[otto6457]

I searched the archives and didn't get a hit.

How many of you dry clean your golf polos and can you tell the difference in how long the colors stay bright?

My last bunch of Ralph Lauren Polos didn't fare so well with my washing them at home. I used Woolite and cold water on the delicate setting and they still faded pretty quickly.

In the Polos defense, I play everyday and they spend a lot of time in the sun.

My question is based on the fact that I just bought 10 new Polos and I am hoping to keep these looking good for at least this season. Any suggestions welcome since these shirts are not that cheap.

[DRGJR72]

I have a two prong answer for you and hopefully it will help.

1. I usually washed my shirts when I was a pro (I got them for free) and they did not fair well. Usually lasted about a season and faded, collars got worked, etc. I would not recommend this if you were trying to keep shirts looking nice and new.

2. A good friend of mine in FLA always got his shirts dry cleaned and they lasted for ever. Granted he had a plethora of shirts to choose from and did not wear the same shirt more than once every 2 weeks, but they lasted far longer, and looked much better than my shirts did over the same time. He also sweat way worse than I did.

I am not sure whether or not that will work for you, but if I had the cash and was trying to keep my shirts in good shape and good order, I would have them dry cleaned just like my dress shirts.

[Big D McGee]

Seems a tad bit excessive if you ask me. I would think it'd be cheaper to buy a new shirt rather than pay the $1.25 to dry clean it. Figure it this way, a good RL polo can be had for about $70 on sale. If you dry clean once a week, that's $65 a year. If the polos last less than a year w/machine washing, then I guess it's a good deal. Otherwise, you're paying about the same in drycleaning as you would be for a new shirt.

Besides, only metrosexuals care if their polos are faded!

[alfie]

Why r u buying RL Polo shirts to use everyday to play golf? There's no way those polo shirts are gonna last u more than 1 season if u wash them yourself and dry cleaning them is a bit "over the top" in terms of ways to "burn" money.

Only suggestions would be to buy a cheaper set of polo shirts (either from the Gap, Old Navy or something along those line), use those all the time and use the RL Polo shirts on special events/tournaments/to impress.
Regarding the washing cycle, u r doing it the right way (cold H2O and woolite). Are you line drying them (probably the best drying method), drying them tumble dry low? That might help a bit too.

[iscarter69]

I send all of my golf shirts to the dry cleaner. I do this not so much for the actual cleaning, but the pressing. With the advent of double mercerized cotton (Bobby Jones Collection, Ralph Lauren Golf Country Club Lisle, etc.) it is really difficult to get these shirts pressed properly with a home iron. This only really necessary for high end shirts.

If you are washing yourself, try the following (i) wash inside out in cold, (ii) only put in the dryer for a brief time on low to get the majority of the water out, and (iii) hang upside down to dry (try pant hangers with clips to hold bottom) (in my experience, this keeps the top of the shirt from getting so messed up -- no hanger marks, keeps the collar from getting creased).

To the point of one of the other posters, in lieu of buying cheaper shirts, I would go with a tech material type shirt (such as Adidas Clima-Cool). They seem to hold up to washing and take very little to keep pressed. Unless the budget is really an issue, I would steer clear of cheap shirts -- mainly because, well, they look cheap. You can get more expensive shirts of all styles on Ebay (just make sure they are new with tags). I would rather buy expensive shirts on ebay and send to the dry cleaner. You can find $125-150 shirts new on ebay for $35-55.

[Big D McGee]

I agree about the cheap Old Navy polos. They're fine if you're a HS or college dude. But if you're 30 or over, buck up and get some more expensive polos and even some button-down casual shirts. Ross, Marshalls (and even the clearance rack at a department store) should have quality shirts for $10-$20 more than Old Navy.

Also, if you want your cotton polos to look newer, don't wear them to play golf. Wear Dri-Fit or another moisture-wicking material. Sweat and dirt kill your shirts. I have six or eight "golf only" polos, all with moisture wicking properties. They seem to be holding up very well, and you can throw 'em in the washer and just hang dry, no wrinkling. Just be careful, if you throw a Dri-Fit shirt in the dryer, don't use a dryer sheet. Apparently, they mess up the moisture wicking tech. Go figure.

[imsocrabby]

i'm a mom and i play golf every day.....so i do tons of laundry....golf and non-golf. i actually work in the industry and one of my best friends is a fairway & greene rep.

my .02:



Launder your golf shirts in cold water with woolite. NO LIQUID FABRIC SOFTENER. Toss them in the dryer for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove them and either hang them to dry or lay them flat. AGAIN...NO DRYER SHEETS.


Once dry you can give them a once over with a warm iron.


If you get the tech fabrics, they don't' need any ironing. If you get the mercerized cotton, a warm iron will do. If you follow the directions, it really isn't necessary.


I avoid 100% cotton like the plague during the hot summer months. They're really quite gross when soaked with sweat, Moisture-wicking is a god-send.

[Big D McGee]

^^^Heh...momma taught me well, that's how I've been washing my nicer cotton shirts since I was 10.

I agree about cotton in the summer, though I prefer it for the office on casual fridays. Even the nicest TW dri-fit shirts just don't look as nice as a cotton polo. Unless you're built like Tiger, of course. I'm built more like JD, unfortunately. But I am going to buy some better-looking moisture-wicking polos to wear in the summer. My SoCal "uniform" for off-hours is cargo shorts and polos, so I need something that's not gonna be drenched when I'm walking around.

[obsessed_golfer]

You DO know that when you bring shirts to the cleaner, they WASH them, not dry clean them, don't you? The $1.25 or whatever is for washing. It would prob be like $5 or more to dry clean a shirt, and I don't know how well that would help a sweaty golf shirt

[alfie]

obsessed_golfer, on May 9 2008, 01:34 PM, said:

You DO know that when you bring shirts to the cleaner, they WASH them, not dry clean them, don't you? The $1.25 or whatever is for washing. It would prob be like $5 or more to dry clean a shirt, and I don't know how well that would help a sweaty golf shirt

Yes... I forgot to point out to wash them COLD INSIDE OUT, as stated on a prev. post.

And about what & how the dry cleaners clean your shirts... the above reply is accurate, as I've also seen them do it all the time, so, really, if u're taking them to the dry cleaners, u're "burning" cash...

[alfie]

Big D McGee, on May 9 2008, 09:15 AM, said:

I agree about the cheap Old Navy polos. They're fine if you're a HS or college dude. But if you're 30 or over, buck up and get some more expensive polos and even some button-down casual shirts. Ross, Marshalls (and even the clearance rack at a department store) should have quality shirts for $10-$20 more than Old Navy.

Also, if you want your cotton polos to look newer, don't wear them to play golf. Wear Dri-Fit or another moisture-wicking material. Sweat and dirt kill your shirts. I have six or eight "golf only" polos, all with moisture wicking properties. They seem to be holding up very well, and you can throw 'em in the washer and just hang dry, no wrinkling. Just be careful, if you throw a Dri-Fit shirt in the dryer, don't use a dryer sheet. Apparently, they mess up the moisture wicking tech. Go figure.

Great reply from above post! Didn't figure that Old Navy & Gap polo shirts were that "young" looking, but I guess I can get away with it, as (for now) I don't look my age...

[Bomb and Gouge]

I wash all of my shirts in cold, inside out and I hang dry everything.


They last a few years w/ no problems. But I don't pay more than $70 per shirt.

[mljones99]

I just invested in a Rowenta Pressure Steamer and it is amazing! Makes ironing a snap and look just as good as the cleaners. I wash all my shirts (polos and button ups) in cold water, hang dry, and then steam them with my pressure iron.

[w7n23j]

Most of my golf shirts are Nikes and Callaways and they last more than 2 seasons. Cold water, Woolite, inside out and no dryer time. I just hang them out to dry.
Correct me if I am wrong but all RL golf shirts only come in 100% cotton and from my experience, they do fade faster. Maybe that is the way cotton is.

[lab1dobie]

For my cotton shirts, I wash them in cold water and use Shout for any stains. I let them dry by putting them on hangers and letting them air dry. Iron on cotton setting. Always look good and don't have any problem with fading.

The new dri-tech and so forth I do everything the same except I don't iron. They look good.

My shirts are Ashworth, Nicklaus, Cutter and Buck, Fidra, Tehama.

Good Luck!

[imsocrabby]

w7n23j, on May 9 2008, 07:34 PM, said:

Most of my golf shirts are Nikes and Callaways and they last more than 2 seasons. Cold water, Woolite, inside out and no dryer time. I just hang them out to dry.
Correct me if I am wrong but all RL golf shirts only come in 100% cotton and from my experience, they do fade faster. Maybe that is the way cotton is.

Ralph Lauren has a myriad of selections in their golf line. But you are correct to assume that their most popular shirt is 100% cotton. That's the one that you find most often. Their golf line however has the mercerized cotton and are fantastic. They also have a 'tech' line.

Ralph Lauren Golf and Polo Golf and RLXGolf.....check it out.

[rgk5]

Give up the ancient cotton fabric polos and buy technical fabric shirts. You will play cooler, retain the colours, and will have no need to dry clean them.

[Sideways]

1. RGK nails this discussion.

2. If you iron your golf polo and then find yourself arguing that golf is a sport, ask yourself what is wrong with that picture.

3. A well-made cotton shirt should not fade or shrink badly. You should wash it in warm water as cold will not properly dissolve the soap, and tumble dry low to almost dry.

[imsocrabby]

Sideways, on May 10 2008, 06:39 AM, said:

1. RGK nails this discussion.

2. If you iron your golf polo and then find yourself arguing that golf is a sport, ask yourself what is wrong with that picture.

3. A well-made cotton shirt should not fade or shrink badly. You should wash it in warm water as cold will not properly dissolve the soap, and tumble dry low to almost dry.

if cold water isn't dissolving your soap....


you're using the wrong soap and too much of it.

[Onebulldogs]

I usually have 1-2 special golf polos for company outings, pro-ams, charity tournaments. I usually send them to the dry cleaners and they look great for years. For other polos, I just use cold water. They usually last about a year of heavy use and get sent to goodwill.

[Bomb and Gouge]

Sideways, on May 10 2008, 06:39 AM, said:

1. RGK nails this discussion.

2. If you iron your golf polo and then find yourself arguing that golf is a sport, ask yourself what is wrong with that picture.

3. A well-made cotton shirt should not fade or shrink badly. You should wash it in warm water as cold will not properly dissolve the soap, and tumble dry low to almost dry.

...meanwhile back in the real world....


:p

[Sideways]

Bomb and Gouge, on May 10 2008, 09:02 PM, said:

...meanwhile back in the real world....

Right. In the real world people have better things to do than worry about ironing a golf shirt.

[imsocrabby]

Sideways, on May 11 2008, 08:16 AM, said:

Bomb and Gouge, on May 10 2008, 09:02 PM, said:

...meanwhile back in the real world....

Right. In the real world people have better things to do than worry about ironing a golf shirt.

yes. like which color socks to wear with khaki pants and saddles.

[Bomb and Gouge]

Sideways, on May 11 2008, 08:16 AM, said:

Bomb and Gouge, on May 10 2008, 09:02 PM, said:

...meanwhile back in the real world....

Right. In the real world people have better things to do than worry about ironing a golf shirt.

I haven't ironed a piece of clothing in 15 years. I hang dry everything and then spray the wrinkle remover on things that need it. That stuff is amazing!!!!

And then I take my dress hirts and stuff to the cleaners.