange Tiger Woods would look if he started wearing a flat brim hat like some of the younger guys on tour do. It's not that it's a bad look, it's just not a lasting look in the golf world and will surely be out of favor five years from now.

17 Ridiculous: Visors

While we are on the subject of hats, let's go ahead and wipe out the use of visors please. Unless you have lustrous wavy hair (if you do, please go ahead and wear a visor), it's best to skip on spending the money for a visor.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the visor was all the rage in the golf world, but since that time the popularity has continued to dwindle with each passing year.

Five years from now, the visor will be all but dead in the golf industry except for Bubba Watson, who will inevitably attempt to keep the visor cool his entire career.

16 Lasting Look: White Golf Glove

The golf glove is a key essential to golf as it helps provide a good grip on the club and also prevents blisters from forming on your hands. The best way to go on any golf glove is the classic white look. The white golf glove seamlessly pairs with any golf outfit simply because it is what we expect to see people wearing out on the course.

Once you start straying away from the classic golf glove look is when people start to actually notice what you're wearing. There are times where a black glove can look cool (just ask Phil Mickelson), but more times than not you're better off just buying the classic look for this golf staple.

15 Ridiculous: Graphic Golf Glove

On the exact opposite side of the classic white golf glove look is the new aged graphic golf glove that features a variety of different colors, sayings, or gimmicky designs. Not only is this not a good look, but it can also be distracting when looking down at your ball while you're hitting. The golf glove should not be a place to make a statement on the course. If you want to do that you can do it with things like head covers, ball markers, or even with whatever shirt you're wearing. Just do everybody a favor and rock the classic golf glove look and avoid becoming the butt of some green-side jokes.

14 Lasting Look: Athletic Golf Spikes

While most of the items on this list have been stating that "classic look is better," it's impossible to not admit that the golf spike game has changed for the better over the past decade.

Athletic apparel companies have taken over an industry that was once dominated by Footjoy.

Seriously, now every major brand has a style of golf shoe that is rather compelling. Some of the better designs, in my opinion, have come from Nike, Puma, and Under Armor.  These athletic style golf shoes not only look awesome, but they are also far more comfortable than the old school spikes.

13 Ridiculous: Camouflage Anything

While it's not expected that everybody who plays golf actually has to dress like a golfer, but the camouflage look should absolutely be avoided at all costs on the golf course. Unless you want to look like Larry the Cable Guy tapping in for triple-bogey, you probably shouldn't rock the camo look. It's not that the camo look isn't fun, it's just the wrong place for it. Out hunting? Wear Camo. At a Jason Aldean concert? Rock that camo hat all night. Teeing it up at a nice golf club? Leave the camo at home and come looking the part. This goes for some pro golfers that also choose to wear camouflage hats on tour as well.

12 Lasting Look: Sweater With Collared Shirt

One of the classic golf looks that will never go out of style is the pull-over sweater over the firm collared shirt look. This is perfect for those colder morning rounds that start off a bit frigid and begin to warm up as the round goes on. Having the pull-over sweater allows for ample movement in your swing while still keeping you warm. Plus, once it does start to warm up later in the round, you can just pull off the sweater and now you are left with the collared shirt look. It's a very easy style to pull off if you have a black sweater, as it will go with practically any outfit. This look will always be a classic at cold weather tournaments like the British Open.

11 Ridiculous: White Golf Pants

This is a trend that has started to gain more and more steam over the past few years but it will eventually become taboo again.

Wearing white golf pants is a look that began overseas and has made its way into the PGA Tour, where guys like Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, and Sergio Garcia have made it commonplace.

But this look is not great for most people as it leads to dirt stains (and unsightly sweat stains), which damages the material over time.

If you're the type that would rock white jeans to a bar scene, then go ahead and wear white golf pants. But if not, save your money and get some darker colored gear.

10 Lasting Look: Travis Mathew Gear

There are some things that Travis Mathews designs that I believe will lose favor over the next five years (flat-brimmed hats, cloth belts, etc.), but for the most part, his clothing and gear will be around for the foreseeable future.  What Matthews did is capitalize on the younger golf market by making shirts and shorts that a golfer can wear out on the course and go straight to a bar and not stand out too much. The clothing is high quality and continues to introduce new concepts that, for the most part, have been a hit in the golf world. The "TM" hats and shirts are here to stay, people.

9 Ridiculous: Baggy Golf Shirts

Back in the visor hay-day was also the overly big/baggy golf shirt era. These golf shirts were often made of heavy cotton and were just far too big and loose-fitting to be flattering in anyway. The material would just droop down toward the stomach line and not provide any resemblance of what the shirt looked like on the rack at the pro-shop.

For Big and Large golfers, this is still a solid look and probably more comfortable for the course, but if you're able to rock a slimmer fitting shirt then go for it.

Either way, this style will likely not even be sold in most pro-shops five years from now.

8 Lasting Look: Ankle Socks

For golfers who grew up in the late '80s and '90s, ankle socks became all the rave during junior high and high school.  Part of this was actually created through skate/street culture in which low cut shoes would expose the ankles, much like how low-cut Vans do.These shoes looked goofy if you wore socks that were exposed, so people began wearing ankle socks (i.e., socks that don't go up past the ankle).

Nowadays, these lower cut socks are perfect for golf spikes, especially for players who wear shorts. Not only does this look better, but it also helps prevent an even more noticeable golfers tan around your ankles.  That's a definite win/win.

7 Ridiculous: Loudmouth Pants

When loudmouth pants first hit the market, they were a massive hit. Although these have never been considered "fashionable" and are obviously much more of a gimmick or statement piece, they are fun in short doses. But we all know that one golfer that rocks shorts or pants with crazy patterns all too often for it to still be considered funny. If John Daly is your hero, then who am I to tell you not to wear his sponsored clothing? But if you are casually wearing loudmouth pants to the golf course, to the store, or around town, then you need to re-evaluate your choices.

6 Lasting Look: Sunglasses

Golf is an outdoor sport and you are going to be exposed to a lot of sun out there on the course (unless you hit it into the trees all day), so sun protection is vital and I'm not talking about just sunscreen.

Your eyes are a pivotal part of golf and it's important to help protect them as much as possible, which is why you should invest in a nice pair of sunglasses.  

Some people choose to go with the more fashionable style like Ray Bans, while others tend to go with sportier looks like Oakley. There really is no bad choice to make when it comes to sunglasses out on the course. Wear whatever style you feel most comfortable in, just make sure you wear sunglasses most of the round.

5 Ridiculous: High Top Golf Shoes

Fortunately, this is a recent trend that has failed to ever gain traction and for good reason. The fact that guys like Rickie Fowler and Pat Perez have worn high-top golf shoes out on the PGA Tour is almost unfathomable. While Rickie can almost pull it off with his high-top Pumas (only because he has that youthful look to him), Pat Perez looks like a joke out there in his custom-made high-top Jordan golf spikes. Credit to them for trying to look different, but they ended up just looking like your 11-year-old kid when you let them pick out their own outfit. Avoid high-top golf shoes at all costs as they will still be considered ridiculous five years from now.

4 Lasting Look: Slim Fit Shirts

Earlier in this article, we went over why you should avoid wearing baggy golf shirts and how they will become less and less popular over the next half-decade. Conversely, slim fitting shirts will continue to grow in popularity as more and more young golfers continue to enter the golf world. The younger crowd prefers more form-fitting clothing, which is why golf companies have begun featuring more slim fit shirt styles. While this look is not for everybody, you should absolutely trend toward slim fit if you have a nice build and are looking for a more stylish golf look.

3 Ridiculous: Flat Brim Hats

As mentioned above, flat brim hats have become a recent trend in the golf industry and it's really quite a shame.

These hats resemble more of an MLB-style design with the higher front and the strong, flat bill.

While I agree that these hats are probably more stylish than the classic golf hat (i.e., flex-fitted hat with a slightly brimmed bill), they just don't fit out on the course. However, out of all of the items listed in this article, this is the one that I could see still fighting for a market share in five years, but losing out in the long run.

2 Lasting Look: Sunday Red

One of the most lasting looks one can have these days is the red golf shirt inspired by Tiger Woods' iconic "Sunday Red" look. The red shirt inspires confidence and makes you feel like you are Tiger trying to track down the leaderboard in a Sunday final round, except the leaderboard is just your golf friends and you're playing for skins instead of trophies. Either way, this is a look that will go down in the golf annals for eternity and you should never feel embarrassed copying it for your own game... unless you're Patrick Reed, then it's just kind of creepy.

1 Ridiculous: Long-sleeve Dress Shirts

If you pay attention to the golf fashion world at all then you will know exactly what it is that I'm talking about when I say "Long Sleeve Dress Shirts" have no place out on the golf course. Really the only golfer trying to make this look happen is Phil Mickelson with his Mizzen & Main clothing. This clothing company tries to create a look that allows you to go straight from the boardroom to the golf course without a need for a change of clothes. But it's ridiculous and should be outlawed immediately.

If you don't agree with me, please go watch Mickelson's most recent Mizzen and Main commercial and then come back. This look will be done five months from now, let alone five years.