If you've been following me for the last few years, you've probably seen me write in support of a trend toward a more casual look on the golf course -- particularly on the lower half of the body.
Look, I have no problem with a collared golf shirt. I'm not longing for a return to mock-necks. If you want to wear a T-shirt on a course that allows it, that's cool by me, but it's not my jam.
More important to me is the moving past the idea that appropriate golf pants or shorts have to have a zipper and belt loops. That's just ridiculous. If you want to wear a pair of drawstring shorts or pants, that should be fine. If you want to wear shorts with a similar modern aesthetic to athleisure wear, what's wrong with that so long as they look presentable?
In that vein, I've tried some different, more relaxed golf shorts. They had elastic waistlines with drawstrings, but they're designed with mock zipper sections to throw people off the trail that I'm wearing casual shorts. If you couldn't see the waistband, you would be none the wiser since they otherwise look like standard-issue golf shorts.
For this review, though, I wanted to take another step. I wanted to try a pair of shorts that are a little more athletic-looking but could still pass as golf shorts. Luckily, Linksoul, one of my favorite brands -- and, ironically, makers of some of my favorite modern golf shorts -- had a perfect fit.
Linksoul makes a line of shorts called the Saturday short. As the name might imply, it's a casual pair of shorts that are really geared toward lounging around the house or working out in the gym. However, the Saturday short also looks a lot like the AC style of the company's Boardwalker shorts, which I wear quite frequently to play golf.
The Boardwalker AC has a perforation to it that makes it look a little more casual but not to the point that they look like mesh gym shorts. With the Saturday short having the same look and a drawstring, it made sense to try. Linksoul sent me a pair for this review.
The particular Saturday short I tried was the model with a liner in them, meaning you don't have to wear underwear (if that's your M.O.) to rock these. I've tried other athletic style-inspired shorts with liners, and I'm a fan. I got them in black in XL. They're easy to put on and then tie off with the drawstring, though I wish the string were a little longer.
The liner is stretchy, like a pair of athletic underwear, so it's comfortable while offering some compression. The shorts have a 10.25-inch inseam, so you won't be rocking short shorts. They're also not baggy, with a modern tailoring that means you won't be swimming in them.
There's a back pocket, so you can keep your glove, scorecard or other back-pocket belongings handy. The side pockets are a good depth for a ball, a divot-repair tool and a few tees.
I wore the Saturday short to my home club, with a golf shirt and a pullover. It felt fine to tuck in the golf shirt, but I was more comfortable with it untucked. Luckily, the pullover concealed both that my shirt was untucked and that my pants had a drawstring. So if you're a private club member, and they have hawkeye fashion police, you could still get away with this look. At a public course, they won't care, and you'll still look good.
Of course, these shorts are great for hitting the gym or doing errands or just sitting around your house. They'll do with pretty much any casual activity you're doing, so you're going to get plenty of mileage out of them.
The Linksoul Saturday shorts are available in a variety of colors, with or without a liner, for $76 per pair.
